Introduce yourself.

We are Anna Malsam and Dave Saunders, Co-Founders of Hytropics, an Irish-made sparkling hydration drink designed to support balanced energy, better focus and everyday hydration.

Before starting Hytropics, we both worked as commercial pilots, Anna has a background in nursing whilst Dave has founded a startup previously. We started the business after struggling ourselves with fatigue, dehydration and relying too heavily on caffeine and sugary drinks during long and demanding workdays. We felt there was space for something cleaner, more balanced and genuinely useful for everyday life.

What inspired you to join the natural health sector?

It came from personal experience more than anything else. We became much more conscious of how hydration, nutrition and energy levels affect how you feel day to day, especially in high-pressure environments.

When we looked at the market, we found that there were no ready to drink, highly functional electrolyte drink on the market and many drinks were either packed with sugar, caffeine or artificial ingredients, or they simply did not fit into everyday life. We wanted to create something refreshing and functional that people could genuinely enjoy regularly.

Where did you get the idea for your brand?

The original idea came during our time working in aviation. Long shifts, irregular schedules, dehydration and mental fatigue were all very common, and we found ourselves constantly searching for healthier ways to stay focused and energised without overdoing caffeine. We experimented with putting pink Himalayan salt in our water bottles which seemed to leave us less fatigued at the end of a four-hour flight. That slowly evolved into the idea for Hytropics, a modern hydration drink designed for real life.

What makes your brand unique?

We focus on simplicity, balance and real-world on the go functionality. Hytropics is caffeine-free, sugar-free and only 5 calories, while still offering functional benefits through electrolytes, B vitamins and ginseng. We use natural sweeteners which can be tricky to work with and use natural flavours too. We are committed to using the best ingredients in our products, so customer do not have to think about it. We do the heavy lifting for them!

We are also very focused on taste and drinkability. A lot of functional drinks can feel overly intense or medicinal or can be jumping on a health wave which results in trend driven labelling and perceived benefits. Our drinks are functional and taste like they should. We wanted Hytropics to feel refreshing, light and easy to enjoy every day.

What are your company’s core values?

Transparency, quality and continuous improvement are probably the biggest ones.
We try to build the brand in a very honest and grounded way, whether that is around ingredients, how we speak to customers or how we grow the business. We also care a lot about creating products that genuinely add value to people’s lives rather than chasing trends.

How do you support your community?

We love supporting local events, gyms, wellness communities and small independent businesses where possible.

A huge part of our journey so far has been built through local support, so we always try to give that back where we can through collaborations, sampling, partnerships and community-focused events.

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

Seeing people come back to the product again and again has probably been the most rewarding part.

When somebody tells us Hytropics has become part of their daily routine, whether that is work, training, parenting or travel, it means a lot because that was always the intention behind the brand.

What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?

Irish brands tend to have a strong sense of authenticity and personality behind them. A lot of independent Irish businesses are built very hands-on by their founders, and customers can really feel that connection and passion.

There is also a strong sense of community and support between Irish brands, which is something we have really appreciated throughout our journey.

What is your favourite product from your brand?

That changes regularly, but Lime & Grapefruit is one we keep going back to. It is crisp, refreshing and probably best represents the overall direction of the brand.

Tell us about something that has shaped your brand?

One thing that really shaped us early on was learning how important patience and resilience are when building a physical product business.

There are always challenges behind the scenes, whether that is production, logistics or product development, but those experiences have pushed us to build the brand properly and focus on long-term quality over shortcuts.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

We want to continue building Hytropics into a trusted modern drinks brand that people genuinely feel good about choosing.

In the future, we hope to expand internationally, continue innovating and release more products, while keeping the same core philosophy around clean ingredients, functionality and everyday usability.