From Kitchen Table to Elite Athletes: The 33Fuel Founder on Disrupting Sports Nutrition and Leading with Purpose
In a world where sports nutrition shelves are dominated by artificial powders and ultra-processed supplements, one entrepreneur dared to ask a simple question: what if we fueled our bodies with actual food instead?
Building 33Fuel from her kitchen table into a brand trusted by Olympians, Tour de France winners, and the England football team has been one of the most challenging, liberating, and purpose-driven rides of Erica Pole's life. She tore up the rulebook, made her own fuel from real food (not lab formulas), and never compromised — and seeing that work recognized through multiple product awards from the most respected sports magazines like Runner's World, Women's Health, Evening Standard, Men's Fitness, Men's Health, and recently awarded by BBC Good Food and personally awarded as Most Influential CEO 2024 – England (Sports Nutrition) by CEO Monthly, is beyond exciting. It's proof that doing things differently isn't a risk — it's a strategy.
Since 2012, Erica has been quietly dismantling industry norms, proving that peak performance doesn't require synthetic shortcuts—it requires real ingredients, authentic purpose, and the courage to challenge everything. From navigating the muddy terrain of industry disruption to maintaining personal wellness while scaling a business that serves elite athletes worldwide, her journey offers invaluable insights for women entrepreneurs ready to shake up established industries.
Erica's philosophy is refreshingly direct: burn the playbook, trust your instincts, and build what should exist—not what already does. In this candid conversation, she shares hard-won wisdom about entrepreneurship, the urgent need for wellness industry reform, and why the future of health lies not in convenience culture, but in conscious, sustainable choices that fuel both performance and longevity.
1. As the CEO and founder of 33Fuel, you've been pioneering natural sports nutrition since 2012, challenging an industry dominated by ultra-processed foods. What advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs looking to disrupt established industries? How do you maintain your own wellness while building a business that serves elite athletes worldwide?
Disrupting an industry is a bit like trail running in the rain – muddy, unpredictable, but wildly rewarding. My biggest advice to women entrepreneurs? Don’t wait for permission. The “rules” you think are there? Most of them are just habits in disguise, they’re just hand-me-down thinking from an industry that forgot to evolve. At 33Fuel, we didn’t follow the sports nutrition playbook – we shredded it and built our own using real food, UPF-free ingredients, and a big scoop of rebellion.
I’ve learned the hard way: burnout is not a trophy — it’s a dead end. My advice? Keep it simple. Mornings start with a HIIT session or a run in the local park — there’s no better wake-up call. Then it’s a shower and before the emails start flying, it’s me, a quiet moment, and a glass of 33Fuel daily greens to keep me healthy and a light breakfast with real food (you know, the kind that actually grows). Just remember ‘Your energy is your strategy ‘ so fuel it like you mean it. Only then I dive into work: focused, fired up, and ready to make waves.
2. 33Fuel's "Fuelosophy" centers on Performance, Health and a Fitter Future - moving beyond quick fixes to nutrition that supports long-term wellbeing. How do you think the wellness industry needs to evolve to prioritize genuine health over convenience? What does authentic, sustainable wellness look like in your view?
The wellness industry needs a serious reset. Too much of it’s built on quick fixes, flashy packaging, and convenience-first thinking — which usually means ultra-processed junk dressed up as “healthy.” At 33Fuel, we believe genuine health doesn’t come from shortcuts. It comes from real ingredients, real habits, and a long-term mindset.
Authentic, sustainable wellness isn’t about hacking your body or tracking every step — it’s about giving your body what it truly needs to thrive. That means food you can actually recognise, products made with purpose (not preservatives), and a lifestyle that supports performance and health today and 10 years from now.
We built 33Fuel on that belief — no UPFs, no empty promises, just powerful, real nutrition that works with your body, not against it. Wellness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being consistent, conscious, and connected to what truly fuels you. That’s the future we’re here to build.
3. From starting at your kitchen table with friends to now supplying the England Football team, Tour de France winners, and Olympians, your journey exemplifies the power of persistence and authentic purpose. What has your entrepreneurial journey taught you about the unique strengths women bring to wellness leadership, and how do you hope to inspire the next generation of women wellness entrepreneurs?
33Fuel started with nothing more than a kitchen table, a blender, and a refusal to accept the junk the sports nutrition industry was pushing. No investors, no roadmap — just purpose, persistence, and a healthy dose of “why not us?”
What this journey has taught me is that women bring something powerful to wellness leadership: we don’t just follow — we question, challenge, and rebuild. We lead with instinct and impact. We care deeply, but we’re not afraid to break things when the system’s broken. That’s not soft — that’s strength.
I want the next generation of women wellness entrepreneurs to know this: you don’t need permission. You don’t need to wait until you’ve got all the answers. And you definitely don’t need to copy what’s already out there. Burn the playbook. Trust your gut. Build what should exist — not what already does.
Because real change doesn’t come from playing nice. It comes from showing up, shaking things up, and refusing to settle for anything less than better. That’s what we did with 33Fuel — and we’re only just getting started.
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