​The political commentator taking on Gatorade

“Is it in you?” asks Michael Jordan in a nostalgic new Gatorade spot, neon-colored sweat beading on his face.

Anyone who's ever scrutinized the label on a bottle of Midnight Ice or Citrus Cooler might have a follow-up question: What is "it," exactly — and does it really need to include something called maltodextrin?

'The real conservative response is: We’re going to make something artisanal. We’re going to make something real.'

For Josh Lekach, one of the current wave of entrepreneurs questioning conventional, corporate-controlled wisdom about health and nutrition, the answer is no.

Keeping it clean

Lekach’s Sport Drink — a clean electrolyte drink powder alternative to Gatorade and other thirst-quenching chemical confections — hit the market August 1, nearly a year after the product’s conception by Josh Lekach, Josh Kaye (Healthy Home Josh), and a third owner in the company who chose to remain anonymous.

The drink mix for athletes is currently available in two varieties: the original no-flavor blend, appropriately called No Flavor with Sugar, and a sparkling, citrus-flavored option titled No Yellow 5 Lemon Lime. Both blends contain the same mix of electrolytes, which includes Dead Sea salt, potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and magnesium sulfate. Organic cane sugar is used for carbohydrate replenishment.

Lekach, a 37-year-old co-owner of the emerging brand, sat down for a virtual interview to discuss the real-ingredient, real-hydration company. He settled into the discussion from a sunny balcony in Costa Rica with a bottle of water premixed with the No Yellow 5 Lemon Lime Sport Drink in hand. His current jar is almost depleted, and he mentions that his wife is upset about running out so soon.

Lekach points out that his brutally honest family members have found the drink enjoyable, and a cursory glance online shows the lemon-lime mix as sold out.

Not bad for a business started on a whim.

Doing it right

The way Lekach tells it, roughly a year ago he made an Instagram post about how it has never been easier to start a brand: Just take a product you like, figure out how it's made, and then make it healthy and artisanal.

While he only meant to use Gatorade as an example, Kaye messaged him and suggested that they run with the idea. Lekach was convinced, and Sport Drink was born.

Despite a seemingly quick turnaround from concept to market, making Sport Drink without the common additives added six months to the production process and at least a few thousand to the costs. As of this interview, Lekach is still taking red-eye flights to Los Angeles to hand-fill jars of Sport Drink when they need to be restocked. The company is searching for a manufacturer that can package the product as formulated.

“If we started the wrong way, and we lied, I wouldn’t feel good about that, and I wouldn’t drink it myself,” said Lekach when asked about the business sacrifices associated with creating a cleaner product.

A particular challenge in manufacturing was avoiding the use of maltodextrin, a common additive in beverages used to prolong shelf life, said Lekach. The ingredient is known to create blood sugar spikes greater than those reported from real sugar. According to Lekach, the Sport Drink owners chose to spend more time perfecting the formula instead of using the chemical as a shortcut.

A 'Sad' tale

Sport Drink isn’t Lekach’s first foray into the beverage industry. He more or less memed his brand Sad Water into existence; before long Coca-Cola was expressing interest. However, Lekach's increasingly outspoken political commentary eventually scared the conglomerate off. Lekach pivoted into podcasting.

Both Vimeo and Patreon ended up banning Lekach's show — the aptly named "Wrong Opinion" — before it found its current home on Censored.TV.

While he is happy to continue his show, Lekach says he wants more for his family. Creating a product like Sport Drink is part of that goal.

Forgoing market research, Lekach says that a lot of people talk themselves out of pursuing an idea, but “I’m just going with my gut.”

He said he has taken notice of other niche brands popping up in the right-wing sphere such as wellness influencer Sol Brah and Hestia Cigarettes.

As with those brands, politics permeate Sport Drink's marketing. Sport Drink’s website alludes to both biblical history and U.S.-funded terrorist groups in its description of the Dead Sea salt it contains. For Lekach this isn't some external gimmick; the conservatism is built in.

“The real conservative response is: We’re going to make something artisanal. We’re going to make something real," said Lekach. "A product like ours is conservative because it goes back to how we used to do things when people just wanted to put out a good product."

Lekach added that his humbling experience maneuvering the crash of 2008 in the fragrance industry — as well as a stint raising about half a million dollars for a tech startup — taught him valuable lessons about figuring things out on his own and navigating bureaucracy.

While Lekach acknowledges the dominance of electrolyte products containing artificial sweeteners, colors, and chemical additives, he's convinced that it only takes a small percentage of consumers to drive change in the market. He citied the wide availability of kosher products as one example.

“The bigger brands are taking notice,” said Lekach, noting that online discussions about the hazards of seed oils have led to food producers offering healthier choices.

Sugar's not the enemy

To win over consumers, Lekach has to rehabilitate an often-maligned sweetener: “It’s not the sugar that’s killing you,” he says.

“The main hurdle will be to teach the consumer that sugar is not bad for you. We’ve been tricked into believing that the unnatural alternative to anything is healthier, but all of the alternatives that they have sold us, those are the unhealthy things,” said Lekach.

He referenced anecdotes of native populations using the popular plant-derived sweetener stevia as a contraceptive and noted that for people living a healthy lifestyle, real sugar is going to give their bodies the energy they need.

For the consumers who want to start shopping for cleaner brands, Lekach says the key is to focus on products with fewer and more familiar ingredients.

Lekach's next priority is to streamline the production process without sacrificing quality. He also intends to offer more flavors in the next few months. From there? Lekach's answer echoes the inspirational messaging of his competitor: "The sky’s the limit.”

Sport Drink is available for purchase online.