Hugh Thomas is the Co-founder & CEO of Ugly Drinks, centered around New York & London in the UK. He attended the University of Warwick and was the Student Brand Manager for Unilever before moving to HJ Heinz where he worked in marketing. He later went on to Vita Coco in the UK and before co-founding Ugly Drinks.

Hugh wanted to create a healthy, relevant, and affordable product that would replace the sugary soda products. He ended up with Ugly Drinks, a sugar-free, sweetener-free, zero-calorie, nothing artificial, and affordable drink.

In this episode, G. Steven Cleere is joined by Hugh Thomas to talk about the origin of his company Ugly Drinks, the tools & resources necessary for success in entrepreneurship, and giving back to the community.  

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

[01:25] Why the name Ugly Drinks?

[04:50] How the Ugly Drinks company was started

[10:45] The difference between retailing in the UK and the USA

[13:25] Ugly Drinks's target market

[17:10] Tools & resources for success in entrepreneurship

[22:50] Giving back to the community through Girl up

[26:40] Hugh's experience at the Marketing Academy UK

[28:25] Distribution of Ugly Drinks & where to buy them

[29:55] Hugh's future plans for the company 

[31:10] Hugh's advice to fellow entrepreneurs

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Resources Mentioned in this episode

Ugly Drinks

Girl Up

The Marketing Academy

Connect with Steve

Kitchen2Shelf 

About Me

NexxtLevel Marketing

Sponsor for this episode

Our podcast was brought to you today by Kitchen2Shelf, the educational arm of NexxtLevel Brands. Kitchen to Shelf provides online and in-person courses and workshops for CPG entrepreneurs at any stage of growth. 

Whether you're an early-stage startup, a local growing business, or if you want to just expand your distribution to a national level, Kitchen to Shelf can help you learn what you need to know to grow.