Sugary and unsatisfying is the label that many soft drinks have traditionally earned. But prebiotic soda brand, Living Things, is here to shake up the market.
See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index.
Founders: Jonathan Relph and Ben Vear
Year founded: 2023
Website: drinklivingthings.com
Living Things founders Jonathan Relph and Ben Vear knew that having a soft drink should be an enjoyable experience – and guilt-free. But instead, they found it was “carrying a lot of guilt for consumers” because options were so often sugary and, therefore, unhealthy.
They recognised that there was a huge appetite for something new, seeing as people have become more aware of the health impacts of too much sugar – including obesity, childhood obesity and diabetes. At the same time, policy was catching up to this problem as well. The Government had decided to bring in new rules on drinks with high fat, sugar, or salt content (HFSS), and the market needed to adjust.
The resulting knock-on effect has seen 230 million fewer litres of high sugar fizzy drinks being sold in the last 24 months in the UK. “This caused a massive problem for retailers and consumers – they needed a new drink to replace unhealthy, high sugar sodas”, the duo explains. “While there were some alternative soft drinks available in health-food shops, we saw an opportunity for a better-for-you soda aimed at a mainstream audience”.
While there were some alternative soft drinks available in health-food shops, we saw an opportunity for a better-for-you soda aimed at a mainstream audience
That opportunity has become Living Things. The London-based venture focuses on gut health, low sugar, and taste. What they promise is “clean ingredients, with no sweeteners and low sugar; distinctive and full-flavour recipes with innovative flavours that consumers love”.
This unique selling point, and the drinks’ distinctive packaging, has attracted clients and partners including Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, Whole Foods, Harrods and Booths. The brand’s range of five soft drinks are now being sold in 5,000 UK stores and 14 countries.
Tesco also selected the business for its accelerator program. “It was a huge vote of confidence from the UK’s biggest retailer, which was extremely valuable to a brand early in its journey,” the founders add.
It was a huge vote of confidence from the UK’s biggest retailer, which was extremely valuable to a brand early in its journey,
The startup’s investor base is made up of family and friends, high-net-worth individuals and business angels, including James Watt, the co-founder of BrewDog.
Living Things has found fans among the “young, bold and socially conscious” but the team thinks it has a broader appeal; and this will be the focus – reaching more hands – over the next five years, as the company continues to innovate and liven up the carbonated drinks market.
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