In 2015, Stephen Colvin, Chandler Warr, and JJ Steadman founded Bobelo, a carbonated beverage company based in Alpine, Utah, to help address the significant waste generated by the beverage industry.
Per their website, “For decades, the beverage industry has been putting their efforts in all the wrong places. Plastic bottles litter our planet, and few have made any efforts to change this.” Colvin, a native Utahn who was working in the industry at another company at the time of Bobelo’s founding, told VoyageUtah, “While I was hiking in the Olympic mountains one day, I found a lot of beverage bottles and cans in what should be a pristine environment. It bothered me that the industry I was in could contribute to so much waste, and I determined that I would figure out a better way to do beverages.”
Colvin’s unsettling discovery was further cemented when he saw that customers were also eager for a more sustainable model than another drink in another plastic bottle. However, there were not many options at the time. Packets of electrolyte mixes or vitamin C powder were just making their initial debut, but Colvin noted, “None of them truly taste as good as your favorite soda, and they sure don’t have the carbonation to tickle your taste buds.”
Thus, Bobelo met the market demand by developing small pouches of drink mix powder that still create a “fizzy carbonation experience” with a flavorful taste, which it calls the “first self-carbonating drink mix.” Over the years, the offerings have expanded to the current lineup, including a Bobelo Energy product that delivers clean caffeine in the form of B Vitamins and the Brazilian superfruit, Guarana, for steady focus and essential electrolytes for hydration. Bobelo describes it as “hydration that actually wakes you up,” able to “give you a smooth lift without the jitters, the sugar spike, or the afternoon crash.” The Bobelo Immune Support product, added in 2023, pairs electrolytes with immune-supporting nutrients like Vitamin C and zinc to “help you stay ready for whatever the day throws at you” and “keep moving.”
“These vitamins play an essential role in building and maintaining healthy bodies while also converting food into fuel,” the company writes on its website.
Photo Courtesy Bobelo
Bobelo therefore made the perfect pairing for 2022’s North American Invitational Sevens, a rugby tournament that was held in Utah. Bobelo was the sponsor and sold more than 3,000 drinks over a July weekend. One coach said, “Bobelo is perfect because it has balanced electrolytes and natural sweeteners in place of sugar to keep our athletes fueled during their games–especially in this summer heat!”
Photo Courtesy Bobelo
With minimal, pocket-sized packaging, consumers save space in their refrigerators or pantries and can easily bring them on the go for a hike or campaign trip. At the same time, by using 97% less plastic than a soda bottle, they also help the planet. “By drinking Bobelo, you are actively taking a stand against plastic waste and contributing to a healthier, cleaner Earth,” the company promises. In 2022, Bobelo even became carbon neutral by offsetting the emissions from its production and distribution processes. “Healthy ingredients contribute to a healthier you, and less waste contributes to a healthier planet–one drink at a time,” the company says.
In 2019, Bobelo became one of only nine B Corp-certified companies in Utah, recognized for its environmental and social impact. Bobelo donates some of each purchase to the Bobelo One Foundation, which “advocates for a better brain, body, and biome,” as well as to other nonprofit organizations, including one that builds wells in Africa and another that supplies Christmas gifts for families that have adopted children from backgrounds involving drug abuse. The Logan, Utah-based Malouf Foundation, which fights the sexual exploitation of children and sex trafficking, is especially important to the company.
As Colvin described, “The beverage we create is amazing, and we love growing our company around it. But if it’s not doing good, then I don’t know what the point of all of this is. I think too many entrepreneurs lose sight of asking themselves, ‘What am I actually accomplishing in the world?’ And if the answer is just to get lots of money to buy nice cars and houses, then you probably have the wrong goals.”
Photo Courtesy Bobelo
