GoodSport Nutrition, a first-of-its kind natural sports drink with 3x the electrolytes and 33% less sugar than traditional sports drinks, is making its way to Wisconsin retailers in May – and giving back to the local dairy community in the process.
The Chicago-based brand was founded out of a need for (female founder) Michelle McBride to supply her son with lower sugar sports drink options to recover from his Little League games, as she was overwhelmed and frustrated with the lack of healthy options in the category. Per research, she learned that athletes drink chocolate milk to rehydrate after big games, so she knew she had to create a sports drink that was both natural, refreshing and hydrating.
The reason for this, is that milk’s consistency and protein content, which are slow to digest, were barriers for athletes before and during exercise, but GoodSport’s patent-pending formula and process cracked the code to provide naturally powerful hydration in a clear and thirst-quenching beverage that is lactose free and shelf stable. If that’s not enough, GoodSport contains no artificial flavors, colors or dyes and provides superior hydration by harnessing the electrolytes and carbohydrates found in milk.
GoodSport is backed by science – published, peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that GoodSport provides rapid and long-lasting hydration and improves exercise performance and teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA and WNBA provide their athletes with GoodSport because of its superior hydration and great taste.
Michelle can also thank the state of Wisconsin for helping her in the development of the formula, as she worked with the checkoff-funded Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, Kimberlee (K.J.) Burrington – dairy ingredient, cultured products and beverages coordinator – showed the GoodSport Nutrition team how ultrafiltration could harness milk’s electrolytes, vitamins and carbohydrates and remove its protein to create a clear, light beverage with a mouthfeel that consumers expect from a sports drink.
GoodSport is not only good for the body, but good for the environment. The company supplies its main ingredient from dairy processors who ultrafilter milk to make various products, like cheese, but leave behind the component of milk needed to make GoodSport (and the part that usually gets tossed in the trash). By buying this unused, normally wasted milk component, Michelle is also helping the local dairy farmers (most of which are in Wisconsin!).
Currently, GoodSport is sold on Amazon, and goodsport.com, and comes in 12 packs of 16.9-ounce bottles in four refreshing flavors: Lemon Lime, Fruit Punch, Wild Berry, and Citrus – all equally delicious, and will soon be available in Wisconsin at Festival Foods, Pick n’ Save and other local retailers.
