Robson-Kanu, who had a lengthy career playing professional football in the Premier League and for Wales, launched the business while still playing for West Bromwich Albion in 2018.
Now, Innate-Essence is best known for its turmeric shots brand The Turmeric Co.
AG Barr, which produces soft drink Irn Bru, has not disclosed the size of its stake in Innate-Essence.
More details on the investment are set to be shared during the next AG Barr trading update which is scheduled for 29 July.
“We have acquired a stake in Innate-Essence Ltd, which owns a number of speciality health drinks, including The Turmeric Co,” a spokesperson for AG Barr told Food Manufacture.
“These brands are in the high growth functional beverages and vitamin & supplements sectors, and we’re excited to bring our deep industry experience to support their future growth.”
Meanwhile, Robson-Kanu hailed the news on LinkedIn and confirmed that he would remain CEO moving forward.
He wrote: “They said it was too fresh. Too functional. Too hard to scale. Now one of the UK’s biggest drinks companies just backed it.
“I am delighted to announce that AG Barr have acquired a stake in our functional beverage manufacturing business, Innate-Essence. “Trading primarily through brands such as The Turmeric Co. & Raw Hydrate, our passion has always been to deliver pioneering ranges of high-quality beverages that heal. This move speaks volumes.”
Robson-Kanu continued by reflecting on his journey building the business over the past eight years, explaining that functional drinks “weren’t built to chase short-term profit”.
“They were built to solve real problems,” he said.
“And now, the industry is starting to realise just how powerful that can be. We’ve had over 15,000 people tell us our products changed their lives. That kind of impact doesn’t go unnoticed. And we’re proving that products which do good can also go big.
“Of course I’ll still be leading from the front as CEO[,] and more fired up than ever.”
Now 36 years of age, Robson-Kanu made his professional debut in 2008 and went on to make 425 appearances at club level before retiring from football in 2021. He also earned 46 caps for Wales, scoring five goals.
