frequently asked questions

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.

The first idea is that food and drink are better when it's made from scratch. When Dr. Allen Lim, our founder, was working as a coach and sports scientist on the Pro-Cycling Tour, the single biggest complaint that athletes had was that conventional sports nutrition left a bad taste in their mouths and an even worse feeling in their guts. It's a problem that's not limited to world-class athletes, but an issue that almost anyone who has consumed highly processed sports drinks, bars, chews, or gels, under the guise of performance, has ironically experienced. To remedy this problem, Dr. Lim began literally making the food and drink he gave to riders, in races like the Tour de France, from scratch. He started blending a simple sports drink with less sugar, more sodium, and real fruit to keep athletes better hydrated. At the same time, he prepared delicious recipes like savory rice cakes, parmesan potatoes, and freshly baked cookie bars to fuel his team. While it may not have always been easy or convenient, this return to real food and drink was based on evidence-based problem-solving – on relentless experimentation and critical feedback from some of the best athletes in the world.

The second pillar for us at Skratch Labs is the belief that no matter where you find yourself in life, it's never too late to start from scratch. When we first started Skratch Labs, we just wanted to help people solve problems. But doing so meant we had to solve a lot of our own problems, both personally and professionally. We literally had to start our lives over from scratch – a new beginning that is very much our own American Dream. Fortunately, the same problem solving skills that we used to create our products, allowed us to learn quickly. We pulled ourselves up from our bootstraps and got to work, adapting through creative innovation. It's this innovation and the basic belief that we can transform for the better that forms the basis of our mission. A mission to provide people, regardless of where they find themselves, with the inspiration, life skills, and products so that they can take better care of themselves and their families through real nutrition created for a lifetime of physical activity.

It imparts two key beliefs when it comes to people taking care of themselves and realising their potential.

1️. The first belief is that food and drink are better when it’s made from scratch.

2️. The second is that no matter where someone finds themselves in life, it’s never too late to start from scratch.

It's also about the heart and the head. The Skratch symbolises the soul of the company, the heart side. The hedonistic side, the emotional side, the passion side.

The Lab side is a reminder that you still have to be rational, that there's still science and there's still evidence-based problem solving when you come to your conclusion, and that the two can live together.

Skratch Labs is here to help athletes who are striving for greater performance in sports like cycling, running, or any sport where exceptional endurance drives success. We believe that it's a combination of training, recovery, and nutrition that will help you improve, whether you're a Pro Tour cyclist or committing to a first try at a new distance. We get it -- pushing your physical limits makes you feel alive -- and we're here to help. Our products are made with real food, starting from scratch so that you actually want to eat or drink them and you feel good when pushing hard.

Skratch Labs products are safe to use for anyone looking for cleaner sports nutrition. We never use artificial sweeteners, isolates, colors, or preservatives that might cause GI distress.

Many athletes and teams use Skratch. Additionally, firefighters, industrial workers, folks with medical conditions needing more hydration or sodium, expecting mothers and more use our products.

All Skratch products are made from natural ingredients making them a great option for children.

All of our hydration products have less sugar than comparable drinks and are only flavored with real fruit. They have none of the excess ingredients like preservatives, emulsifiers, coloring agents, or flavoring agents. Hydration Sport Drink Mix, like with adults, is perfect for making sure they stay hydrated for activities like dance class, gymnastics, football, skiing, or bike riding - really anytime the little ones are sweating!

Skratch Labs products are manufactured and assembled in the USA. Our headquarters and warehouse are in Boulder, Colorado, where our team can take full advantage of the mountains, trails, rivers, and sunshine.

For New Zealand, it is imported by us, Brittain Wynyard & Co Ltd, located in Auckland, constantly jealous of the Colorado team.

We are here to help you be better. If you can’t find what you need or you want to know something we haven't covered please send us an email to hello@skratchlabs.co.nz and we will get back to you asap

Click here to view the overview chart (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0121/9362/files/Skratch_Labs_Allergen_Chart.pdf?v=1754849880)

Still can’t find what you are looking for? Email us at hello@skratchlabs.co.nz

We know athletes can’t always make, carry, or eat real food, they want convenience and calories in a bottle that won’t make them sick. To that end, Skratch founder, Dr. Allen Lim, developed a solution with a formula using Cluster Dextrin - an extraordinarily complex carbohydrate that is highly soluble but digests steadily like real food.

Our Super High-Carb Sport Drink Mix (/products/super-high-carb-lemon-lime) is a liquid carbohydrate source with over 20 months of testing with Gold Medalist Gwen Jorgensen as well as the Education First Pro Cycling Team. It has effectively allowed these athletes to drink their fuel during some of the longest and most intense events in the world when they can’t eat real food, without causing the gastrointestinal distress common to highly concentrated carbohydrate solutions. What makes it such a great tool in their fueling arsenal is that it can be consumed rapidly, allowing a large number of calories to be consumed during the unpredictable stress of competition. At the same time, once consumed, it provides a steady, long-term source of energy that the athletes describe as a continuous drip of fuel.

