17. Shine Drink

Revenue: $6.54 million
Growth: 68%
Founders: Steve Chapman, 30; Sam Prince, 38
Head Office: Manly, NSW
Employees: 10
Industry: Consumer goods
Website: https://shinedrink.com/
Year Founded: 2016

How it started

Steve Chapman and Sam Prince worked long hours together for years, relying on coffee or energy drinks to stay focused, but were disappointed at the unhealthy, sugar-filled options on shelves.

They decided to create an alternative, with natural ingredients like green tea, ginkgo biloba, turmeric and ginseng.

They first launched a 100ml “Shine Shot” which sold well at convenience stores and cafes, before developing a carbonated drink to compete with Red Bull and Coca-Cola.

Growth

Shine now has more than 20 SKUs, including cans, four-packs and glass bottles, in around 7000 stores across Australia and New Zealand.

The company has had to fight against the stigma of energy drinks by positioning their own as low sugar, with natural nootropics.

In the past three years, the company’s year-on-year growth has averaged 77%, as it put new products on shelves and expanded its sales footprint.

Where to next?

There’s no lack of ambition at Shine, as Chapman tells SmartCompany he believes “Shine could be as big or bigger than the Red Bull brand globally one day”.

For now, Shine is playing for the long-term success of the brand, and faces competition in the “better-for-you energy drink” space, which Chapman claims the company started.