Dejan Kulusevski Football Day – for children who love football but risk social exclusion

Earlier this month, Vitamin Well, Stockholm Football Association and football star Dejan Kulusevski invited 30 children and youths from one of Stockholm’s socially vulnerable areas to participate in Dejan Kulusevski Football Day x Vitamin Well. The purpose of the event was to encourage, inspire, and advise children who love football, but also risk social exclusion.   

”The joy of football should determine how far one can reach, not circumstances”, Dejan Kulusevski said. 

The first version of Dejan Kulusevski Football Day x Vitamin Well was arranged last year and focused on helping bring children who lost their connection to football during the pandemic, back into the sport. The event received an abundance of positive feedback, which lead to the decision to arrange a second event. This time around, children that want to play football but might have a hard time partaking in the sport due to their social environment, were invited.

“These children might miss training sessions since they can’t get a ride. They might not be able to afford to travel to away games and might not go to football matches with their parents as often. They might lack family or friends who are engaged in the football club. Today, these kids could train, hang out and receive support from a star like Dejan Kulusevski and that really meant a lot to them”, Jamshid Masori, Football Developer with a focus on integration and inclusion at Stockholms Football Association, said.

“To us, it felt important giving the opportunity to meet and train with Dejan to children that might not have the perfect circumstances”

Petter Ericson Hållén, Marketing Manager for Vitamin Well globally

“Dejan is a player who has chosen to go his own way, a player who plays the kind of football he wants, and that has succeeded in doing so. He is a role model and a source of inspiration for many. To us, it felt important giving the opportunity to meet and train with Dejan to children that might not have the perfect circumstances”, Petter Ericson Hållén, Marketing Manager for Vitamin Well globally, said.

The attending children came from a local club in Farsta, outside of Stockholm, which has put a lot of effort into making the football field a safe and welcoming space regardless of socioeconomic status. Together with Stockholm’s Football Association, the club has made several initiatives to counteract the social exclusion of children in the area.

“Recognizing what’s going on within the clubs in our region, we seek to help where help is needed the most. We try to target areas that the police have listed as vulnerable, and that the Swedish National Sports Federation, Riksidrottsförbundet, has listed as prioritized. This time around, we were able to invite the club in Farsta and we want to give everyone, regardless of background, the possibility to play football. Today, the children experienced an inspiring football day together with our Football Developers, Dejan Kulusevski and Vitamin Well”, Gittan Ahonen Gunnarzon, Head of Marketing and Communication at Stockholm’s Football Association”, said.

“People who have seen me play as a child usually say that I am the same player and that I play the same way today.”

Dejan Kulusevski

The day was full of technical training, laughs, and friendly banter. The children were far from shy and asked Kulusevski about everything from his favorite food and football idols to advanced football tips and tricks.

“We had a lot of fun, which is what football is all about to me, still today. What matters is doing what you love, that way you’ll get good at it. That’s how I play football and how I live my life. So, I tell them to focus on what they love, regardless of whether it is scoring or dribbling. It is important to me to share that, regardless of circumstances, the joy of football should be what determines how far one can reach”, Dejan Kulusevski said.

Kulusevski, who plays in the English professional league and is part of the Swedish national team, adds that he did not only participate in the event to teach children but also learned something himself.

“It’s way more inspiring watching children play football, compared to adults. Children play with joy and imagination, and playing with them reminds me of how it was when I was younger. I did not listen to anyone, I played however I wanted, which hasn’t changed. People who have seen me play as a child usually say that I am the same player and that I play the same way today.”

Tennis professional Emil Ruusuvuori joins Vitamin Well

Vitamin Well’s love for tennis is thriving. Now the current world number 41, Emil Ruusuvuori, joins the Vitamin Well family and thereby becomes the biggest Finnish tennis player in the team so far. 

The Vitamin Well drinks reached the Finnish market in 2009, and the company has since then sponsored several Finnish world class athletes and supported various events and competitions throughout the years. The latest addition to the Vitamin Well ambassador family is the 24-year-old Finnish tennis player Emil Ruusuvuori, who became professional in 2018 and has steadily progressed up the ranks.

– This is one of Vitamin Well’s most significant partnerships in Finland yet, and Emil is a great athlete with the kind of attitude and talent we admire. Now, we are not only being able to support one of our best athletes, but we also continue to support one of Vitamin Well’s core sports – tennis, Caisa Lindblom, Brand Activation Manager for Vitamin Well in Finland, says.

The partnership with Ruusuvuori entered into force by the beginning of April and is a long term-contract.

