Introduce yourself

Hi my name is David Hartigan and together with my Co founder Stephen Dillion we are the founders of Blynk+ Drinks. I have been in the wellness industry for the past 7 years and run another company which manufactures organic hemp products and food supplements. Stephen on the other hand has over 30 years of experience in the drinks industry and is a serial entrepreneur.

What inspired you to join the natural health sector?

Both myself and Stephen share a passion for wellness and have both taken various supplements for years. The natural health sector is constantly evolving and is an incredible sector to be a part of. Both of us are always looking at ways to improve our health and overall wellbeing.  

Where did you get the idea for your brand?

The inspiration for Blynk+ originated when myself and Stephen met at the national start-up awards in 2022. Both myself and Stephen share a passion for wellness and decided to use our shared knowledge to create a new functional drink company. The drinks industry is full of high sugar drinks which are packed full of questionable ingredients. Over the past year and a half we have been developing Blynk+ so we can offer consumers a better solution that supports your wellbeing.

Our “Beverages with Benefits” contain functional mushrooms which have been used for thousands of years for their potential health benefits. Our drinks are low sugar, low calorie and packed full of vitamins and minerals to support overall wellbeing. Our drinks have been designed to support key areas such as focus and calm.

What makes your brand unique?

Our products are extremely unique and we are technically the first company in Ireland to produce a functional mushroom drink. 

In comparison to other products in the market our drinks contain more vitamins and organic mushroom extracts. On average our drinks contain twice the amount of functional mushrooms than other brands in the UK. Most importantly our drinks taste amazing which is very important. A lot of other functional drinks brands have a nasty after taste due to the sweeteners they use.

What are your company’s core values?

Three of our core values are:

• Sustainability
• Quality
• Innovation

At Blynk+ sustainability is at the core of everything we do as we work tirelessly to ensure we have a positive impact on the environment. All of the Functional mushrooms we use are certified organic and sustainably sourced. Our drinks are sold in aluminium cans which are infinitely recyclable. Our drinks are shipped in cardboard trays which are sustainable and fully recyclable. Our ambition for Blynk+ is to become a B Corp certified business by 2025 showing our commitment to sustainable business practices. David’s other company Hemp Heros is already B Corp certified making it the first food supplement company in Ireland to achieve B Corp status. 

Ensuring our products are of the highest quality is one of our guiding values. All of our drinks are based in a BRCG accredited facility to ensure they meet the highest standards from a manufacturing perspective. When it comes to sourcing ingredients or packaging each supplier has to pass our supplier assessment to ensure they meet our high standards. 

Innovation is at the heart of what we do as we look to shake up the drinks industry and bring consumers Great Tasting Beverages with Benefits. Currently we are working on some really excited new drinks which will be launching later this year

How do you support your community?

We have only just launched Blynk+ but have a ton of plans to engage with the local community and support local charities. In the next few weeks we have plans to run a yoga wellness day and work with some running clubs to keep their members focused and calm.

What has been the most rewarding part of your brands journey?

The most rewarding moment so far for myself and Stephen was seeing our first batch come off the production line and tasting the first can. Being an entrepreneur is not an easy journey and it takes a lot of grit and determination. Taking something from an idea to a physical product which people can now drink is an incredible experience and is the closest you can get to real magic.

What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?

Irish brands stand out because of their deep connection to nature, strong sense of community, and commitment to quality craftsmanship. When people think of Irish products they think of quality and something which is value for money. 

What is your favourite product from your brand?

This is ready hard to pick as both products taste really great. Stephen's favourite is the Calm which contains Reishi and my favorite would be the Focus with Lion's Mane. In saying that some of the new products we are working on are really unique so we could both have a new favourite very soon

Tell us about something that has shaped your brand?

One of the things that really shaped our brand was our focus on quality and taste. Our functional mushrooms are sourced from mushroom experts in Europe who are certified organic. We spent many months researching the best suppliers to ensure we delivered the highest quality drink possible. In terms of taste we spent the past 18 months refining our formulations to ensure our drinks not only make you feel great but taste great too.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

We have big plans for Blynk+ as we want to bring new innovation to the soft drinks market and really shake things up. Our big goal for the next 6 months is to launch 2 new drinks and really educate people on the many benefits of Functional Mushrooms.