Celebrated for her iconic screen roles, Gillian Anderson is once again breaking new ground with G Spot – a family-crafted, functional beverage brand blending passion and purpose. By Eamonn Duff
Many entrepreneurs are driven by personal experience – a moment or motivation that sparks a bigger mission. For multi-award-winning actress Gillian Anderson, the idea for her functional drink brand, G Spot, was born from a dilemma shared by millions of busy consumers: the everyday struggle to find a beverage that’s good for you – and actually tastes great too. “I was drinking multiple full-sugar Cokes a day and wanted a healthy alternative -an energy boost without caffeine, low sugar, low calorie – but I didn’t want to compromise on taste,” said Gillian. “I couldn’t find one and Robin [Morgan], my co-founder came to me with some ideas and we began thinking what we could create. It was when I came up with the name G Spot that it all started to fit into place.”
During the summer of 2022, Gillian and Robin (who is her partner’s son) were sat at the family table. Together, they mapped out a drink that would taste amazing – and serve the growing thirst for wellness beverages with real functional benefits. As Gillian explained to FMCG CEO, from that moment forward, G Spot’s evolution has been a hands-on, family-led venture. Her daughter, Piper, played a pivotal role in the brand’s creation – introducing Gillian to the world of stress-relieving, brain-boosting botanicals, such as adaptogens and nootropics. Piper also harnessed her artistic skills to design a logo and visual identity that captures G Spot’s playful spirit on every can.
Two years into Gillian’s personal crusade to create something bold, healthy and uniquely her own, G Spot’s success has surpassed her “wildest expectations”. “We’re a start-up, a small team, and couldn’t be prouder of how the brand is growing,” she said.
In October 2024, the brand debuted in the US, where the functional beverage market grew 54 percent to $9.2 billion between March 2020 and March 2024, according to NielsenIQ. Notably, G Spot’s drink Arouse was featured on The Drew Barrymore Show, and Gayle King personally selected it for Oprah Daily’s “The World According to Gayle” segment, further cementing the brand’s rising profile.
Then, in November 2024, Heineken jumped on board as a strategic investor and minority shareholder. In what turned out to be a perfect New Year, the beverage secured a January 2025 listing in Sainsbury’s – its first major grocer. G Spot is now available in 375 stores nationwide, with singles stocked in the chilled section and four-packs (pictured below) in ambient.
Wellness with a wink
Made in the UK, G Spot is caffeine-free, low in calories and contains no artificial sweeteners. Each drink is infused with nature’s secret allies – a carefully selected blend of adaptogens and nootropics known to invigorate both body and mind. Adaptogens, such as Maca (a 3,000-year-old herb from Peru) and the mushroom Reishi, help balance and reduce stress, while nootropics like Theanine and the energy mushroom Cordyceps enhance cognitive function.
Each of G Spot’s four SKUs showcases a unique blend of natural ingredients tailored to specific wellness needs – from energy and focus to relaxation and immunity:
- LIFT – Red Berries & Sarawak
The brand’s best-seller combines berries, apples, and peppercorn, infused with Bacopa, Theanine, and Cordyceps. - SOOTHE – Scarlet Apple & Sage
A Great Taste Award winner, this blend of apples, sage, and angelica contains Magnesium, Maca, Reishi, and Ashwagandha. - PROTECT – Ginger & Peppercorn
A comforting yet invigorating mix of lemon, meadowsweet, ginger, and turmeric. Chaga and a hint of peppercorn complete its invigorating and refreshing profile - AROUSE – Passionfruit & Habanero
A bold mix of passionfruit, pineapple, and spicy orange habanero, boosted with butterfly pea, L–arginine, L–citrulline, and vitamin B6.
Formulated by family, perfected by experts
As Gillian explains, she, Robin and Piper all played pivotal roles in developing the individual formulas – partnering with UK-based drinks innovators Alkemista, and travelling to various locations across the country to fine-tune everything from flavours and ingredients to colours and carbonation.
“We went through so many iterations of Lift. We knew we wanted the drink to be red and to have energising properties without caffeine,” recalls Gillian.
“Obviously, we were also trying really hard to keep sugar levels down…finding the perfect balance of our consistent Bramley apple base, with the sour fruits and natural sweeteners, was something that took a long time.”
Formulating a drink using the subtle flavours of botanicals – alongside the sometimes overpoweringly earthy tones of nootropics and adaptogens – was another stage of the journey that required great care.
“I’m really proud of our flavours and think we hit it just right,” said Gillian. “They feel very mature to me, and that was down to Anthony [Wilson] at Alkemista – and his team’s expertise with botanicals. I learned so much in the process.”
Alkemista are a multi award-winning, liquid innovation development company who helped bring the brand to life. Anthony, its Technical Director and Founder, said: “What really sets this project apart is Gillian. It’s rare to find a founder with such a deep understanding of functional ingredients – not just what they do, but how they shape flavour and experience.”
He added: “Gillian and her family were deeply involved at every stage: balancing formulations, leading tastings, and stress-testing each product against the rhythms of real life. Every can is something she’d genuinely choose to drink – whether she’s winding down, waking up, or finding her focus.”
G Spot has a rebellious spirit – a direct reflection of Gillian’s point of view. The brand encourages its community to question societal expectations, embrace nonconformity, and celebrate the rebellious energy that fuels both the personal and the professional.
Dare to be different
While many wellness brands play it safe, G Spot chooses wit over worthy, challenging the status quo while exploring and celebrating the complexity and resilience of women – and everyone who champions them.
Take Arouse, for example: the brand’s bold female arousal drink, launched in collaboration with Season 4 of the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (in which Gillian stars as Jean Milburn). Designed to “awaken your senses”, it combines nootropics and adaptogens to support libido, symbolising the brand’s unapologetic commitment to pushing boundaries.
“If I look at all the characters I’ve played that people have responded to – whether that’s Scully, Stella or Jean – there’s one common denominator in them all: confidence,” said Gillian. “They believe in themselves, they’re complex, they’re messy, they don’t tick boxes – but most importantly, they’re driven by an inherent self-belief.
“And given there are huge parts of society today that contribute to a debilitating lack of self-belief, particularly in women – whether that’s the wellness industry, social media, or Hollywood itself – there’s a clear path to making a lasting impact, and I want to take that on in any and every way I can.”
