bill vaughan headquarters berkeley california united states key people brian vaughan president products gu energy gel gu chomps gu electrolyte brew drink gu recovery brew drink gu electrolyte brew tablets roctane ultra endurance energy drink roctane ultra endurance energy gel number of employees 50 2011 website guenergy.com gu energy labs is a company based in berkeley california that produces performance sports nutrition products most notably energy gels . usually consumed during endurance events the gels are designed to be quickly and easily digested . other products include energy chews drink mixes called brews brew tablets and a roctane ultra endurance line that includes an energy drink mix and gel . the company was founded in 1994 by bill vaughan who began creating an energy gel product in 1990 . gu is considered the first major distributor of energy gels . the company has grown over time and in 2011 its corporate headquarters and 50 employees relocated to a larger space in berkeley s 4th street shopping district . it is now run by bill s son brian vaughan who serves as president . contents 1 background and company history 2 products 3 sponsorships 4 see also 5 references 6 external links background and company history edit sports energy gels emerged in the united kingdom in 1986 as a convenient prewrapped portable way to deliver carbohydrates during endurance events . 1 gels have a gooey texture and are sometimes referred to as goo generically . 2 3 bill vaughan a biophysicist at university of california berkeley 4 began working on an energy gel product in 1990 . 2 he established gu energy labs in berkeley california in 1994 . 5 gu energy labs is regarded as the first major distributor of energy gels supplying products at the ironman world championship in 1996 . 6 7 gu is now run by bill s son brian vaughan who serves as president . 2 in june 2011 gu moved its corporate operations and 50 employees from a 13 000 square foot 1 200 m2 space to one with twice as much floor space . 8 9 the larger 26 000 square foot 2 400 m2 space located in berkeley s 4th street shopping district affords the company an increased production capacity with room for additional growth . 8 9 gu s 2011 relocation was the first time in five years that all of its employees operated from a single location ; previously the company s operations shipping and marketing were executed from multiple buildings throughout berkeley . gu outsourced its shipping operations to a third party provider for improved service and response times . 9 products edit gu energy labs produces a variety of performance sports nutrition products intended to increase the endurance of athletes . 10 its products include gu energy gel gu chomps energy chews drink mixes branded as brews and a line of roctane ultra endurance products . citation needed their energy gel contains carbohydrates maltodextrin and fructose an amino acid blend electrolytes sodium and potassium and in some flavors caffeine . 11 12 gel packets provide 100 calories and come in a variety of flavors 2 including blackberry chocolate mandarin orange 13 peppermint stick 14 raspberry salted caramel 15 strawberry banana triple berry and vanilla . 11 16 the energy chews created in 2009 and based on the gel formula 10 are made from similar ingredients but also include antioxidants and come in a chewable form . 17 gu produces two brews the gu electrolyte brew drink launched in 2001 and formerly known as gu2o 10 and the gu recovery brew drink . 18 the recovery brew designed for consumption following physical activity was created in 2009 and includes amino acids antioxidants carbohydrates and protein . 10 19 gu electrolyte brew tablets contain a low calorie sweetening agent derived from stevia . 20 gu s roctane ultra endurance line introduced in 2008 includes an energy gel and a drink mix . 10 21 the drink formula contains caffeine in most flavors beta alanine taurine and additional amino acids . 22 compared to gu s original energy gel servings of roctane energy gel contains three times more branched chain amino acids more electrolytes and ten times more histidine . 2 23 sponsorships edit the company sponsors numerous triathlon swimming biking running 24 and outdoor athletes in order to promote its products including the brazilian team at the 2010 fifa world cup 25 usa triathlon 5 trigrandprix 26 the rock n roll marathon series 27 and the leadville race series . 28 in 2012 the company became the first official gel and chew sponsor for ironman . 7 29 in 2013 in conjunction with the challenged athletes foundation 30 gu established the challenge for kids campaign to benefit children suffering from amputation maladies including traumatic limb loss congenital effects and disease state complications . 31 the company created a special edition passionfruit flavor for its roctane line ; profits from the product would allow the purchase of prosthetics allowing children to regain mobility . 31 32 gu increased its goal to 100 000 having surpassed its original goal of 50 000 . 33 the company has also supported the national interscholastic cycling association an organization that promotes high school mountain biking . 