– I am happy to join Vitamin Well. Having been in the professional tennis world for years, I had a clear picture of the brand. Since I love the drinks, and have seen the company grow, it feels like a natural partnership to me. Having the support from Vitamin Well plays a big role in my tennis career moving forward, Emil Ruusuvuori says.

Vitamin Well x Tennis

Vitamin Wells history with tennis goes back to when the functional drinks first launched in Sweden. Tennis was one of the first sports to be favored by Vitamin Well, which since then has supported countless tournaments and players. In 2023, Vitamin Well is partnering with competitions such as the ATP-tournament in Halle in Germany, as well as tennis professionals like French Arthur Rinderknech, Norwegian Casper Ruud and Malene Helgø, Dutch Tim van Rijthoven, and Swiss Belinda Bencic.

About Vitamin Well

Vitamin Well is a Swedish functional thirst quencher, developed to be a smarter and healthier alternative to sodas, juices and other sugary drinks. The Vitamin Well drinks are characterized by their fresh taste, their content of carefully selected vitamins and minerals, and by their Scandinavian and sporty design. We recommend a varied and balanced diet, as well and an active and healthy lifestyle.

New Vitamin Well cap – stays attached for the environment

This spring, Vitamin Well introduces new and more sustainable caps on all bottles. The caps are now fixated to the bottle neck – in compliance with a litter-reducing EU-directive which enters into force in July of 2024. The early implementation of the attached caps is part of Vitamin Well’s long-lived ambition to limit its environmental impact.  

From July 2024, attached (also called tethered) caps will be a requirement for all plastic beverage bottles within the EU according to a new EU-wide directive on plastics. The aim is to reduce the amount of plastic litter ending up in the environment and to promote a circular economy.

This is ultimately a good thing, which is why Vitamin Well has chosen to implement the new caps already. Since a few months back, all new Vitamin Well bottles are produced with his feature. As such, some bottles with the attached caps have reached the market already, and they will reach all our markets 2023.

– Coming summer 2024, you should see similar caps on all beverages in plastic bottles throughout the EU, since this change is mandatory. People will hopefully get used to the caps quickly and we are sure everyone agrees that it is good to reduce plastic litter. That is why we decided to be among the first to implement this change, says Petter Ericson Hållén, Global Marketing Manager for Vitamin Well.

When updating the bottles to adjust for the new caps, Vitamin Well simultaneously adjusted the bottle neck, resulting in an additional 4% decrease of plastics, weight and CO2e emissions per bottle.

– At Vitamin Well we continuously explore new options to how we can decrease our environmental impact. The implementation of 100 percent recycled plastics in the Vitamin Well bottles in one example of this, the early realization of attached caps is another, Petter Ericson Hållén says.

He continues:

– We also wish to contribute in other ways, by for example encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle, arranging public events, and supporting charities such as the Pink Ribbon, The Swedish Child Cancer Foundation, and many more.

Read more about Vitamin Well’s sustainability efforts here.

About Vitamin Well
Vitamin Well is a Swedish functional thirst quencher, developed to be a smarter and healthier alternative to sodas, juices and other sugary drinks. The Vitamin Well drinks are characterized by their fresh taste, their content of carefully selected vitamins and minerals, and by their minimalistic and sporty design. We recommend a varied and balanced diet, as well as a healthy and active lifestyle.

The Højgaard twins join Vitamin Well

Vitamin Well is continuing its engagement in golf. From today, Danish professional golfers Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard are ambassadors within the Vitamin Well family.

“We are very happy to welcome Rasmus and Nicolai aboard”, Nadia Winther, Marketing Activation Manager for Vitamin Well Denmark, says.

“They are not only extraordinarily talented and committed athletes. But also a very inspiring pair of siblings, considering that they have always competed against each other and still grow together”.

Both Rasmus and Nicolai turned professional in 2019 and have played at the highest level in Europe ever since. They both have multiple professional wins and ranked among the top 100 in the world for an extended period in 2022. All in all, Rasmus and Nicolai are currently two of the most promising golf players from Scandinavia, considering both their results and young age.

“Helping me in the pursuit of my goals”

“Hydration and nutrition is so important for everything that we do. It feels great being partnered with Vitamin Well”, Rasmus says. “Whether it is preparing to go and play golf or after a tough gym session, I love to have a Vitamin Well”.

“I’ve been drinking Vitamin Well for quite some time now. Not only do they taste really good, but I know that the ingredients are carefully selected. This partnership is helping me in the pursuit of my goals”, Nicolai says.

