How Keighley-based Vidrate became one of UK's fastest growing firms
The muse can strike in the unlikeliest places. In Nick Hird’s case, inspiration arrived during a tedious car trip to a meeting he really didn’t want to attend. It came in the form of Beyoncé.
He had been racking his brains to come up with a name for his new business, a hydration brand which had started life on his kitchen table.
"We were thinking of names for the company that were catchy and explained what it did,’’ he recalled.
"I was thinking of names in the car and Beyoncé was on the radio. On one of her songs she says: 'Give me that Vitamin D' – pronounced vytamin. I loved the way Americans say vitamin. I came up with the name Vidrate. We wanted it to be accessible to everyone.”
Less than a decade later, Keighley-based Vidrate has grown into a national player, reeling in £5.7m in sales in 2025, after securing 120.3 per cent average annual growth in the previous three years.
In June it was named as Yorkshire and the Humber’s fastest-growing private company in the fifth annual Sunday Times 100 rankings.
The company helps Britons stay hydrated while avoiding sugary drinks; Vidrate’s powder-filled sachets contain vitamins and electrolytes enhanced by natural fruit flavourings to give them a dash of zest.
Co-founders Mr Hird and Rob Bennett-Baggs started Vidrate in 2018 and have sold almost 100 million sachets.
The rate of growth shows no signs of slowing. Earlier this year, Vidrate increased its Boots presence from 190 to 1,297 stores, alongside landing its first listing with premium northern retailer Booths.
"I've always had a passion for nutrition and how the body works,’’ said Mr Hird. “I played rugby league to a decent level when I was younger and I've always been a bit of a geek at researching things about nutrition.
"For almost 10 years I was a fitness model and built up quite a big following on Twitter. At that point, I didn't want to make money, I just wanted to help people, so I set up groups on social media where people would tell me what they wanted to achieve. Their goals ranged from running a 5K to simply being fit enough to walk up a flight of steps.
"I would reply to people and give them tips on how to become healthier. I used to work for a ready-to-drink product company and I would do talks on hydration to audiences ranging from the military to the fire service and the NHS.
"One thing I discovered is that most of the population doesn't drink enough water,’’ he said. “I realised there wasn't a product available at the time that helped you drink water, had zero sugar and offered benefits nutritionally as well.
"I wanted to see if I could plug this gap. Initially it was a hobby. I spent the next 12 months experimenting with ingredients in my kitchen to see if I could make it work, despite factories telling me it couldn't be done.”
Finally satisfied with the product, he launched it to market in 2019.
But success didn’t arrive overnight. “The reason for the slow growth initially was that my business partner Rob Bennett-Baggs and I quit our jobs,’’ he said. “I quickly realised it required a lot of work.
"At first I was doing jobs like gardening and plastering and selling moisturisers on Facebook to bring money in. At one point I had six jobs and would work from 6am to 5pm, then do my own stuff, such as plastering, until 10pm.
"I would go back home get four hours of sleep, and then do it all again. With a mortgage and a small child it was hard,’’ he said. “For the first two years, we couldn't afford hotels so I slept in my van, which is still parked outside our premises. My wife believed I was sleeping in hotels; she would have gone crazy if she had found out!”
Mr Hird remains passionately committed to his Keighley roots; he has developed unbreakable bonds with the staff who have supported Vidrate’s growth. And the original Vidrate van is a treasured possession.
"We're tracking £15m turnover this year, but I still drive the same van I used at the start because of the sentimental value,’’ he said.
"At first I was literally banging on doors trying to sell the product. As a business, we adapt and move fast. But it's all about ensuring the customer gets the best product.
"We're essentially two businesses in one: the brand and a fulfilment centre. Every sachet is carefully packed by our staff, whether you buy it from Boots, Amazon or our website.
"Every single sachet is hand-picked by a team member to check it’s free from creases, upright and front-facing; this level of care is something nobody else does. We process 50,000 to 60,000 orders a month and every order receives a handwritten note from one of our 40 staff members.
"A lot of the packs are packed the same way I used to pack them in my living room,’’ he recalled. "My wife and I would regularly pack until after midnight and then she’d get up and go to work again the next day. We did this for two years.
“We're still based in my home town of Keighley. We've moved from a 3,600 sq ft premises, which was meant to last us until the end of 2028, into a 21,000 sq ft site. We had the opportunity to choose a different unit but we paid more to keep our operations in Keighley.
"It was more important for me to keep it local and retain our staff, many of whom walk to work. We recently hired more staff and received 380 CVs in 24 hours. We've never had VC (venture capital) investment because we didn't want somebody coming on board who would solely focus on growth. I'm the largest shareholder in the firm with Rob, and we also have a small hub of angel investors.
"I love the people and culture of Keighley and we still have a community committee of users who critique the brand."
A business empire inspired by Beyoncé has found its natural home in the Aire valley.