Alana Andrews of Loudoun is the founder and CEO of The SWEY (Strong, Wise, Energetic, Youth) Corp., the creator of a low-sugar sports drink. She founded the So Positive Initiative, an effort to build confidence in future middle school students. She is an author. She is a public speaker. Oh, and she’s 16.
What was the inspiration for SWEY? My inspiration for SWEY began when, at 8 years old, my pediatrician informed my parents that I was borderline diabetic and overweight for my age. Yet, they didn't want to rush to the decision to be placed on a diet. Instead, my pediatrician encouraged my parents to increase my physical activity, and thus my journey began.
The first step towards creating SWEY was inspired by a nutritionist who visited my elementary school. She shared a lot of information on healthy eating. I came home from school that day and declared that I would immediately stop eating sugar.
Although my father introduced me to tennis at 3, I didn't play consistently enough to stay in shape. Everything changed when my grandfather told my father to take me to the track. I went from being out of breath after the first lap to finishing my first 5K race with my school's chapter of Girls on the Run. During this time and the amount of practice that went into working out, I was often thirsty. I wanted something to drink so that I wouldn't be dehydrated. I was often discouraged from finding many sports drinks filled with sugar and additives. The truth was that I couldn't find a sports drink that was healthy for anyone, let alone one designed specifically for a young athlete like me. At the age of 13, I was accepted into the Loudoun County Young Entrepreneur's Academy (YEA). I was surrounded by mentors to help me launch my first company. I was allowed to take my idea and passion for a healthy sports drink, and I developed SWEY (Strong, Wise, Energetic, Youth).
How did you develop the drinks? My parents have always known that I've wanted to be an entrepreneur. When they found out about the Young Entrepreneur's Academy I applied and was accepted. This was a life-changing moment for me. The YEA is where it all began. Once I identified a problem, I then decided that I wanted to create a healthy sports drink for Gen Z. I searched what young athletes needed in a sports drink. I found the sources that I needed to get started in making the product.
I started making homemade drinks using organic lemon powder, freeze-dried apples, organic honey powder, and Arrowroot powder. The first idea was to make it a powder that would be in a tub. I began using my kitchen as a testing ground by using each of the ingredients mentioned above to see if the combinations would work, and it did. I conducted my first taste test at my middle school with 8th graders, and the second taste test was at a trade show. Both were successful for the powdered drink version.
Afterward, I decided to use a ready to drink beverage to make it more convenient and efficient for athletes. I then wanted to take it to production, and to do so, I needed to find a flavoring house to help me get to the next level. After much research, I found Flavorman located in Kentucky. I told them what I was looking for in a product in terms of the vitamins, nutrients, flavors, and colors. Flavorman began making the samples, and they sent them for me to start taste testing. My family and I traveled to their location, where we had a lab day, which consisted of finalizing the flavors. This process was fascinating because I was able to see what goes into making a sports drink. This was one of the most incredible learning experiences.
Did you try any flavors that just didn’t work? The process during the formulation of the drinks adapted many times. My original goal for Citrus Sizzle was for it to have a purely orange flavor profile, but after tasting the samples, the flavor was extremely bitter and tart. I then went back to the drawing board and tested out similar combinations to keep the fresh citrus taste I originally imagined. After many formulation rounds and taste tests, I designed Citrus Sizzle to hit the flavor mark on what Gen Z likes! I did this by adding tangerine and mango to the flavor profile. I’ve had some similar experiences with the other flavors, Major Kiwi & Tropicalda. The adjustments primarily involved creating the right balance of coconut water concentrate and the vitamin mixes in order to keep the nutrition benefit, but also showcase the flavor.
Not including your own product, what’s your favorite post-workout snack? For many years now, I’ve always loved the Think Thin bars. These are pre or post-workout protein bars that come in great flavors and have up to about 20 grams of protein. I usually eat these before my tennis matches or after runs. I highly recommend them.
How are you raising funds for your rollout? We’ve been raising funds through individual investors and our new crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo! We are planning for most of our funding to come from individual and/or angel investors.
What other products do you see yourself creating and selling? I see SWEY putting a lot of emphasis on its brand and the community of young changemakers involved in SWEY. As we grow, I would like to expand within the athletic pre- and post-beverage market. Our goal is to create different lines of SWEY to accommodate larger markets as well as building SWEY to become a lifestyle beverage. Some ideas for future lines include drinks focused on various combinations of electrolytes, protein drinks, sports waters, and SWEY to-go packets. We also plan to continue expanding the types of vitamins in the drinks to include nutrients that are both hard to find and important for young athletes.
You’ve authored two books. What’s your writing process? I've authored two books, and I'm currently the co-author of a 12-book series (with one book releasing each month) through the So Positive Initiative (SPI) organization which I founded my freshman year of high school. We've published four books so far, and book five will be released this month in January. Each of the books can be found on Amazon. My writing process is similar to a brainstorm workshop session. For "Timeless," my poems were inspired by the poetry I wrote while I was in elementary school. I began the pre-writing process for "Creating Confidence" toward the end of my 7th grade year. I spent a lot of time going through several of my journals, and from there I wrote down many experiences from how my parents taught me how to develop my self-confidence. Afterward, I wrote a draft of the book and shared it with my mother, and we worked to make some revisions. From there, we had the book edited and self-published it through Amazon.
Have you started the college application process yet? I started the college process when I was in the 5th grade. I remember my dad talking to me about college. He shared his experiences and listed some schools that I might be interested in when the time nears. Stanford University was on the list of schools he mentioned to me. After learning more about what the school has to offer and finally visiting the university in person, Stanford has become the school that I plan to attend! I'm looking forward to applying early this August and getting the decision in December. I’ve done some pre-college programs as well, including the Barnard College of Columbia University’s Athena Business Program in the summer of 2019, and I've recently been accepted to study at Wharton this coming summer through their Global Youth Leadership Program.