Vitamin Well loves golf

Vitamin Well has supported golfers, clubs, and associations for a long time. In fact, golf courses were one of the first places where one could get a hold of a Vitamin Well bottle when it first launched. Vitamin Well has continued to support the sport through various partnerships ever since.

The Højgaard brothers now enter a team of Vitamin Well golfers such as Swedish Joakim Lagergren and Mikael Lindberg. In addition, Vitamin Well recently partnered with the German Golf Association. This summer Vitamin Well is also, once again, partner to prestigious golf competitions. To mention a few, the Volvo Scandinavian Mixed in Sweden and the Porsche European Open in Germany.

Casper Ruud x Vitamin Well

Vitamin Well continues to support tennis and can now announce that world number three, Casper Ruud, is joining the Vitamin Well family.
– It is great to see that Vitamin Well supports tennis as a sport and has many players as ambassadors. This helps elevate the sport, says Casper Ruud.  

Vitamin Well is a Swedish vitamin and mineral-enriched beverage – developed to be a smarter and healthier alternative to sodas, juices and other still drinks. Now, Vitamin Well has signed a new partnership with tennis star Casper Ruud.

– I have always liked Vitamin Well’s products. There are many good and refreshing flavours that I like to drink, both on and off the court, Casper Ruud Says.

Ruud was the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title, reach a Grand Slam final and an ATP Masters 1000 final. Beyond these, and many other great achievements in 2022, he was one of the finalists in the ATP World Tour finals in November, and is currently ranked number three in the world.

Vitamin Well’s partnership with Ruud and his team started on the 1st of January.

– This is nothing but amazing. Casper is one of Norway’s biggest athletes and one of the best in the world in tennis.  With his skill and an admirable attitude, he is the perfect ambassador for Vitamin Well, Lill Helen Mortensen, Country Marketing Manager in Norway says.

The right-handed player had an astonishing season last year, during which he for example got all the way to the final of the US Open. But Ruud does not only win games, he was also recently rewarded for his sportsmanship, selected by his fellow players in the ATP-tour.

– It is very nice to receive this recognition from colleagues and competitors, Ruud says and continues:

– It is important for me to behave well and be polite. You must compete and fight, but you have to do it in a fair way. I feel like it is unnecessary to misbehave with a chair umpire. They are people too. They are wrong sometimes, just as I am wrong sometimes. My desire to win is just as great as other players’, but still, it is important to behave well while competing.

Vitamin Well loves tennis

Tennis has been an important part of Vitamin Well since the start. The beverage has supported a great number of tournaments and players around the world throughout the years – and Casper Ruud now joins a team of tennis players like Swiss Belinda Bencic, Dutch Tim van Rijthoven and Norwegian Malene Helgø. Vitamin Well is also a proud official drink partner of the Norwegian tennis federation.

 

For more information and pictures:

Lill Helen Mortensen, Country Marketing Manager in Norway

lill-helen.mortensen@vitaminwell.no

cc: info@vitaminwell.no

 

Vitamin Well is a Swedish vitamin and mineral-enriched beverage – developed to be a smarter and healthier alternative to sodas, juices and other still drinks. The different flavours provide a good supplement of vitamins and minerals but, above all, enjoy them for the great taste! For more information about the products, please visit vitaminwell.com.

Netherlands’ rising tennis star Tim van Rijthoven joins Vitamin Well

Vitamin Well is expanding in the Netherlands — and is proud to announce that the new rising star in tennis, Tim van Rijthoven, is joining Vitamin Well’s team of athlete ambassadors.

Vitamin Well has been on the Dutch market since 2012. It is a Swedish vitamin and mineral-enriched beverage – developed to be a smarter and healthier alternative to sodas, juices and other still drinks.

– I am excited to join Vitamin Well and work alongside an organization passionate about encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle. Fueling and hydrating your body throughout the day is really important not only for athletes, but for everyone, and Vitamin Well provides a great tasting alternative enriched with vitamins and minerals, Tim van Rijthoven says.

The right-handed 25-year-old, a professional player since 2015, stunned the tennis world this summer after winning his first ATP-title at home in the Netherlands — at a tournament he competed in after receiving a wild card. During the impressive tournament run, he defeated the three top seeds.

A few weeks later, Tim van Rijthoven got all the way to the fourth round of the grand slam-tournament Wimbledon, where he won a set but was eventually defeated by the former world number one player.

– 2022 was a magical year, with moments that I will never forget. I can’t wait to get back next year, start fresh and work harder than ever, van Rijthoven says.

van Rijthoven is currently ranked 114th in the world after climbing almost a hundred positions since June. He shows great potential and an admirable drive to improve and Vitamin Well looks forward to supporting him on his journey.

