Packing your basket, finding the perfect spot, drinking loads of fabulous fizz – goodness, having the perfect picnic is exhausting! When you feel that mid-afternoon slump in the hot summer sun, whip out the Gusto Organic Lemon Energy in your June Bubble Box and revive yourself.
Founded by William Fugard and Green & Black’s founder and all-around organic food pioneer Craig Sams, it was clear from the get-go that Gusto Organic was going to go its own way in the beverage world.
While everyone else was making sugar-packed colas, William and Craig were producing lovingly-crafted, organic alternatives – and it wasn’t long before this team took its all-natural-everything ethos and applied it to the growing trend of energy drinks.
As William explains, “Back in 1987 a lot of energy drinks were hitting the shelves. We wanted to create an organic, natural energy drink that would give people what they were looking for in an energy drink, but made with ingredients that weren’t so toxic.”
Rather than rely on synthetic chemicals and compounds to give their delicious drinks their kick, Gusto Organic turned to ancient herbs that have been used for centuries to boost mental and physical performance: Amazonian guarana, Astragalus and Siberian Ginseng.
Guarana, a berry, was ground into a paste and used by hunters in the Amazon to stay awake and alert during day-long hunts through the jungle for centuries.
In Lemon Energy, it provides a gentle lift without the tremors and sudden crash of more common energy drinks.
“It’s a slow build,” says William. “A lot of energy drinks give you a quick rush and dump you on the other side. This works more in harmony with your body.”
But, first and foremost, Lemon Energy is a delicious drink. To make this amazing beverage, William’s team presses the freshest Sicilian lemons whole, including the peel, combining their juices and essential oils with blue agave, grape juice, apple juice and richly flavourful botanicals to make a tart, lemony delight with a gentle sparkle.
William says, “It’s very refreshing, and very reviving. It gives you a bit of jump in your stride for the mid-afternoon blues, or if you’re going out in the evening and want a bit more lead in your pencil. We hope to stimulate and revive in equal measure.”
And while William loves to drink Lemon Energy in the evening (perhaps with a shot of Mezcal tequila), on a sunny day the perfect serve is clear: ice cold and under a blue sky, in that lazy moment between basking and packing up to leave.
“On a hot, lazy afternoon when the sun is out, there’s nothing nicer to drink,” he smiles. “It’s a great drink for picnics, and lovely over ice with a slice of lemon.”
