A FORMER Premier League star has netted £15 million after selling his stake in his health drink company.
Ex-Wales and West Brom striker Hal Robson-Kanu, 36, had founded The Turmeric Co. brand after saying shots of turmeric helped him battle injury setbacks.
He hailed the ginger plant as his “secret weapon”, saying supplements of it saved his footballing career.
Now, his company Innate-Essence has sold its majority stake of 50.01 per cent to Irn-Bru makers AG Barr in a deal worth £15 million.
Among his praises for turmeric, Robson-Kanu said it had helped him to recover from a cruciate knee ligament rupture when he was just a teenager.
Following his recovery, he founded both The Turmeric Co. brand as well as Raw Hydrate.
The popular drinks are sold by Sainsbury’s and Ocado as well as in David Lloyd sports clubs across the country.
Keeping him in touch with his footballing past, Premier League sides Everton and Brentford also sell the beverages.
Outside of football, Robson-Kanu’s brands have partnerships with top rugby sides Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers as well as British Gymnastics.
Robson-Kanu won 46 caps for Wales and scored in the historic 3-1 win against Belgium to put them into the semi finals of Euro 2016.
The ex-Prem player said: “I created the brand as a convenient and great-tasting way to support wellness-conscious individuals and sportspeople like me.
“We’ve had a remarkable few years but with this latest milestone and such heavyweight backing, it feels like our journey is just beginning – we’ve unlocked a new level.
“The international potential is huge, and we can’t wait to see what we achieve next.”
AG Barr said the investment was “consistent with the company’s strategy of acquisitions and innovation in highgrowth, health-focused, functional beverage categories”.
It added: “The investment has been funded from the company’s net cash position. It is not expected to have a significant impact on revenue or profit in the current financial year.”
In 2023, Robson-Kanu launched a campaign with Sainsbury’s to promote his turmeric shots.
The star appeared in an advert pretending to be a Sainsbury’s shop floor worker just two years after his career came to an end.
HOW ROBSON-KANU DISCOVERED TURMERIC ‘GOLD’
Earlier in 2023, he also opened up about the reasons behind his business ventures.
After joining Reading’s academy at the age of 15, Robson-Kanu suffered two severe injuries before breaking into the first team, both of which required surgery.
He was told by club doctors that he would likely never play without pain and restriction in his knee again, prompting him to take prescribed painkillers.
However, after these had an adverse effect on his body, the former Wales international turned to natural remedies.
He told The Reading Chronicle: “It was at that point where me and my dad basically went on a research binge. We began looking at natural ways to recover from pain, inflammation and swelling.
“We went to the library and scoured the internet. We looked at ancient Asian practices in eastern cultures where they would use natural remedies.
“What we began to find was these natural ingredients which kept recurring, like watermelon, pomegranate, pineapple, ginger and turmeric in the raw format.”
The star said it was the raw ingredients that were key to having an impact on recovery and so he set out with his dad to source the ingredients for his magical blend.
While the taste didn’t land at first, they eventually perfected the blend of “raw, natural ingredients” into a “golden elixir”.
After adding more nutrients, micronutrients and macronutrients, Robson-Kanu said the “golden blend” was giving him a “real boost of energy“.
Regular consumption helped him make progress and eventually the pain and inflammation in his knee subsided, giving him full flexibility once more.
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