GU Energy Labs is a company based in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
, that produces sports nutrition products, most notably
energy gel
Energy gels are edible carbohydrate gels that provide energy for exercise and promote recovery, commonly used in endurance events such as running, cycling, and triathlons. Energy gels are also referred to as endurance gels, sports gels, nutriti ...
s. Often consumed during endurance events, the gels are designed to be quickly and easily
digested
Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food compounds into small water-soluble components so that they can be absorbed into the blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intestine into th ...
during any type of activity. Other products include energy chews, drink mixes, hydration tablets, stroopwafels and a Roctane line that includes an energy drink mix, protein recovery drink mix, gel, and capsules. The company was founded in 1994 by Bill Vaughan, who began creating an energy gel product in 1990. GU is considered the first major distributor of energy gels. The company has grown over time, and in 2011 its corporate headquarters and 50 employees relocated to a larger space in Berkeley's 4th Street shopping district.
Background and company history
Sports
energy gel
Energy gels are edible carbohydrate gels that provide energy for exercise and promote recovery, commonly used in endurance events such as running, cycling, and triathlons. Energy gels are also referred to as endurance gels, sports gels, nutriti ...
s emerged in the United Kingdom in 1986 as a "convenient, prewrapped, portable" way to deliver
carbohydrates
A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ma ...
during endurance events.
Gels have a gooey texture and are sometimes referred to as "goo" generically.
Bill Vaughan, a biophysicist at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
,
began working on an energy gel product in 1990.
[ He established GU Energy Labs in Berkeley, California, in 1994.]Ironman World Championship
The Ironman World Championship is a triathlon held annually in Hawaii, United States from 1978 to 2022, with no race in 2020 and an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culminat ...
in 1996.[
In June 2011, GU moved its corporate operations and 50 employees from a space to one with twice as much floor space.][ GU's 2011 relocation was the first time in five years that all of its employees operated from a single location; previously, the company's operations, shipping, and marketing were executed from multiple buildings throughout Berkeley. GU outsourced its shipping operations to a third party provider, "for improved service and response times".][
]
Products
GU Energy Labs produces a variety of performance sports nutrition products, intended to increase the endurance of athletes.maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is a name shared by two different families of chemicals. Both families are glucose polymers (also called ''dextrose polymers'' or ''Dextrin, dextrins''), but have little chemical or nutritional similarity.
The digestible maltodextr ...
and fructose
Fructose (), or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and gal ...
), an amino acid
Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...
blend, electrolyte
An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity through the movement of ions, but not through the movement of electrons. This includes most soluble Salt (chemistry), salts, acids, and Base (chemistry), bases, dissolved in a polar solven ...
s (sodium
Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
and potassium
Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...
) and, in some flavors, caffeine
Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...
.[ including triberry, chocolate outrage, mandarin orange,][ The energy chews, created in 2009 and based on the gel formula,][ are made from similar ingredients but also include ]antioxidant
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
s and come in a chewable form.[ GU Hydration Tablets contain a low-calorie sweetening agent derived from '']Stevia
Stevia () is a sweet sugar substitute that is about 50 to 300 times sweetness, sweeter than sugar. It is extracted from the leaves of ''Stevia rebaudiana'', a plant native to areas of Paraguay and Brazil. The active compounds in stevia are ...
''.taurine
Taurine (), or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is a naturally occurring amino sulfonic acid that is widely distributed in animal tissues. It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine. It is named after Latin (cogna ...
, and additional amino acids.branched-chain amino acid
A branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is an amino acid having an aliphatic substituent, side-chain with a branch (a central carbon atom bound to three or more carbon atoms). Among the proteinogenic amino acids, there are three BCAAs: leucine, isoleu ...
s, more electrolytes, and ten times more histidine
Histidine (symbol His or H) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an Amine, α-amino group (which is in the protonated –NH3+ form under Physiological condition, biological conditions), a carboxylic ...
.
Sponsorships
The company sponsors numerous triathlon, swimming, biking, running and outdoor athletes in order to promote its products, including the Brazilian team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon (USAT) is the national governing body for the multisport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and ...
,[ TriGrandPrix, the ]Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
The Rock 'n' Roll Running Series is a collection of road running events owned and operated by the IRONMAN Group's Competitor Group, part of Advance Publications. The series is known for lining race routes with live bands, cheerleaders and themed w ...
, Western States Endurance Run, and the Leadville Race Series. In 2012, the company became the first official gel and chew sponsor for Ironman.[ In 2013, in conjunction with the ]Challenged Athletes Foundation
The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), established in 1997, assists, supports, and provides opportunity to people with physical challenges, so that they can lead active lifestyles and compete in athletic events. It is founded in the belief th ...
, GU established the "Challenge for Kids" campaign to benefit children suffering from amputation
Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...
maladies, including traumatic limb loss, congenital effects, and "disease-state" complications.passionfruit
''Passiflora edulis'', commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its ...
flavor for its Roctane line; profits from the product would allow the purchase of prosthetics
In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...
, allowing children to regain mobility.[ GU increased its goal to $100,000, having surpassed its original goal of $50,000. The company has also supported the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, an organization that promotes high school mountain biking.]
See also
* Energy bar
Energy bars are supplemental bars containing cereals, micronutrients, and flavor ingredients intended to supply quick food energy. Because most energy bars contain added protein (nutrient), protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and other nutri ...
* Sports drink
Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are non-caffeinated functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and (especially) after training or competition.
The eviden ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
1994 establishments in California
Companies based in Berkeley, California
American companies established in 1994
Nutritional supplement companies
Energy food products
Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area
Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area
Food and drink companies based in California