The two UVic grads who turned a cortisol crisis into Canada's fastest-growing adaptogen energy drink

From a UVic health crisis to a BC-made can

Paige Cey and Julie Letizia were not looking to start a beverage company. They were students at UVic in Victoria, BC, trying to stay alert through long days the same way most of their peers did: energy drinks. Then the problems started. In their third and fourth years, both founders independently found themselves struggling with the downstream effects of sustained caffeine and sugar consumption. Julie went to a doctor and was told her cortisol levels were elevated — the likely cause was the caffeine she was using to get through school. The standard advice: cut back.

The problem is that nothing available in 2022 made cutting back easy. The better-for-you energy category in Canada was small and mostly disappointing: drinks that were either too close to traditional energy drinks to feel any different, or so stripped-down they didn't work. Paige and Julie couldn't find something with natural caffeine, meaningful functional ingredients, and flavour that actually tasted like a product people would choose on a Tuesday. So in June 2023, they built it.

In an interview with See You Next Tuesday Media, the founders described their goal as reinventing a male-dominated category by building an energy drink for the large group of consumers who wanted clean, functional energy but had never found a product worth switching to.

Within a year of launch, Benny was in Sobeys stores nationwide. By the end of 2025, the brand had cleared $1 million in revenue and signed 500+ retail partners across Canada. The founders did a cross-Canada summer tour to drive the Sobeys launch — visiting major cities, running in-store demo events, and building the kind of ground-level retail relationships that most beverage startups skip in favour of paid media. It paid off. Tasting Table named Benny one of eight grocery brands to watch in 2026. Forbes listed both founders in its 30 Under 30 Food & Drink class for 2026.

What's actually in the can

The Benny formula is built around two things: natural caffeine and adaptogens. The caffeine comes from yerba mate — a South American plant that delivers a steadier energy curve than synthetic caffeine because it also contains theobromine and theophylline, compounds that slow the spike. Each 355 mL can has 85 mg of caffeine from yerba mate, which sits below the 100–200 mg range common in mainstream energy drinks and closer to a large cup of tea or a shot of espresso.

The adaptogens — 500 mg per can — are where the three SKUs diverge:

• ·Peach Lychee (Balance): ashwagandha for cortisol and stress management — which is, not coincidentally, the exact problem that drove Julie to the doctor in 2022. Light, tropical, easy to drink on a weekday morning.
• ·Raspberry Hibiscus (Focus): Lion's Mane mushroom for cognitive function. The strongest-tasting SKU in the lineup, with a tartness that cuts through quickly.
• ·Elderberry Yuzu (Immunity): Reishi mushroom for immune support. The most distinctly flavoured — elderberry and yuzu is a pairing that's become a marker of the better-for-you beverage category.

All three are 6–7 calories per can with 1 g of sugar. No artificial sweeteners, no preservatives, nothing synthetic. The lightly sparkling carbonation is gentler than most energy drinks — closer to a sparkling water than a soda — which makes it easier to drink through a can without the bloat.

Where it sits on the energy drink shelf

The Canadian energy drink category is dominated by US and European imports. Benny is one of the few Canadian-made entrants with national grocery distribution. Here's how it stacks up against what you might already be reaching for:

Caffeine and sugar figures reflect each brand's standard flagship SKU per publicly available nutrition labels. Pricing reflects approximate Canadian retail as of June 2026. Benny pricing from Healthy Planet Canada.

Sources

Paige and Julie run the channels themselves. The TikTok and Instagram are founder-first — you'll see the two of them explaining the adaptogens, touring retailers, talking to customers, and building in public. If you want to understand the brand quickly, spend five minutes on the TikTok before reading the can.

What the press is saying

Where to actually buy it

Each link below goes directly to a Benny product page or the brand's page on that retailer's site — not the homepage — so you can add it to your cart without hunting:

For the full Canadian retailer list and a store locator, visit drinkbenny.com/pages/store-locator.

Bottom line

Benny is what a genuine product-market fit looks like in a category that was due for one. The energy drink aisle in Canada has been dominated by high-sugar, high-caffeine US imports for a long time. Two BC founders built the alternative they personally needed, went direct to retail on the ground, and scaled to 500+ stores and a million dollars in two years without a Dragons' Den deal or outside funding. The Forbes recognition is notable because it came from the business results, not the backstory. At $4.49 a can with 85 mg of natural caffeine and functional adaptogens, the math is also just right. If you're buying energy drinks anyway, Peach Lychee on Instacart Canada is the fastest way to try one.