Here are some instances of VOLT in the press since 2007.  Click through the images to see them in their full size.

Beverage World’s original interview can be found here.

“It takes some guts to take on the big players in the field, and Owen Ryan did just that when he founded the High Voltage brand in 1997. With two products sporting the name Volt—one designed to compete against Mountain Dew, the other, Gatorade—the company generated a buzz thanks to its high-performance energy drinks and carbonated sodas (the latter of which packs 30 percent more caffeine than traditional CSDs) and its slightly unconventional approach. Company president Bill Sipper believes traditional media—billboards and radio—doesn’t work for its 18- to 34-year-old demographic. Instead, social media virally spreads the word. Volt is available in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida and the metro New York area; it’ll arrive in South Carolina, the mid-Atlantic region and the Midwest next year.

Beverage World: Since Volt was launched in 2005, how have things been going?
Bill Sipper: We started with citrus and diet citrus [sodas] and the high performance sports drinks. We’re doing well with the carbonated sodas; we now have them in tropical mango, blue melon, pineapple and fruit punch and the sports drinks in lemon-lime, orange, tropical punch and blue raspberry.

BW: How are you tackling the big players with just six employees?
BS: (Laughs). Very carefully. Actually, we have seven, including interns. We have the hardest working staff in the beverage industry, and a really good distribution strategy. We are going after some high-density population markets and some high consumption of Gatorade and Mountain Dew markets.

BW: So it’s just a matter of time before people find you?
BS: Brands don’t get built overnight. We’re in this for the long haul. What separates us is that we have a better hydration product, with B vitamins.

BW: What sort of things have you been doing to get the word out about Volt?
BS: We’ve been sending cases of Volt to the White House, after reading that the president’s staff is exhausted. We wanted to make sure they’re making the right decisions and have enough energy.

BW: Do you have a motto or mantra you repeat in the morning?
BS: We’re kind of the antithesis of that. It’s all about getting the message out in nontraditional ways. Every little bit helps, just as long as we stay focused.”

CHARLOTTE – High Voltage Beverages has added three new flavors to its VOLT line of carbonated soft drinks.

The new flavors of Mango, Pineapple and Fruit Punch join Orange and Tropical Punch as refreshing new VOLT tastes in the soft drink cooler.

Like the original citrus shock VOLT, these new soft drinks are powered by taurine, ginseng, guarana and caffeine to give drinkers the charge they crave.

“Our Orange and Tropical Punch flavors have proven very popular with the highly active young people who are our customers,” said Bill Sipper, president of High Voltage Beverages.

“The original VOLT citrus shock soda continues to be the cornerstone of the brand,” Sipper said. “But our customers like variety. By adding Mango, Pineapple and Fruit Punch, we are broadening their choice, which is always a good thing.”

All VOLT soft drinks are distributed through convenience stores in 20-ounce bottles.

CHARLOTTE (Nov. 1, 2008) – Alarmed over the reported flagging energies of the McCain presidential campaign, VOLT soft drinks has begun delivering cases of its product to McCain offices in several states.

  “We’re an underdog brand and even though 54.2% of our employees have already voted for Sen. Barack Obama, we’ve got to be true to our roots and help the underdog,” said VOLT founder Owen Ryan.

 VOLT, a line of energized high performance sports drinks and high octane sodas, is quickly becoming the brand of choice among athletes and other active young people.

 “Since VOLT works so well to energize our consumers, we thought it was a natural to bring some energy back to a presidential campaign that, according to some sources, is losing steam as we go into the last weekend before the election,” said Bill Sipper, president of High Voltage Beverages, maker of VOLT.

 Toward that end, Sipper and VOLT founder Owen Ryan delivered cases of both VOLT high performance sports drinks (which competes with Gatorade) and VOLT citrus shock soda (which competes with Mountain Dew) to McCain headquarters in North Carolina, New York and New Jersey.

“As the new kid on the block, VOLT competes against mighty Mountain Dew and Gatorade, and is being outspent 100 to 1 by those overdog brands, so we had to face the music and endorse the old guy, because he’s the underdog now. Besides they really need VOLT’s energy now according to recent media reports,” Ryan said.

As an additional contribution to the election effort, Ryan said “North Carolina is a battleground state and a free VOLT soda will be available at VOLT’s offices on Election Day to any voter who needs an extra kick in the butt to get to the polls.” VOLT’s headquarters is located at 6000 Fairview Road, Suite 1200, Charlotte, NC.

“VOLT wants to encourage everyone to vote,” Sipper said. “That’s why we joined with Guitar Hero, MySpace.com and several other nationally known brands to sponsor the Ultimate College Bowl, a voter registration drive put together by Whytuesday.org.”

Or, as Ryan put it in more flamboyant terms:

“As election day and a new choice looms, give us your tired, your poor, your discouraged and fatigued huddled masses who just happen to be blindly loyal to the traditions of the current beverage industry establishment – incumbents – Mountain Dew and Gatorade. We know you are yearning to break free of the underdog position and be re-energized and seek victory.” Find out more at www.drinkvolt.com

VOLT soft drinks join Guitar Hero, MySpace.com and several other nationally known brands to sponsor the Ultimate College Bowl, a voter registration drive put together by Whytuesday.org. 
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Owen Ryan, founder and creative director of High Volt Beverages, knows a thing or two about taking on the big guys and coming out on top.
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Marketing a fledgling sports beverage line takes a lot of time and dedication.
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Local businessman puts his sports drink up against the big boys.
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