– We are very happy about Tim joining us. This partnership is one of our biggest yet in the Netherlands and a significant step in our continuous investment in the Dutch market, Isabelle Boone, Country Marketing Manager at Vitamin Well, says and adds:

– Tim shows that he shares our values through both his true sportsmanship and winner attitude. We strongly believe in him both on the tennis court and as a person.

For questions, additional information, and images:
Isabelle Boone, Country Marketing Manager at Vitamin Well: +31622461549.

Competition! Come watch Vitamin Well Ambassador Grigor Dimitrov play in Paris!

The competition has ended. Congratulations to our lucky winners Jeppe Hey and Asta Panduro Skjold!

Together with Grigor we’re giving two lucky tennis fans the chance to come watch Grigor play in Paris this spring. Winners will also meet up post game with Grigor and hang out over a cold Vitamin Well.

To enter the competition:

– Comment on this post why you would like to go and who you would bring.
– Follow @grigordimitrov and @vitaminwell.

We’ll announce one winner who gets to come with one friend to Paris to see Grigor play, stay at a hotel and meet with Grigor in person. You’ll also get enough Vitamin Well to get through the summer months! We’ll announce the winners on Instagram and they will also be contacted through DMs no later than 13th of May. For full T&C’s click here

Good Luck!

Vitamin Well x Scandinavian mixed

This year, the European golf tour presents a completely new tournament – Scandinavian Mixed, where female and male golfers play against each other in Scandinavia’s largest golf tournament. Formerly known as the Nordea Masters, this competition sees future hall of fame golfers Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam as the two hosts.

The competition kicks off on Thursday 10th June through Sunday 13th June. Vitamin Well will be present throughout the tournament with signs along the fairway, well-stocked refrigerators on selected tee boxes and of course plenty of thirst quenchers in the players’ lounges.

– The sport of golf is in Vitamin Well’s DNA. Scandinavian Mixed is a unique and exciting competition that we obviously want to be a part of. Seeing both male and female golfers compete against each other for the same trophy and prize money is fantastic, says Petter Ericson Hållén.

From Vitamin Well’s team, Joakim Lagergren and Camilla Lennart will be competing, as well as Oskar Zetterwall who will caddy for Camilla. Oskar recently joined the Vitamin Well team as a Golf Sales Expert. He currently works nationwide with Vitamin Wells products in the golf sales category while he prepares for the European Q school this autumn.

Play well. Drink well.

Vitamin Well celebrates the national career of Martin Skrtel with an exclusively designed bottle

In October this year, Vitamin Well’s ambassador and football icon Martin Skrtel, will play his last match as captain of the Slovakian national team. As a tribute to his achievements, Vitamin Well will now present one of their most popular beverages, Vitamin Well Upgrade, with a specially designed label.

Vitamin Wells ambassador Martin Skrtel is a talented football player with an impressive career. Prior to his current engagement as a player in the Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir FK, Skrtel played for Liverpool FC for eight years. He made his international debut for the national team during 2004 and since then has racked up over 100 caps and is the third most capped player in Slovakian history. In October, he plays his final match for the national team. To honor this feat, Vitamin Well presents a unique limited edition bottle – Vitamin Well Upgrade Martin Skrtel Edition, with the same great taste and function as the original Upgrade.

– We are very proud of having Martin Skrtel a part of our team and we are excited about the release of our limited edtion bottle in honor of his astonishing contribution to Slovakian football throughout the years, says Karin Cavallin, Global Brand Manager at Vitamin Well.

In conjunction with the match between Slovakia and Paraguay on October 13, Vitamin Well and Skrtel will also arrange social media contests with exclusive prizes.

Follow @vitaminwellslovakia and @martin37skrtel on Instagram for updates!

Vitamin Well Denmark and Mikkel Hansen raise 100 000 DKK to anti-bullying project

Since November 2018, the world famous handball player and gold medal winner Mikkel Hansen has a cooperation with Vitamin Well Denmark. The aim of the agreement has been to support the handball player’s future performance and ambition to win new medals for the upcoming year, but also to raise awareness and funds to Mikkel Hansen’s own organization MH24 – Mikkel Mod Mobning (Mikkel against bullying). Since the collaboration was initiated Vitamin Well and Mikkel have arranged three successful charity races, Løb mod mobning (Race Against Bullying)”, which has generated over 100 000 DKK for the organization’s future anti-bullying projects.