Actress Gillian Anderson has secured a nationwide retail deal for her new female-focused energy drink brand, G Spot, with the product now stocked in 370 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK.
Launched in 2023, G Spot sets itself apart in the competitive energy drinks market by promoting a natural, caffeine-free formula featuring adaptogens such as maca and bacopa — ingredients traditionally linked to energy, cognitive support and stress reduction. The brand is aimed at women who, according to Anderson, are often overlooked by an industry dominated by “hyper-masculine” marketing.
“There are so many energy drinks out there that are geared towards the alpha male,” said Anderson. “I wanted to create something that did the trick but didn’t have all that messaging around it — something women would be comfortable grabbing.”
Anderson, 56, best known for her roles in The X-Files and Sex Education, conceived the idea during filming and initially tried to promote the brand through subtle product placement on set. “The producers said, ‘Look, we don’t know that you’re not going to be poisoning everybody with this drink,’ so why would we advertise it?”
Undeterred, she went on to co-found the business with Robin Morgan, the 23-year-old son of her partner, The Crown creator Peter Morgan. Anderson’s daughter, Piper Maru Klotz, also contributed to early tastings and brand design.
“It was very much a ground-up education,” Anderson said. “We went to what felt like the ends of the Earth visiting labs and testing samples in tiny glasses. It was exciting but also a serious learning curve.”
The biggest technical challenge, she noted, was balancing the naturally sweet taste of fruit juices with the earthy and sometimes bitter notes of B vitamins and adaptogens, without using artificial flavourings. “It was about getting the balance and the sweetness just right — and being able to say it really is all natural.”
Raising capital also presented a steep learning curve. “I was like, ‘What the f*** is a deck?’” she said, referring to investor pitch materials. “Robin put together this whole deck with all this research — it was amazing.”
Despite her high profile, Anderson said she encountered many of the systemic hurdles familiar to other female founders. “I know how fortunate I am. I can open doors more easily than most, but I’ve still faced the same challenges — and that needs to change.”
G Spot ultimately secured backing from a small group of angel investors, along with a minority investment from Dutch brewing giant Heineken, which is also supporting logistics. Anderson and her family retain a 70 per cent stake.
Though she’s now appointed a chief executive to run the ten-person business, Anderson remains highly involved. “I’m over everything G Spot-related. It’s 24/7,” she said. “If you’d told me how much of my day-to-day it would take up, I probably would have said, ‘Are you mad?’ But I do love it — it’s creative in a whole new way.”
Anderson’s latest film The Salt Path is due for release this April, but with G Spot’s high street debut now underway, her attention is as much on drinks shelves as it is on the silver screen.
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Gillian Anderson’s G spot energy drink lands in Sainsbury’s with female-first focus