Images Supplied
Adelaide’s newest drink bar is already proving there’s plenty of Adelaide appetite for loaded teas and protein smoothies, with Fueled celebrating a buzzing first week of trade at its new Queenstown store. With a menu designed to pack in all the good stuff – think protein, energy and immunity-boosting ingredients – it’s making us question why we ever put up with bitter green juice or chalky scoops of protein powder in the first place.
The colourful Port Road venue officially opened its doors on August 8, following two successful pop-ups that gave co-owners Tahlia and Rhys the chance to test their concept and introduce Adelaide to their range of loaded teas and protein smoothies.
As a new small business, the pair went into their first week unsure of what to expect – but the response has been better than they could have hoped for.
“We had no expectations with this being a new, small business, but throughout the week more and more customers were coming through,” Tahlia and Rhys explained.
“It’s awesome to see the community Fueled is already building and growing its regular customer base.”
Founded by the fitness-loving couple, Fueled was born from Tahlia’s own introduction to loaded teas. A massage therapist with an interest in health and wellbeing, she discovered the drinks first before introducing Rhys, a personal trainer, to them.
“I made him try one, then every day after he was like, ‘I need a tea,’” Tahlia told us.
From there, the pair began developing their own concept: colourful, convenient drinks designed to fit busy, active lifestyles.
Fueled loaded teas are split across energy, immunity and collagen categories, giving customers plenty of options depending on what they’re after. The energy teas combine energy sachets, green herbal tea, vitamins and electrolytes, while the immunity range includes aloe vera and minerals. According to Tahlia, the Peach Pump – an energy-boosted loaded tea inspired by peach ring lollies – has emerged as the clear best seller in week one.
The drinks have also caught the eye of fitness-focused customers, who’ve been especially impressed by the nutritional information available with every purchase. It makes it easy to grab an on-the-go drink that won’t derail your fitness goals, while still tasting indulgent enough to feel like a cheat-day treat.
“The happiness and shocked reaction we get when they realise the teas are low calorie with little to no sugar [has been great],” the pair said. “They love the variety of flavours and categories we have, and our wall art has been a hit too!”
But while the loaded teas might be stealing the spotlight, their smoothies seem to be hitting the spot with customers too.
“Our most popular smoothie is our Biscoff, for its creamy, fluffy texture – and it’s just under 300 calories with 24g of protein!”
However, if Biscoff isn’t your flavour, there’s no shortage of other options, making the daily protein hit feel as exciting as picking your favourite ice cream flavour or grabbing a chocolate bar off the shelf. The smoothie range spans Lemon Cheesecake, Cookie Dough, Reese’s PB, Salted Caramel, Banana Paddlepop, Oreo Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake, Cinnamon Scroll, Aero Choc Mint and more.
Plus, with some smoothies packing up to 55g of protein (yes, 55g), we can’t help but wonder why we’ve spent so long choking down dry chicken breast and sad scrambled eggs all in the name of hitting our protein goals.
And there’s more to come. When we spoke to the pair previously, they mentioned plans to expand the menu with warm oats, fitness food, snacks, protein balls and cheesecakes. However, whilst after just one week into trading, they’re already looking ahead, they’re in no rush to change things up just yet.
“We will definitely be doing monthly specials of new flavours in the near future,” they said, “but we’re just letting everyone enjoy and get through our big variety of flavours and options first.”
Like so many businesses carving out space in the health and fitness niche, Fueled knows its store is as much about the energy and contagious optimism it brings as it is about the drinks themselves. With its bright menu, fitness-focused goals and upbeat atmosphere – all powered by the go-getter couple behind it – Fueled is designed to leave you feeling fired up and ready to take on the day, with dessert-inspired drinks that are guaranteed to bring out your inner ‘kid in a candy store’.
Fueled
Where: 109B Port Road, Queenstown
When: 9am to 3pm Monday – Wednesday, 8am to 4pm on Thursday – Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday.
For more information, click here.
