How two Australian friends founded Phizz and built one of the fastest growing brands in the UK
A former Melbourne-based McDonald’s employee has revealed how he built one of the UK’s most successful drinks businesses from his kitchen table with no investors – and it’s now worth millions.
Daniel Cray, 34, founded Phizz with his elementary school friends, Jonathan Knight, 40, and Rory Simmance-Freemantle, 34, in 2015.
Eight years later, the company sold eight million units in 2022 and the number is expected to double in 2023.
The drink is used by the Liverpool Football Club, as well as many A-listers and reality TV stars.
The trio, who all hold dual British and Australian citizenship, noticed how dehydrated they became while flying regularly between Melbourne and London. They wanted a solution for a drink that would hydrate them and taste good.
“Phizz started as a shared idea between myself and two friends who regularly traveled between Australia and the UK,” Daniel told Daily Mail Australia.
Daniel Cray, 34, who is originally from Melbourne, founded Phizz with his friends, Jonathan Knight, 40, and Rory Simmance-Freemantle, 34, in 2015
‘During our flights we were shocked to discover that we could lose up to six liters of water due to dehydration, two liters of which every 10 hours.
“This led to our obsession with the impact of dehydration on overall well-being.
“We recognized that the UK is a mature market for effervescent tablets and with Heathrow Airport seeing three times more traffic than the entire population of Australia, we saw an opportunity to make a big impact.
‘So we decided to go big or go home and bring Phizz to the UK market’.
The business got off to a good start, but disaster struck when Rory was diagnosed with bowel cancer during the pandemic, forcing him to step back from the business and move to Melbourne.
“In the beginning, collaborating with friends was a great way to launch Phizz. We all lived together, worked at our kitchen table and breathed Phizz 24/7,” said Daniel.
The business got off to a good start, but unfortunately disaster struck when Rory was diagnosed with bowel cancer during the pandemic, forcing him to step back from the business and move to Melbourne.
‘However, we have also learned that reconciling private and professional life can be a challenge, especially when difficult situations arise.
“During COVID, our co-founder and close friend Rory was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Although it was a difficult time for all of us, we rallied to support him. I’m happy to say he’s now in remission and back in Australia, although he’s taken a different path.’
Daniel, who studied Business & Marketing at Monash University, is now the sole founder of the company, meaning he has taken on more responsibility and leads a team of nine.
“While the team has evolved, I am still very close to my original co-founders who remain on our board,” he said.
Since the company was entirely self-funded, they had “very limited” budgets when they started.
Within six months of the sale, Phizz was stocked at the Grammys and within 12 months it was on Emirates aircraft.
Fast forward to February 2021 and Phizz got its first national retailer, Sainsbury’s.
Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket, has joined the roster of dealers in 2022.
Sales to airlines, professional sports teams and hotels have not only brought needed revenue to Phizz, but also recognition and credibility.
“While we eventually obtained outside funding to help us scale our business, our early success was a result of our own hard work and determination to create a truly innovative and high-quality product,” added Daniel.
Phizz has made an impact in the world of sports and entertainment.
“Hundreds of professional athletes from Premier League football to international cricket have purchased and used Phizz, and we have become very popular this season with an F1 team dominating the podium.
“Our product has been requested for Love Island [UK] has been an essential part of the Geordie Shore house for the past two years and has even appeared in dramas such as HBO’s Industry,” he added.
Despite their setbacks, Phizz is now the fastest growing brand in its category and has over 3,500 distributors across the UK. In 2022, Phizz sold eight million tablets.
Daniel’s success is a far cry from his childhood in Melbourne, where he worked as a pharmacy delivery boy before getting a job at McDonald’s and eventually as a barista.
‘I started working at a young age, delivering medicines on my bicycle for a local pharmacy when I was only 12.
Within six months of being sold, Phizz was supplied by the Grammys and within twelve months it was an Emirates inflight facility, fast forward to February 2021 and Phizz got its first national retailer, Sainsbury’s. Tesco joined the list of sellers in 2022. Sales to airlines, professional sports teams and hotels have provided Phizz with much-needed revenue, recognition and credibility
“In high school I worked at McDonald’s and during college I worked as a barista to support myself financially.”
Daniel says he learned hard work from his grandfather, who moved to Australia from Bolton, Greater Manchester, in the 1960s.
“He was a salesman turned entrepreneur and started several ventures throughout his life.
Despite facing challenges and experiencing failures along the way, he persevered and continued to be an inspiration to me.
“He passed away recently, but his entrepreneurial spirit lives on in me,” he said.