A natural energy drink brand that recently rolled out to more than 800 Tesco stores has revealed ambitious export plans.

Tesco had been attracted to the brand by its natural credentials, said Scottish founder Bert Jukes. Little Big Shot contains no caffeine and taurine, and is made from a mix of fruits including ‘superfruits’ pomegranate and cranberries, B vitamins, and deep ocean minerals claimed to be natural energy sources.

The retailer has rolled it out to 820 stores over the past few weeks (rsp: £1.35/330ml slimline can). But the Tesco listing was only the start, claimed Jukes, who has just secured the funding to drive overseas expansion, and has arranged distribution in Europe, the US and Canada, Africa and the Middle East. He said he expected to be able to confirm initial overseas listings in the next few weeks.

He added that the Belfast-based business had received a lot of attention from high-street retailers in the UK, which he expected to carry new flavours to be launched in the coming months.

“It is very early days,” said Jukes, “but this shows what can be achieved, even in a recession, with passion and enthusiasm. It is a unique product in a crowded market and, unlike many other energy drinks, is safe for children and mothers-to-be,” he said.

Tesco first showed interest in the drink at the Sial trade show in Paris last year. The drink - which is a revamped version of a product rolled out in 2011 - is produced in Austria and is distributed in the UK by Kerry Logistics.

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