Drink mix brand Liquid I.V. is coming to Canada, thanks in part to demand from locals.

The Unilever brand says it is the number one selling powered hydration brand in the United States, with three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink in its messaging stateside.

Jostein Solheim, CEO of Unilever’s health and wellbeing business, says that it evaluated market-brand fit, culture-brand fit, consumers’ motivations and the stage of development of the functional hydration market as part of its expansion strategy. It also helped that Canadians were flooding social media with requests for it to be sold here.

“Now is the time because Canadians are demanding it,” says Leslie Golts, GM of health and wellbeing at Unilever Canada, telling strategy that the CPG worked as quickly as it possibly could to accommodate consumers, especially to get it in market in time for summer.

According to Golts, Liquid I.V. stands out as a product that can accommodate numerous hydration occasions, designed with portability in mind through its thin, 16g stick format.

What’s exciting about the brand, Golts says, is that it’s more mass appeal than simply being geared to those in need of a workout boost.

“We have a very strong brand in the U.S. and it has a variety of amazing benefits. It is, frankly, a lifestyle brand and we feel it stands alone,” Golts explains.

When it comes to distribution, Liquid I.V. has built a solid partnership with Costco stateside, so the retailer is the touchpoint in Canada for its two-SKU flavour lineup before a broader rollout.

“That incredible partnership essentially travelled north,” Golts says.

The message is simple and concise: “one stick, accelerated hydration,” Golts says. On pack, “hydration multiplier” and flavour is front and centre in yellow to make it pop. Also prominent on pack are hydration and electrolyte content descriptors, but without “inundating” the buyer with too much complicated information.

The brand already activated at the Calgary Stampede’s Cowboys Music Festival, and in August, Liquid I.V. is reaching festival goers through its Hydration Stations at Boots and Hearts in Toronto.

Point-of-sale marketing, at this time, is not a large focus area for right now, but rather getting “sticks in hands,” Golts says.

In addition to Costco, Liquid I.V. will also be available online starting later this month. Ketchum is supporting PR with PHD on media and Salt XC on the experiential side.