It can also be turned into a gel! Check out this Skratch hack here: Skratch Gel DIY (https://www.skratchlabs.com/blogs/science-products/skratch-hacks-gel-and-concentrated-bottle-options)

Can I use more than one 200-calorie serving pouch in a single bottle?

Sure can! The flexibility of the single pouch allows you to increase or decrease the amount depending on the weather, activity, and intensity. How you use it all depends on how many calories you need to take in, and how much water you want to drink to get those calories. Think of it as food when you don't have (or can't chew) food.

How many calories do I need in my bottle? 400? 200? Another amount?

Think of Super High-Carb as an easy way to carry a lot of calories to meet your needs. Ultimately, we recommend that you replace about 1/2 the calories you burn per hour to maintain your blood sugar levels and to make sure you don't run out of carbohydrate in your muscle (glycogen). Depending upon your fitness and intensity, 200 or 400 Calories may or may not be enough for you. So you can think of Super High-Carb Drink Mix as a convenient way to get what you need without upsetting your gut. Don't think of this as what you have to consume. Consider starting by testing 1 to 1.5 pouches (or if using a Super High-Carb bag, 2-3 scoops) in 16 oz of water and go from there.

Do I need a separate bottle of Sport Hydration Drink Mix?

One serving of Super High-Carb provides the equivalent amount of hydration as one serving of Sport Drink Mix. That said, 1 bottle or about 1/2 liter may not be enough to replace your fluid losses from sweat. So if you do need more hydration beyond one bottle, then our Sport Drink Mix still fits the bill. Realize that optimal hydration and optimal fueling are not the same thing. We don't always lose calories in proportion to the fluid we lose. On hot days, you may not even need Super High-Carb if you are using our Sport Drink Mix at a rate that matches your fluid losses, and therefore getting enough fluid and calories to meet your needs. On cooler days, you may find that you're burning the same amount of energy but not sweating as much, so based on your increased fuel needs and lower fluid needs, a higher calorie Super High-Carb bottle is a better solution. Think of Super High-Carb and our Sport Drink Mix as two very different types of tools. It's not that one is better than the other. One is a big hammer without a lot of fluid. The other is a little hammer with a lot more fluid.

You can mix High-Carb with our other hydration mixes into one bottle but you’ll want to do some math and make sure you are getting an appropriate combination of carbs, sodium, and liquid to your needs and to avoid GI distress (too many carbs in too short of a period and you’ll be busting your gut…). This ratio can change depending on the weather, effort, and other factors, so test things in training and if you have questions, hit us up at hello@skratchlabs.co.nz

We use real fruit for flavor—no emulsifiers or stabilizers—so some settling is normal. Just give your bottle a quick shake before each sip and you’re good to go. We think it’s worth it for flavor that’s real, not fake.

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.

Yes! Skratch makes great popcicles, ice cubes, or just to have a cold bottle after it thaws for later on a hot ride.

A small amount of sugar helps your body absorb fluid faster through something called sodium-glucose co-transport - this helps water and electrolytes move from your gut into your bloodstream more quickly. It also gives you a steady source of energy. We use just enough to help you perform, not so much that it overwhelms your gut or your taste buds.

Yes, water is fine if the activity is short, the temperature is moderate and sweat rates are low. But remember that sweat isn't just water, it's also made up of electrolytes, especially salt or sodium chloride, which makes up about 90% of the electrolytes we lose. Of these electrolytes, it's the loss of sodium that can potentially hurt our performance the most. Thus, if you're just drinking water, you're not putting back everything you're losing.

Electrolytes are minerals, like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, that help your body hold onto fluid, maintain proper muscle function, and keep your nervous system firing. When you sweat, you lose more than just water, you also lose electrolytes, especially sodium. If you don’t replace both, your performance can suffer. Replacing them helps you stay hydrated and perform better, longer.

That depends on how much you sweat and how hard you’re going. A good starting point is one serving per hour of activity, but some athletes need more—especially in heat or humidity. Listen to your thirst, monitor your energy, and adjust as needed.

If you can't find your tracking email, shoot us an email at hello@skratchlabs.co.nz and we can get you taken care of!

We want you to be stoked with your Skratch Labs purchase. If something isn't right, get in touch with us at hello@skratchlabs.co.nz and we'll sort it out.

We're happy to help with exchanges or refunds in line with the Consumer Guarantees Act.

Please check out our full returns policy (/pages/delivery-returns) here for more details.

We ship anywhere in mainland New Zealand. Orders are dispatched from Auckland and typically arrive within 2-5 business days, depending on your location.

For any further details check out our delivery policy here or flick us an email!