From Red Bull to Natural Energy Rebel: Huib van Bockel on Building Tenzing

Huib van Bockel spent eight years as head of marketing for Red Bull UK and Europe before leaving to launch Tenzing, a natural energy drink inspired by what Sherpas drink when climbing Everest. Now approaching its 10th anniversary, Tenzing is the fastest-growing energy drink in the UK, stocked in all major supermarkets, and recently received investment from Heineken.

In this episode, Huib shares the origin story - including tracking down Sherpa Tenzing's family to get their blessing - and the product formulation and innovations that defied industry norms. He's disarmingly honest about the emotional reality of competing against giants: the constant underlying terror, periods of near-depression, and why founders have to project confidence while feeling anything but.

Listen to the episode to discover:

• Why he left Red Bull and how long it really took him to make the leap
• The hidden rule that keeps every soft drink at exactly 11 grams of sugar - and how breaking it became Tenzing's biggest competitive advantage
• Why Huib was happier at Red Bull but more fulfilled running his own business
• The surfing lesson that became his philosophy for building the business
• The shark attack problem: what founders should really be worrying about
• Why Huib will be more worried than excited when the time comes to exit

Chapters

00:01:13 - The Red Bull years: From bad energy to good energy

00:03:44 - Why Tenzing?

00:05:03 - Natural caffeine - spin or science?

00:09:52 - Biggest risk, biggest asset

00:10:27 - The retail journey and Heineken's investment

00:15:16 - What does success look like?

00:17:49 - A founder's Monday morning

00:21:59 - Surfing, skiing, and staying sane

00:24:33 - "That wave's not going to catch you"

00:27:43 - Your own worst critic

00:31:41 - Seven Summits

00:34:21 - Most Everest deaths happen on the way down

Links and Resources

• Find out more and buy online at: https://tenzingnaturalenergy.com/
• Find out where Tenzing is stocked: https://tenzingnaturalenergy.com/pages/stockists
• Connect with Huib on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huib-van-bockel-8454834/

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