Revive Active supplements Q & A

Daithí O’ Connor is the Founder and Managing Director of Revive Active, a leading super supplement company. With a career spanning 20 years in financial services, Daithí set up Revive Active in 2011, in the eye of the recession. Revive Active scientifically formulates cutting edge health food supplements, delivered in single dose sachets, containing natural ingredients that assure long lasting, sustained support for body and mind.

Revive Active is sold in over 2,000 retail outlets across Ireland, in 50 high street stores in London and online in over 48 countries worldwide.

To find out more about their ongoing success, we spoke with Founder and Managing Director, Daithí O' Connor.

Tell us a bit about Revive Active and how it came about?

Revive Active was established in 2011 in the middle of a global recession. I had the vision to create premium nutritional supplements that would make a difference to people’s lives.

It all started when I was brought in as a consultant for a group of doctors and scientists to assist them in sourcing nutritional ingredients that were not readily available in Ireland. During that process, I realised that instead of importing, we could create something here in Ireland that would compete on the world stage.

The first product we brought to market was Revive Active, which was formulated to support the immune system, heart health and energy levels. This combination of benefits in one supplement was unique at the time as the market was not as sophisticated as it is now. Most Vitamin, Mineral and Dietary Supplement (VMS) sections in stores sold bottles of single vitamin tablets, containing fillers and binders which people often find difficult to swallow. Whereas here was a supplement brand that had 26 active ingredients in one daily sachet that consumers simply mix with water and drink.

Ten years on, I’m proud to say that we now have 8 scientifically formulated products on the market that are manufactured in our own state-of-the-art facility in Mullingar in the midlands of Ireland. We employ 70 people, and this is set to grow further in the coming year.

Immunity and health have been a global concern for the past 2 years, how has this impacted Revive Active?

Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen steady growth in the business, particularly in the four core products - Revive Active, Zest Active, Teen Revive and Junior Revive - which include a comprehensive blend of premium immune supporting ingredients. Not only have we seen a surge in demand for these products, but the consumer has become much savvier when it comes to supporting their overall health through this turbulent time.

As a result, consumers are no longer just picking up any multivitamin in their supermarket, they are now researching the options available, the benefits, the quality of the ingredients, how the ingredients are delivered and reading genuine reviews from users. They are doing their research both online and in-store and making informed decisions.

How will the current climate affect the supplements market in Ireland?

In the last 12 months, health has been front and centre in every news bulletin. People are exercising more, eating healthier diets and sourcing quality supplements that improve their health and well-being. Revive Active has taken centre stage in fulfilling that need for quality and value.

Positioned as a market leader in Ireland, ahead of major multi-national players, what is the key to success for Revive Active?

From the beginning, our ethos was to never compromise and always strive to be the best in class. From the ingredients that go into each sachet, to the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility we have, to our premium packaging and the people we work with, we always strive for excellence.

Everyone who works in Revive Active is invested in what we do and how we are making that small difference in people’s lives. It’s very rewarding.

We are a commercial entity but there is more to Revive Active than just the bottom line. We are a group of passionate individuals who constantly strive to be better and over the years we’ve tweaked our products when new research or new ingredients become available which gives us an edge that other larger multinational companies may not have.

How is Revive Active different from other supplement brands?

Revive Active has a track record of success that has grown from one product to an entire range of super supplements. An integral part of our growth is down to the strong partnerships we have with our retail partners in the pharmacy and health food store space. These partnerships ensure we can continue to thrive and develop the Revive Active range further with innovation, high quality, and of course passion.

The R&D team follows a rigorous new product development process to ensure only products of the highest quality are brought to market. Every product in the range has been scientifically formulated by experts, including nutritionists and food scientists.

We source raw materials from internationally recognised suppliers such as the Kerry Group, Rousselot and Aker Bio Marine. Our unique formulations have been designed to give our consumers the best super supplements on the market and our track record and reputation have been validated by a host of awards.

Some of Revive Active’s achievements include:

• Finalist in the Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2017
• London Financial Times Top 1000 Fastest Growing Companies in Europe in 2017
• Winner of the Food and Drink Category in the Small Firms Association Business Awards in 2018.
• Numerous awards including Best Immunity Product, Best Irish Pharmacy Brand, Best VMS (Vitamin, Mineral & Dietary Supplement) Brand and Best Mental Health and Wellbeing Product.
• In October 2021, Revive Active ranked Number 1 VMS in Ireland with 11.1% market share*.

*Source: Euromonitor Passport Report on consumer Health National Statistics 18.10.21

What key opportunities do you wish to leverage over the next five years?

We will continue to grow in Ireland over the next five years however in 2022 we are focusing on expansion in the UK to gain a scalable presence. We will launch in retail in Portugal, through digital in the EU and we will continue to expand into West Africa.

I would expect a market entry into the US either in 2023 or 2024.

What kind of new products might we expect to see over the coming years?

As a brand we are always looking to improve our existing portfolio and if we identify gaps in the market, we do our research and if we feel we can formulate and manufacture a top-class product to fill this gap, then we’ll consider it.

A good example of this is our menopause product, Meno Active. In 2018 we identified that there was a lack of supplement options available to women who were on their menopausal journey and in 2019 we commenced researching the area to find out what women need to support their journey. After two years of research and development, we launched Meno Active.

Find out more about Revive Active and all products at: www.reviveactive.com