Benny energy
December 04, 2024
UVic grads Paige Cey and Julie Letizia poured their passion into Benny, an energy drink that promises to give you a boost without the nasty extras.
Name: Paige Cey and Julie Letizia
UVic degrees: Bachelor of Commerce, 2021; Bachelor of Science in Economics, 2022
My business: Benny
Where it’s located: Vancouver, BC and Toronto, ON
What we do: Benny, short for benefits, is revolutionizing the energy-drink market and making “good energy” a daily purchase rather than an occasional rescue or pick me up. We’re the first to combine yerba mate and brain-boosting adaptogens into a crash- and jitter-free energy drink that promotes focus, longevity and metabolism while leaving out all the nasties. With Benny, you can fuel good about energy drinks.
Our team is: Small but mighty. We’ve built Benny’s distribution to span in 500-plus stores across Canada in one year. We’ve been able to do this with co-founders being our only two FTEs (full-time equivalents), with amazing interns, brand ambassadors and partners helping to fill the gaps.
Why we’re unique: We’re the first in Canada to be blending these powerful ingredients, which is really exciting. On top of that, Benny is addressing an underserved female market in the energy-drink industry.
Our ideal customer is: Benny really is for anyone and can be an incredible wellness booster for anyone, but our ideal customer is like us—young women who want to do their best in the world.
Our business mantra: Every day is a school day.
I wasn’t expecting… How difficult and fragmented the grocery industry is. Big players literally own the majority of the grocery store, and it takes a ton of money to make a dent.
Right now, our biggest challenge is: Tackling it all as a very small team. We know if we had the opportunity to build our team further, which we will soon, we would be able to make even more traction.
We’ll know we’re successful when: We’re able to live comfortably off the money Benny pays us—a.k.a. we will be able to order an appetizer and dessert without thinking twice.
Where to find us: At 500-plus amazing retail partners across Canada, on Amazon and on our site drinkbenny.com, where you can find our store locator, too.
Bottom line: Take the risk! There are wins and there are lessons, but you’ll never regret giving something you’re passionate about your 100 per cent.
This article appears in the UVic Torch alumni magazine.
For more Torch stories, go to the UVic Torch alumni magazine page.