What began as a grueling Ironman training session for Madison resident Marty Frascogna has turned into a fast-growing startup that he and his wife Lesley hope can shake up a sports drink industry dominated for decades by brands such as Gatorade and Powerade.
The couple are the founders of NU/KE, a bottled sports drink company built around a simple concept: fewer ingredients, no artificial additives and a formula designed for athletes and families seeking a cleaner alternative.
Marty is an attorney with his own practice and Lesley previously owned her own business, Tulip Floral. However, both have put part or all of that on hold to dive headlong into NU/KE.
The business launched earlier this year and has already sold tens of thousands of bottles, partnered with schools in Mississippi and Tennessee and begun expanding its retail footprint.
"We kind of became obsessed with, let's just find something better for our kids," Marty Frascogna said. "Let's stop blindly following this."
The idea for NU/KE was born about two years ago as Marty Frascogna prepared for an Ironman competition at age 45.
During training, he consulted with a nutrition coach who asked about his hydration strategy for a long ride.
"I was like, 'I don't know. I've got some Gatorades and 60 ounces of water,'" he said.
When the coach told him to read the nutrition label on the bottle, Frascogna said he began taking a closer look at what he was consuming during training.
The experience prompted a broader conversation between he and Lesley about the sports drinks they routinely bought for their children, who participate in youth sports.
"We were loading up at Costco on Powerade or Gatorade like everybody does," Lesley Frascogna said. "When we started looking at all the ingredients and sugar content, we thought there had to be something better."
The couple began searching grocery stores and health food retailers for alternatives.
"We went to Whole Foods and realized there really weren't sports drink options," Marty said. "There were hydration powders and packets, but we couldn't find a bottled sports drink that checked all the boxes."
Just as importantly, conversations with other parents revealed they were searching for similar products.
"We started coming across parents saying, 'We've been looking for a healthier option, too,'" he said.
Once the idea took hold, the Frascognas moved quickly.
"I'm a very impulsive person," Lesley said with a laugh. "We had the idea and I was researching the next day trying to figure out how to make it happen."
The couple hired a California beverage development firm to begin formulating products and eventually worked with doctors, nutritionists and food scientists to refine the recipe.
The road, however, wasn't always smooth.
The founders said their first formulation partnership did not meet expectations, leading them to switch to a new food scientist and development team through the company that bottles the drinks.
"We actually didn't have a great experience with them," Lesley said. "We have a new formulator now. We have a new food scientist now."
Today, what began as an idea around the family kitchen table has become the couple's full-time focus.
The company's first flavor, Lime Time, contains coconut water, lemon juice, lime juice, organic cane sugar and Celtic sea salt. A second flavor, OG Orange, incorporates orange juice and orange extract while maintaining the same basic formula.
The founders describe the company's philosophy as "nothing unnecessary."
"Everyone's kind of doing more, and we're doing less," Marty said.
According to the company, NU/KE contains seven ingredients and avoids artificial dyes, preservatives and flavorings commonly found in traditional sports drinks.
While the drink isn't on the shelves in Whole Foods Market just yet, the founders also aimed to ensure every ingredient met standards accepted by Whole Foods.
"Every single ingredient in our drink is Whole Foods-certified," Marty said. "We don't use natural flavors. We use real fruit and real fruit juices."
He said the company's focus is on transparency and simplicity.
"We kind of pride ourselves on being seven ingredients, not 25 things you can't pronounce," he said. "Every single thing serves a purpose that's in the drink."
The founders entered the market cautiously.
Their initial target areas included Mississippi, Birmingham, Alabama and parts of the Nashville market. Before the official launch, NU/KE had already secured roughly 100 subscription orders.
Still, the couple had no idea how quickly consumers would respond.
Their first production run totaled about 38,000 bottles.
"We had no idea how long it would take us to move that," Marty said.
The bottles sold out in roughly six to eight weeks.
The rapid sellout convinced the couple the concept had broader appeal than they initially anticipated.
"I think at that point we realized this has some legs," Marty said.
Since then, the company has completed additional production runs and is preparing for continued growth. The recently introduced OG Orange flavor is joining Lime Time on store shelves, while a third flavor is already in development and could be released next spring.
One of NU/KE's fastest-growing customer segments has been schools and athletic programs.
The founders say administrators increasingly face questions from parents about healthier food and beverage choices for students and athletes.
"It's been interesting watching schools jump on this health kick," Marty said. "A lot of schools get flak from parents asking, 'Where are the healthier options for our kids?'"
NU/KE has developed limited partnerships with several schools, including Hartfield Academy, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, St. Andrew's Episcopal School, Jackson Academy and Millsaps College.
"A lot of the athletic teams at these schools are using us because we're a healthier option," Marty said.
The response from schools mirrors what the couple has heard from customers across the region.
"We kind of suspected people cared about this," he said. "But we really didn't know."
NU/KE currently sells directly to consumers through its website and ships nationwide. Locally, the drinks will be available in the coming days and weeks at Sullivan's Grocery stores in Gluckstadt and Brandon and in select Corner Market locations.
The company has also entered Kroger's distribution system and expects products to appear in stores in the future.
For the Frascognas, the growth has validated what started as a personal search for a better sports drink.
"What surprised us was how passionate people were when they finally found an option they felt good about giving their kids," Marty said.
As NU/KE expands production and distribution, the Madison couple believes consumer demand for cleaner ingredients and simpler nutrition could create an opening for a Mississippi startup to compete in one of the beverage industry's most crowded categories.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi couple takes on Gatorade, Powerade with new sports drink