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Skratch Labs makes sports nutrition designed to help you perform better without offending your gut or your taste buds because we use real food, starting from scratch.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT SKRATCH LABS Sports nutrition designed to help you perform better.

rooted in professional cycling and science

While working as a sport scientist and coach for a professional cycling team, Dr. Allen Lim started making his own training food and sports drinks from scratch for the cyclists because too many of the pre-packaged sports bars and drinks that were marketed or given to them were laden with artificial ingredients and literally making them sick to their stomach.

the creation of "secret drink mix"

He also started diluting their sports drinks to lower the sugar concentration while adding back extra salt and electrolytes to replace what was actually being lost in their sweat. Eventually, he started making a “secret drink mix” in his kitchen using a recipe with less sugar, more sodium, and no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors, with a simple and clean taste created by using real fruit.

the secret got out

Soon, word of the "Secret Drink Mix" was spreading fast and it was clear that the demand for our all natural drink mixes extended far beyond cyclists or endurance athletes. Race car drivers, rock climbers, concerned parents, Peace Corps workers, and normal active people looking for healthy food and drink alternatives were buying the product and hungry for more knowledge and ideas.

the demand grows and we grew with it

To meet that demand, Allen put together a team of close friends and they decided to let the secret out by opening a little company in Boulder, Colorado called Skratch Labs. Our mission is simple – to develop and sell food and drinks that taste great, that are made from real ingredients and that solve problems for active people. Most importantly, we intend to educate and to continue to learn and grow ourselves – to help our customers improve and thrive as they help us to do the same. We know we have a lot of work to do to fulfill this mission and we are the first to acknowledge that we are a work in progress – that things won’t always be perfect. But there’s no better time to start than now.

Thanks for supporting our small and independently owned business as we work to support you and your active life.

 

Skratch Labs Energy Chews
Skratch Labs Sport Energy Bar
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Get the most out of your Skratch

WHAT MAKES SKRATCH LABS DIFFERENT?

We create products that solve problems which means every ingredient has a purpose. That purpose is to help people perform better. We focus on real ingredients and promote an equally healthy lifestyle. Our products are made from real food ingredients to help you bust your butt not your gut.

The creation and evolution of our products has always stemmed from evidence based problem solving – on what we, to the best of our knowledge, understand as real. This emphasis on real is core to our identity. In it there is an earnest attempt to always learn, to solve problems, and to communicate with both intellectual humility and humor. Intellectual humility being the ability to change one’s mind when presented with new and compelling evidence. Humor being able to cut to the truth in a way that is delightful rather than intimidating or threatening.

WHY DOESN'T THE DRINK MIX ALWAYS DISSOLVE COMPLETELY?

Because we use actual fruit for flavor instead of chemicals that taste like fruit. Any "floating stuff" you may see in your bottle is small bits of fruit pulp. Sometimes a trace amount of the electrolyte salts in Skratch may hang around the bottom of your bottle too, but just give it a little shake before taking a swig and drink up. They're good for you.

HOW CAN I CARE FOR MY SKRATCH LABS PRODUCTS?

Because Skratch doesn't have any preservatives of any kind, our drink mix needs a little bit of TLC. Dry drink mix should be stored in a cool, dry place either in its zip-top bag or in any other airtight glass or plastic container. Extreme heat and direct sunlight are like Kryptonite for Skratch, so don't keep it in your car or your tent in the middle of the Sahara. Once added to water, a good rule of thumb is to treat it like fruit juice. After mixing, it is ideal to drink it within the day and can be consumed warm without lessening its efficacy. If mixed and then kept in the fridge it will stay good for up to a week. You will know when you have let it hang around in your bottle too long, it will smell a little bit funky and your inner voice will tell you "don't drink that". Listen to your inner voice.

If your drink mix is clumping because you haven't worked out in a while that is because the real freeze-dried fruit contained within really likes water. Humidity loves our Skratch if it isn't getting scooped all the time. If you can see the ocean from your computer right now best practice would be to transfer your drink mix to a mason jar or some Tupperware, or a good ziploc as soon as you open it.

HOW MUCH SPORTS HYDRATION MIX SHOULD I BE DRINKING?

That is a tough question to answer because everyone is different. The right amount depends on not only the conditions (think temperature and humidity) and length and intensity (how long, how hard, how far) but also on the individual. One to two 500mL servings per hour is a good starting point and then experiment to see what works best for you. One way to check if you're drinking enough is to weigh yourself before and after a workout. If you're losing more than a 3% loss in total body weight, your performance may be suffering and you probably need to drink more. That said, it's important to listen to your body and to your thirst. Drinking beyond your thirst isn't a good idea as that may lead you to inadvertently dilute out your body's proper sodium concentration. If you feel like you're listening to thirst but still losing a lot of water weight, try adding more sodium to your drink.