The client

When your mission is to shake up the functional beverage space with drinks that deliver clean, science-backed benefits and look as refreshing as they taste - you need an epic team to pull it off. 

Vimlesh Gounder, ZenBrew’s founder, worked on the formulation with the expert team at Beverage & Food Gurus, design was brought to life through a creative collaboration between Thiago Dias and Laura Feavearyear (Creative Jam), AND they iteratively built on feedback from their target consumer (thanks to Stickybeak). 

ZenBrew’s first two SKUs - IMMUNITY (acerola cherry and vitamin C) and ENERGY (with L-theanine and electrolytes) are already creating buzz across independent retailers in New Zealand, with more to come.

The challenge

Vimlesh was about to significantly invest in the production and manufacturing of ZenBrew’s first two SKUs and with that came last-minute jitters..

The drinks looked great. The formulations were on point. But would consumers actually buy them?

This wasn’t just about two flavours. This was the beginning of a platform brand, with future NPD in sight. With tight timelines and limited budget, Vimlesh needed clear answers fast, and from real consumers, not just gut feel or friendly feedback.

The approach

ZenBrew used Stickybeak’s New Concept – Advanced test to validate and refine early-stage concepts for each variant - IMMUNITY and ENERGY. The testing allowed ZenBrew to go deeper than top-line appeal, diving into:

• Concept appeal, uniqueness, and purchase intent
• Category behaviour, usage occasions, and substitutes
• Consumer motivations and perceived barriers.

Once the direction was clear, Vimlesh and the design team ran a second Stickybeak test, this time comparing two pack designs. They wanted to understand:

• Which design popped?
• Which felt more on-brand? 
• Which one consumers would actually pick up off the shelf?

‍The result

Two SKUs with the consumer tick of approval - and the confidence to move from concept to shelf. Stickybeak delivered fast, actionable feedback that helped Vimlesh.

• Both IMMUNITY and ENERGY variants tested strongly, with strong appeal among health-conscious consumers
• Stickybeak surfaced insights on motivations, usage occasions and potential barriers, helping fine-tune positioning
• Real consumer feedback guided the final packaging decision - ensuring the product looked bright, fresh and modern, not dull or clinical

ZenBrew is now on shelves in independent retailers across New Zealand. Having used consumer testing to confidently shape this first launch, Vimlesh is now exploring next steps,  from new variants to retail growth,  with a stronger sense of what resonates with real consumers.

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