34 35 see also edit energy bar sports drink references edit schwarb john january 3 2003 . forget carb filled bars runners gaga for goo . st. petersburg times . st. petersburg florida . retrieved january 13 2014 . a b c d e gallman judith m. january february 2009 . brian vaughan gu guru . oakland magazine . retrieved february 11 2014 . blake judith november 19 2004 . a new fuel for athletes energy gels . the baltimore sun . tribune company . issn 1930 8965 . retrieved january 23 2014 . kaplan ben may 24 2011 . dazed and infused with the runner s high . national post . toronto ontario postmedia network . issn 1486 8008 . retrieved february 11 2014 . a b usa triathlon gu energy labs team up for silver level sponsorship . usa triathlon . april 15 2011 . retrieved january 13 2014 . gu energy returns to ironman . world triathlon corporation . march 20 2012 . retrieved january 14 2014 . a b roethenbaugh gary march 21 2012 . gu energy signs two year deal with ironman . triathlon business . retrieved february 4 2014 . a b knobel lane january 7 2011 . annie s plans move from napa to berkeley . berkeleyside . berkeley california . retrieved january 13 2014 . a b c gu energy labs expands into new hometown headquarters . outdoor usa magazine . dnf media . june 6 2011 . retrieved january 13 2014 . a b c d e the gu story . gu energy labs . retrieved january 23 2014 . a b gu energy gel . gu energy labs . retrieved january 14 2014 . carpenter murray november 19 2012 . caffeine gives endurance athletes a third and fourth wind . npr . retrieved january 23 2014 . gu energy gel product review . the cricket magazine . 2013 . retrieved february 4 2014 . rasmussen matt december 25 2012 . product review peppermint stick gu energy gel . the oregonian . portland oregon advance publications . issn 8750 1317 . retrieved january 23 2014 . gu energy labs salted caramel energy gel to hit store shelves . running magazine . immagina llc . july 19 2013 . retrieved january 23 2014 . flavors neumer alison october 10 2003 . what s your favorite flavor . chicago tribune . tribune company . issn 1085 6706 . oclc 60639020 . retrieved january 23 2014 . gu chomps energy chews . gu energy labs . retrieved january 14 2014 . gu electrolyte brew drink . gu energy labs . retrieved january 23 2014 . gu recovery brew drink . gu energy labs . retrieved january 23 2014 . gu electrolyte brew tablets . gu energy labs . retrieved january 23 2014 . roctane ultra endurance . gu energy labs . retrieved january 14 2014 . roctane ultra endurance energy drink . gu energy labs . retrieved january 23 2014 . roctane ultra endurance energy gel . gu energy labs . retrieved january 23 2014 . sponsorship of marathons and other running events gu energy labs . modesto marathon . retrieved january 14 2014 . hawaiian airlines lucky and gu energy labs return to oakland running festival pdf . oakland running festival . february 4 2013 . retrieved january 14 2014 . course faqs . sydney running festival . retrieved february 4 2014 . gu energy gel fuels brazilian world cup squad . mike trees training . retrieved february 11 2014 . condon rob march 24 2011 . gu energy labs partnering with trigrandprix . trigrandprix . retrieved january 13 2014 . gu energy . competitor group inc. retrieved february 4 2014 . leadville race series the lowdown on leadville . gu energy labs . retrieved february 25 2014 . welcome 2011 leadville race participants . gu energy labs . retrieved february 25 2014 . rusch rebecca july 8 2012 . dispatches from columbine topping off the tank . leadville race series . retrieved february 25 2014 . wiens dave july 16 2013 . dispatches from columbine race day nutrition strategies . leadville race series . retrieved february 25 2014 . surface scott october 23 2012 . industry news underpants turn to gold gu energy raises charity funds at ironman world championship . outdoor industry association . retrieved february 4 2014 . thomas garvin october 31 2013 . san jose amputee gets second chance at ironman championship . nbc . retrieved february 4 2014 . a b roethenbaugh gary december 12 2013 . gu energy challenge for kids charity campaign has new target of us 100 000 . triathlon business . retrieved february 4 2014 . challenge for kids . gu energy labs . retrieved february 4 2014 . wright gordon december 11 2013 . gu charity campaign passes 50 000 aims for 100k . outdoor industry association . retrieved february 4 2014 . vaughan brian july 22 2013 . gu gives supports nica thru colorado trail race . gu energy labs . retrieved february 25 2014 . beaudin matthew november 5 2013 . national interscholastic cycling association adds 3 new mountain bike leagues . retrieved february 25 2014 . external links edit gu energy labs gu energy australia gu energy south africa gu energy united kingdom california portal companies portal food portal san francisco bay area portal retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title gu energy labs & oldid 705527082 categories 1994 establishments in californiacompanies based in berkeley californiacompanies established in 1994dietary supplementsenergy food productsfood and drink in the san francisco bay areasports in the san francisco bay areahidden categories all articles with unsourced statementsarticles with unsourced statements from june 2014official website different in wikidata and wikipedia navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage 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