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.”

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.

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.

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.