UK’s first prebiotic soda launches through Ocado
XOXO Soda has announced its launch with the UK’s largest online supermarket, Ocado.
According to the owners, the UK’s first prebiotic fizzy drink is revolutionising the soft drinks industry with its prebiotic sodas, offering a gut-healthy alternative, without compromising on taste. Having first launched to market in May 2023, UK-based XOXO Soda is currently available in over 4,500 stores across the UK and Europe.
Serving as the first soda of its kind to support gut health, the drink is currently available across the biggest retailers in Europe such as Spar, Albert Heijn, Whole Foods and Zapp and Amazon, with continued expansion mapped across the continent in the next year.
XOXO’s scale of growth is in tandem with the brand’s national data unveiling one-in-ten Brits drink more than three cans of soda a day, despite more than 11 million stating that their diet has the biggest impact on their mental health. Combatting a sugar addicted nation, the UK’s first prebiotic soda has now launched in Ocado, with further major retail across the UK and Europe slated for early 2025.
The gut friendly soda’s rise in the soft drinks space can be attributed in part to a nation that is becoming increasingly conscious of its gut health. New data from the innovative drinks brand confirms that 9.5 million Brits feel uncomfortably ballooned on a consistent basis, with diet playing a significant role in Britain’s problem. With the NHS confirming that high consumption of fizzy drinks is a major contributor, XOXO’s study also revealed that nearly a third (30%) of Brits find it hard to give up fizzy drinks because they haven’t found anything that compares despite 26% stating their confidence is affected by the feeling.
XOXO Soda aims to make gut health mainstream, with six flavours that balance functional benefits and the taste consumers expect from their favourite soft-drinks. The company is committed to scaling health-conscious beverages across global markets, bringing better-for-you options to a wider audience without sacrificing the expected taste of a refreshing fizzy drink.
Rory Paterson, CEO and co-founder of XOXO Soda, noted that the launch of XOXO with Ocado, reaffirms the business’s belief that the UK market is ready for the next generation of soft drinks that appeal to both a new wave of health-conscious consumers and traditional soda drinkers alike.
“Partnering with the nation’s largest online supermarket allows us to better reach those who are looking for something new and exciting from their soda,” he added. “It’s amazing to see Ocado helping to create a better category of soft drinks by listing XOXO. This expands on our work across Europe, which has seen national grocery listings across five major territories including Germany and The Netherlands.
“Delivering bold and delicious flavours alongside the functionality of prebiotic fibre for improved gut health, XOXO is truly bringing a product that the legacy soft drinks market has yet to explore.”
XOXO was developed with the help of the team at Döhler Ventures, the drinks are crafted from all-natural ingredients, with the vegan-friendly, low-calorie, low-sugar beverages containing six grams of prebiotic fibre in each can.
Derived from three natural fibres, each drink feeds different good bacteria in the gut. Prebiotics nourish existing gut bacteria, promoting its growth and allowing it to flourish, strengthening the digestive system and improving microbiome health.
Following a rigorous testing period which saw the creation of over 50 iterations in the space of two years, the team – comprised of the world’s leading food and ingredients experts – settled on three core ingredients. Having developed a totally resistant-to-degradation prebiotic fibre mix, XOXO ensures the consumer receives all the goodness from the natural sources of fibre without fear of them breaking down.
