A blend of salt, red wine vinegar, and water – known as Posca – was the ‘original sports drink’, helping to keep the soldiers of the Roman Empire marching up to 30 kilometres per day. Now, the hypertonic formula is available on convenience store shelves, in wellness centres and gyms, across airports nationally, as well as online. Keira Joyce spoke with Posca Hydrate co-founders, Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, about reviving a 2000-year-old functional beverage for the modern healthy lifestyle.
With Australians increasingly focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reaching for better-for-you options, functional beverages have gained a strong foothold in the market.
While some brands focus on modern innovation, Posca Hydrate has found its niche in tried-and-tested knowledge from the past, reformulating a 2000-year-old recipe from ancient Rome.
Posca Hydrate’s co-founder, Merrick Watts, was so intrigued by the health and hydration benefits of the original Posca recipe, regarded at the time as the beverage of choice for soldiers and gladiators, that he had to give it a try for himself.
“I came across Posca while researching ancient wine techniques during lockdown in 2021, and found the Roman formula,” says Watts.
“I read quotes from Pliny the Elder and Cato the Elder, historians of the time that talked about the gut health and hydration benefits. Emperor Hadrian was able to march his soldiers all the way to the UK because of the blend of Posca, they wouldn’t have been able to travel as far without this specific drink – it was something Roman soldiers drank every day.”
Watts, who is a qualified wine specialist, got started with mixing up batches in his kitchen, and trying out different ingredients to cut the sharp and acidic flavour of the red wine vinegar. Eventually, he settled on the three flavours that launched across Australia in October 2024: Grape, Yuzu, and Pineapple.
An alternative to traditional sports drinks and functional beverages, Posca Hydrate is sugar-free, stimulant-free, and contains four essential electrolytes – sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
With a unique tart flavour, the drink delivers sustained hydration and enhanced electrolyte retention through its hypertonic formulation. The red wine vinegar is a rich source of antioxidants and has been found to offer gut health benefits, better blood sugar regulation, and immune system support.
Building a brand
After finalising flavours, Watts brought his formulation to Ed Stening, who has significant experience in the beverage industry working at Lion and Suntory, and signed on as co-founder to commercialise the drink.
With Watts’ extensive content creation background and Stening’s marketing acumen, Posca Hydrate hit the ground running, supported by an in-house creative team.
“We’ve got our own in-house creative director, producer, and designers and two studios in the office,” says Stening.
“From my side, we always believe in full funnel marketing, and do a lot of work above the line to make sure we have strong brand awareness. We make sure to hit billboards and buses, and then pull through the line into advocacy, supported by our socials.
“We’re able to constantly drive business in a very unique way. When Merrick has a great idea, we can film it in a studio and it will be on Tiktok by the afternoon, and I think that’s really key for us.”
Distribution
“Being a 12 calorie, zero-sugar, better-for-you beverage, there's obviously some key geographical and demographic targets we’re going to be focused on,” says Stening.
“But the channel mix will change based on the needs of the occasion. We want to make sure we're hitting those physical availability points when the consumers are thirsty, if that’s in premium grocery or petrol & convenience – we want to be there,” he adds.
Posca recently landed a distribution partnership with SPC Global, as one of the featured brands in its new beverage division, The Original Beverage Co. SPC will support Posca Hydrate’s expansion, with the summer campaign already well underway.
“The partnership with SPC is huge for us, we’re excited to work with the team. There’s a lot of serious experience in the company, and they’re working towards building an Australian-owned healthy beverage portfolio – which Posca is a perfect fit for,” says Stening.
“We’ve shifted into our new campaign line, “the elixir to fix ya”, which we’re really happy with,” he notes.
“That will be the major push over the summer, as we work to secure our foundational customer base here in Australia. Getting more liquid on lips, because once people try it, they fall in love with it – our conversion rates have been really good. The rest is all a work in progress.”
Future plans
Stening says next steps for Posca Hydrate will include taking the brand overseas.
“We’re currently looking at expansion markets in the Gulf, particularly the UAE, and in Southeast Asia, where Posca fits in well from a palate perspective,” he says.
Just one year since launch, Posca Hydrate has made a massive impact, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
“Within that functional beverage space, we’re starting to see hydration trends, particularly in the US and overseas, trickling into this market as well. We think it’s only just getting started to be honest,” says Stening.
“Being a functional hydration product with a clean label, all-natural ingredients, and only 12 calories, Posca really fits consumer needs.”
As the category continues to grow, Posca Hydrate’s blend of history, health, and hustle are positioning the brand for lasting success. As Watts puts it: “that’s the plan – keep working, keep pushing, it's a constant grind!”
This article first appeared in the December 2025/January 2026 edition of Food & Drink Business magazine.
