FIRST-OF-ITS KIND SPORTS DRINK DEVELOPED IN WISCONSIN NOW AVAILABLE IN AREA RETAILERS

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Jul 19, 2022, 09:06 ET

New Sports Drink Harnesses The Hydration Power of Milk

EVANSTON, Ill., July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GoodSport®, a first-of-its-kind natural sports drink with 3x the electrolytes and 33% less sugar than traditional sports drinks that's been scientifically shown to provide long-lasting hydration is coming to Wisconsin just in time for the summer heat. With no artificial flavors, colors or dyes, GoodSport harnesses the naturally occurring electrolytes and carbohydrates found in milk to deliver elite-level hydration that's been embraced by professional and collegiate sports teams. GoodSport will be available at Festival Foods and other retailers throughout Wisconsin this summer.

GoodSport was largely developed at the checkoff-funded Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to harness milk’s electrolytes, vitamins and carbohydrates creating a first-of-its-kind sports drink that will be available at Festival Foods and other retailers throughout Wisconsin beginning this summer.

GoodSport Nutrition Founder & CEO Michelle McBride didn't want her son drinking sports drinks filled with artificial ingredients that were being offered to him at his baseball games so she set out to create a sports drink from a natural source that would provide truly effective hydration.

Milk is naturally packed with a broad spectrum of electrolytes and has been shown to hydrate better than water and traditional sports drinks. However, milk's consistency and protein content which is slow to digest were barriers for athletes before and during exercise.

GoodSport's patent-pending formula and process cracked the code to provide naturally powerful hydration in a clear and thirst-quenching beverage that is lactose free and provides a good source of calcium and B vitamins.

The drink has deep roots in Wisconsin as it was developed in large part at the checkoff-funded Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where the team learned ultrafiltration could be used to harness milk's electrolytes, vitamins and carbohydrates to create a clear, light beverage with a mouthfeel that consumers expect from a sports drink.

GoodSport sources its main ingredient sustainably and is Upcycled Food Certified. Dairy companies often ultrafilter milk and leave behind the part of the milk used to make GoodSport. By rescuing and upcycling this nutrient-rich ingredient, called ultra-filtered deproteinized milk (or milk permeate), GoodSport improves the value of the food system and contributes to the sustainability efforts of the dairy industry.

GoodSport was the recipient of the 2021 Dairy Industry Impact Grant by the Dairy Business Alliance (DBIA), a grant that is awarded to innovators who generate significant added value to the dairy industry. DBIA grant funding was instrumental in helping to educate athletes and sports health professionals about the hydration properties of milk. GoodSport now counts teams across professional and collegiate sports as its customers.

GoodSport also received the 2021 Breakthrough Award for Dairy Ingredient Innovation by ADPI and Dairy Foods Magazine and was a 2021 Dairy Foods Magazine Reader's Choice Award and Editors' Choice Award Winner.

"As a farmer, it's reassuring that someone outside of the agricultural community has the confidence in the milk we produce to develop a product that takes the nutrition of milk, and moves it forward in a new and exciting way," says Wisconsin dairy farmer Kurt Loehr.

Dr. Bob Murray, co-founder and former director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, helped oversee GoodSport's formulation. "Having spent my career in hydration and exercise performance research, I've known milk has the ingredients to provide superior hydration, but never before has anyone found a way to transform milk into an extremely effective and refreshing sports drink," Murray said. "It's exciting to be part of the team that's bringing something entirely new with superior hydration to the sports drink category."

GoodSport® comes in four refreshing flavors in 16.9-ounce bottles: Lemon Lime, Fruit Punch, Wild Berry and Citrus, and in addition to Wisconsin retailers, is available on amazon.com and goodsport.com.

For more information, visit www.goodsport.com or @drinkgoodsport on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Additional images available upon request. GoodSport and Naturally Powerful Hydration are registered trademarks of GoodSport Nutrition.

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is the marketing and promotion arm for Wisconsin's dairy farmers. The organization strives to build awareness of Wisconsin-produced dairy products by creating national publicity, managing digital advertising, and driving sales, distribution and trial through retail and foodservice promotions. It also supports in-school education about the benefits of dairy and funding for the UW Center for Dairy Research.

SOURCE Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin