Tell us about Sodii.
We are Sodii, an Australian brand on mission to create a saltier and more hydrated world! We’re taking on the electrolyte market to transform the perception and mindset of electrolyte use, with products specifically designed for optimal hydration to help redefine salt as a powerful mineral which can improve human health.
What inspired you to start Sodii?
Cale: I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, but my perspective on salt changed dramatically after diving into research and literature that highlighted its importance—not just for hydration, but for overall daily function. I then started adding a good amount of salt along with potassium, and magnesium to my water and saw a big difference in my energy, focus, and performance throughout the day. However, I eventually got sick of drinking salty water and felt there had to be a better solution. At the time, there weren’t any products in Australia with the levels of sodium and other electrolytes Jason and I were looking for, so we decided to create our own.
Jason: When you start diving into the world of health optimisation, it’s unsurprising to find out that there just isn’t a great deal of products out there with ingredients that match up exactly with what you’re looking for. When it came to experimenting with diets and supplements, it was good quality salt that consistently stood out to us as one of the simplest ways to increase overall wellbeing throughout the day. Whether it was recovering from training, kicking after coffee crashes or improving sleep quality, salt combined with potassium and magnesium made the most impact, it just tasted really bad. At the time, no one was doing high sodium, sugar free electrolyte products, and secondly, no one was championing the electrolyte category with high quality ingredients, so we thought we’d change that.
Salt has had a bad wrap in the past, where even now, people are still scared of it. We’ve set out to re-educate Australians on the benefits of sodium, magnesium and potassium and their role in whole body hydration, performance and wellbeing.
What’s the difference between Sodii and other electrolyte drinks on the market?
Cale: The key difference lies in our electrolyte ratio and the type of salt we use. When we launched in 2021, most electrolyte products on the market overlooked the importance of sodium for hydration, typically containing around 150mg or less. Where in contrast we flipped the status quo of electrolyte products, with Sodii delivering 1000mg of sodium, 210mg of potassium, and 70mg of magnesium. We designed Sodii to be something you can truly feel working, with the optimal balance of these key electrolytes—and without the sugar or unnecessary ingredients found in many other hydration products.
Another major difference is how and when people use Sodii. Traditionally, electrolytes were seen as a remedy for being sick, hungover, or after exercise. Products were often marketed as either clinical or performance-focused. We set out to change the perception and mindset of electrolytes, turning them into a daily wellness habit. As a result people are using Sodii in many different ways, but commonly first thing in the morning to kickstart your day, in the afternoon as an alternative to coffee, before bed, to support conditions like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and of course, around training or exercise for better physical performance and recovery through cellular hydration.
Jason: Very rarely in the electrolyte market do companies talk about where their ingredients come from, or even more so, the quality of them. However, as consumers ourselves, this is what we value the most, and what we couldn’t find.
When it comes to any hydration product, the main ingredient should be electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium). Surprisingly, this is not the case in a majority of products, where most are loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners or ingredients that have no business being in a hydration product.
In Sodii, you’ll find our first and main ingredient is Sodium Chloride, Salt, an extremely important mineral when talking hydration. We source our salt from Lake Deborah in Western Australia, an ancient lake formed over millions of years, located 450km from Perth. This is about as pure as salt can get. Lake Deborah salt is NASAA Certified Organic, where its remoteness keeps it free from any modern contaminants or pollution. The salt itself is high in trace minerals and free from heavy metals and micro-plastics often found in sea-salt or salt imported from other countries. The salt harvesting follows natural seasonal cycles where the pristine environment remains untouched by the harvesting process, and regenerates each year, unlike salt mines.
Tell us about your career and background.
Cale: My journey to creating Sodii comes from a combination of passion for design, health and business, having only ever worked for myself. I studied Architecture at Adelaide University, where I discovered a love for design in all its forms. During my studies, I started a graphic design business, working with clients locally and interstate on branding and design projects. After graduating in 2014, demand from clients kept growing, so I continued building that business until 2018.
In 2018, Jason (my co-founder at Sodii) and I decided to join forces and launch a creative agency, Divide Agency. Today, our agency has grown into a small team specialising in strategy, branding, graphic design, and social/digital marketing.
By 2021, Jason and I identified a gap in the market for a sugar-free electrolyte product that truly understood the importance of sodium. What began as a passion project quickly took off, and Sodii has since become Australia’s highest rated and most reviewed electrolyte product.
Jason: I’ve always loved working on brands and understanding what it is that makes them tick. Whilst it feels like a lifetime ago, I have a background in FMCG sales and marketing in the corporate world where I built a solid understanding of brands, consumers and the inner workings of a big business. I started in corporate very young, and as such felt like I was playing it safe in a big company. When the opportunity came up to start a business, I jumped at it. In 2018 we started Divide Agency, which is a small creative agency specialising in branding and digital marketing. We worked on ALOT of branding projects, and as such got a good idea of what moves the needle for brands and their products. In 2021 we were experimenting with products of our own and landed on Sodii. Only working on it as a passion project could only get us so far, so in 2023 we went all in to build Australia’s most popular electrolyte brand.
Describe a typical work day for you.
Cale: Nothing exciting. I start my day with a Sodii as soon as I wake up…Of course! Then it depends on the day, but I usually start with gym first thing, shout of out to Built Strength and Conditioning, by far the best gym in Adelaide. Then into the office which is any combination of getting stuck the into the larger projects we are working on, emails, meetings and anything else that pops up. I’ll also check in with our warehouse team to make sure all orders get sent out before heading home, where most nights I’ll tinker with or finish a few extra bits of work after dinner. We honestly have the best team who are willing to go over and above, so most days don’t really feel like a ‘workday’.
Jason: Each day is never the same when working on a business and wearing many hats in the business. Luckily we’re championed by an amazing team in both the office and warehouse that handles all things day to day – which allows us to get stuck into larger projects and planning for the future to help keep it all moving forward. At the moment we’re working on a website and packaging refresh, as well as national and international distribution. Having recently become a dad, my typical day now includes lots of nappy changes and learning how to be a dad.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Cale: There’s no shortage of advice out there and there are much more credible people to seek advice from than me. Every second scroll on Instagram seems to reveal someone’s “secret formula” for success. But here are 5 things I personally think about a lot:
- Find the Opportunity in Your Market: Identify the gap in your market or category and align your strategy, branding, and products to fit. For example, our branding, packaging, and messaging are designed to fill a void of daily hydration products that people would be happy to display on kitchen countertops, in yoga studios and wellness spaces. Whilst also feeling professional enough for use by doctors, nutritionists, and naturopaths.
- Create Shared Beliefs with Your Customers: Build a rallying point for your brand and consumers to connect over. For us, it’s beliefs like “more salt, not less” and “you need salt to thrive.” These messages resonate with our audience and give them something to align with, share and rally behind.
- Understand the Product Lifecycle and Your Audience: Know where your product or brand is in its lifecycle and the type of consumers at each stage. Focus on ways to move your product through the early stages without spending all your budget on paid ads. There are plenty of low-cost strategies to get your product into the hands of the right type consumers at the right time to add credibility and authority to your brand in the early stages.
- Master What You Do Best: Identify areas of the business you can personally excel in at minimal cost, and be obsessive about doing those things really well. For us, it’s branding and packaging design. We ensured every order arrived in custom-branded, beautifully designed packaging that really elevated the customer experience. We think true hydration is important and we wanted people feel like something special had arrived, which also encouraged social sharing. Many brands overlook this final stage of the buyer’s journey, which is crazy to me and a huge missed opportunity—especially for e-commerce, where it’s often the first physical interaction a customer has with your brand.
- Keep Learning and Work Hard: Back yourself in, but make sure you keep learning and be prepared to work incredibly hard. Of course, none of this matters without an amazing product or service to back it up. And, as always, take all this with a grain of salt!
Jason: I would never go as far as offering advice being only a few years into our business journey with a long way to go, there are however things I’d do differently and some I wouldn’t change at all, which some might find helpful…
Find a niche product for a niche audience and then do it exceptionally with zero compromises, being really clear about what it is, and who it’s for. Chances are there is a market for your product or idea, they just need to find out about it. Having a great product is a good starting point, but how the product is positioned is almost just as important. We’re big fans of starting small and niche, as it allows you to learn and adapt to what your customers are asking of you whilst you carve out your own little slice of the market. Trying to appeal to everyone will lead to appealing to no one. Who’s it for and what problem is it solving for them – that’s it!
Understand your consumers wants and needs and really dive into why they use the product. For us, that was learning about different ways people were using Sodii and why they specifically liked the ratio of electrolytes we have. Whilst it might sound like a marketing cliche, if you continue to understand and deliver for your customers and make them feel as important as they are, they will be your biggest supporters and advocates for years to come. Whether that’s as simple as getting back to them on time, or letting them in on R&D decisions, there are hundreds of ways to impress customers outside of just sales and discounts.
Relying purely on social media trends and influencers to drive sales will leave you disappointed. It’s not to be ignored, but instead try to focus on larger, industry moving trends and where the culture is moving. Aligning your business to a set of rules or mantras of what you do and don’t do will make decision making a lot easier, keeping you focussed on the larger projects that move the needle for sustainable growth.
You’re going to need help. Whether that’s business partners, hires or mentors, find good help!
What’s next for you, and Sodii?
Cale: Our mission is to create a saltier world for optimised human health. Helping people in Australia and around the world experience the daily benefits of increased salt and electrolytes for true hydration. As Australia’s highest-rated electrolyte product, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved, but we have big goals ahead as we aim to become Australia’s go-to hydration brand, transforming the way people think about electrolytes and hydration as a whole.
Jason: We feel like we’re just getting started at Sodii. We have some pretty exciting projects underway, but for now we are focussed on keeping Australians hydrated and at their best. Electrolytes have so many applications to everyday people and can help in so many ways. We have a heap of educating to do with businesses, customers and practitioners, which takes time, but we’re here for it.
For more info on Sodii, please click here.
