• by Danielle Oster , July 29, 2024

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Tart cherry juice has been having a moment. Now it’s heading to the Olympics.

Cheribundi -- a leading brand producing tart cherry juice and related products, which was acquired by Boulder-based NextFoods last year -- added five Team USA Olympians to its roster of athlete partners last week, as it seeks to further its positioning as a recovery beverage for athletes.

The list of Olympic athletes now acting as brand ambassadors are: four-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Ryan Murphy; silver-medal winning diver Delaney Schnell; three-time Olympian track-and-field athlete Keturah Orji; Courtney Lindsey, an NCAA track and field champion making her Olympics debut; and Chase Budinger, a 7-year NBA veteran who retired from professional basketball to focus on beach volleyball back in 2017, and is now playing for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

All five athletes will serve as Cheribundi brand ambassadors before, during and after the 2024 games. 

As part of the agreement, the athletes will leverage their respective social platforms to share original content related to the beverage and its use for recovery.

“This specifically selected group of athlete partners will not only bring visibility to Cheribundi's innovative tart cherry products, but also underscore the importance of natural nutrition in achieving peak performance,”  Cheribundi vice president, sports and merging channels Dan Sagers said in a statement. “By partnering with such accomplished athletes on their journey to Paris, we aim to inspire athletes everywhere to prioritize their health and recovery routines."

The partnerships with Olympic brand ambassadors is part of a larger effort to connect the beverage to the sports drink category. Cheribundi, which launched in 2004, claims its products are used by “over 475 professional and collegiate teams, including every collegiate football and men's basketball National Champion since 2007” as a “functional tool” for recovery. The Team USA members join an existing brand roster of athletic partners that includes professional skateboarder Neen Williams, and ultramarathoner Jes Woods.

Tart cherry juice saw a surge in popularity with the viral success last year of the “Sleepy Girl Mocktail” based around the ingredient. The trend saw a resurgence in the beginning of 2024 as a popular go-to for “Dry January” participants.