Funki Drinks, a UK company based on the Norwich Research Park, is aiming to tackle the issue of low fibre intake in the UK population with its Fibre UP products, a unique carbonated soft drink fortified with a specially designed fibre blend developed with the help of Quadram Institute scientist, Dr Fred Warren.

​Fibre UP is the brainchild of entrepreneur Paul McCreery, a former management consultant in London and engineering graduate of the University of Nottingham, Paul founded Funki Drinks in 2023 “out of equal parts curiosity and concern” about the shortage of fibre in diets.

Dr Fred Warren, Quadram Institute research group leader, said: “Working on the development of the Fibre UP product has been an exciting journey. Fibre is an often overlooked nutrient and is demonstrated to be protective against a range of health benefits. Fibre UP offers a novel an innovative route to obtain a blend of dietary fibres from a wide range of source, which we have shown to support gut microbial diversity.”

Health challenge

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that more than 90% of adults in the UK do not consume enough fibre. However, eating enough fibre can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer, and improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Only 4% of women and 13% of men aged 19-64 consume the recommended daily adult amount of 30g of fibre.

Health innovation

The vision of Funki Drinks is to offer a convenient and appealing way for the UK population to meet the recommended fibre intake of 30g per day, which is often challenging to achieve through a traditional diet alone.

The company’s journey began with a strategic move to bid into Innovate UK’s Better Food for All competition. With support from this programme, Funki Drinks initiated an in-depth assessment of their existing carbonated drink formulation on the gut microbiome. Collaborating with Dr Fred Warren at the Quadram Institute, advanced in vitro colonic fermentation models were utilised to identify an optimal fibre blend for reformulation.

Following rigorous research and development, Fibre UP was born, the UK’s first carbonated soft drink fortified with a specially curated fibre-blend. This beverage not only boasted proven digestive tolerance but also showcased beneficial impacts on gut microbes, potentially improving human health. This innovative product presented a novel and convenient way for consumers to enhance their fibre intake, thereby contributing to the reduction of risks associated with heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer.

Paul McCreery said: “As someone passionate about health and nutrition, I kept seeing the same problem: fibre was overlooked, undervalued and heavily under-consumed,” he explains.

“So, I started thinking about how to make fibre easy, effortless and most importantly, enjoyable for everyone, to consume every day. Fibre UP was born from this thought process. “We developed our drinks to contain half of the recommended daily fibre intact. They are made with natural ingredients and do not contain added sweeteners.”

The drinks are also suitable for vegans.

Benefits

Despite only 9% of the UK population achieving the recommended fibre intake, the annual consumption of carbonated soft drinks in the UK is on the rise. Funki Drinks’ concept of providing optimal fibre intake through carbonated soft drinks held immense potential, with the prospect of positively influencing millions of people. Remarkably, it was projected that if just 10% of the UK population consumed one can of Fibre UP daily, approximately 6.7 million more people would meet their dietary fibre intake, thereby potentially reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity.

How innovate UK Business Connect accelerated the innovation

Paul is a recipient of the Innovate UK Young Innovators Award, which recognises young innovators with great business ideas and offers mentorship as well as funding to assist them on this journey. Access into this scheme proved to be an essential launchpad for Paul, offering both funding and support, which enabled the development of a prototype carbonated soft drink containing 50% of the recommended daily allowance of fibre. The validation, funding, and business support from the Young Innovators Award were instrumental for Paul.

Collaborating with Innovate UK Business Connect’s AgriFood team was pivotal for Funki Drink. The team provided comprehensive support throughout the application process, offering critical feedback and making valuable connections for Paul. Through an introduction to the Quadram Institute, Funki Drinks gained access to advanced formulation analysis. With the AgriFood team’s guidance, Funki Drinks successfully secured a £176,350 Innovate UK Better Food For All grant, enabling them to advance their innovative product development.

The Young Innovators Award helped Paul initiate the project, while the Better Food For All funding contributed to product improvement and access to world-class facilities at the Quadram Institute. Additionally, support from Innovate UK facilitated access to the Good Food Programme, which, with MissionVentures’ assistance, has been crucial in preparing the product for market readiness.

“It is genuinely life changing for me to be able to work on FUNKi full-time,” says Paul McCreery, Founder, Funki Drinks

Funki Drinks’ journey to develop their Fibre UP high-fibre carbonated drink showcases a groundbreaking effort to improve fibre intake. This case study highlights how innovation, science, and business acumen can drive meaningful change in the UK food and beverage industry.