Sydney Energy Drink Journey 2018

Highly Efficient from Hotel to Hunting

It was a 9-hour flight from Haneda, but I was able to stretch my legs and relax, so I felt almost no fatigue! After picking up my suitcase and buying a SIM card, I took a 20-minute train ride to the heart of Sydney. The ease of access is really helpful for tourists with limited time (*´ｪ`*)

This time, I stayed at a hotel in front of Hyde Park, so the access was great, and I was able to check in early right after arriving. I immediately headed out for hunting & shopping.

First Thing First, Red Bull Limited Edition!

Around November 2017, just like in other countries, Red Bull released a Street Fighter 30th Anniversary collaboration cans in Australia. Unlike the US, there were five different character cans released, and I thought it would be impossible to complete the collection since it had already been about half a year since the release... but as expected.

In Australia, the Riccardo's Original and Sugar-Free versions were released a little earlier. The Riccardo cans are 250ml, so they don’t overlap with the 355ml Street Fighter cans... but the speed of new product releases is astonishing. And they released both Original and Sugar-Free versions. Red Bull continues to dominate in Australia, maintaining a consistent pace despite V Energy being the strongest.

I ended up visiting about 50 stores away from the Sydney city center, but the Street Fighter cans with Cammy and Chun-Li were relatively still available and I could get them right away. I found Ryu too but for some reason missed the chance to buy it, so in the end, I got only two types. That was a shame...

The Street Fighter cans, like in the US, were sold with one character per case, and I suspect the stock was influenced by the shipping times or destinations for each character. Perhaps in other cities in Australia, different characters might have been more available.

Monster Energy Series Goes European

Recently in Australia, Valentino Rossi's VR46 and Lewis Hamilton's Lh34 were released. To see them both lined up together is pretty overwhelming.

With so many on the shelves, it almost felt like I was in Europe. The price at this shop was a surprising $5.99. For things like this, you should aim for combo discounts.

By the way, last year the new design for Ab Zero somehow reverted back to the old design. I couldn’t find the new design anywhere, and I had already heard rumors that it had disappeared before coming to Sydney, so I was really surprised. I hope to see the new SKU and design for Ab Zero when I visit Australia again (*´艸｀*)

Also, the Mother Energy, part of the Monster family, introduced a new flavor: the yellow "Passion". With Rossi’s and this Passion, the shelves have become even more colorful.

Rockstar's Lineup Is Shockingly Rich

In the past, Rockstar had a decent variety of flavors in Australia, but by the end of 2017, it suddenly disappeared, leaving only four flavors remaining, becoming a "big star". When I returned in 2018, almost all of the Big Star varieties were gone, and many of the flavors that had disappeared were back in stock.

The Lime Freeze is new, but there are still some cans with the old design. After becoming a Big Star, it switched to a yellowish color and the Australian original design. These seem to be in very limited stores. I didn’t see them much, and the staff didn’t seem to recognize them. This store in Sydney has the best combo deals for Monster and Rockstar, and it’s a shop I always visit. It might be useful to find similar stores when you travel. You can get almost everything you need here.

Silver Ice and Pure Zero Guava were also released. They all have European-style designs and flavors, making the assortment feel very Europe-oriented. Rockstar in Australia changes quite frequently, so it seems that it’s better not to miss any opportunities when you spot them.

V Energy & Deadpool Collaboration Can

V Energy, the leading energy drink in Australia, released a collaboration product with Deadpool. The options were 250ml singles, 275ml 4-pack, and 500ml singles. The 275ml version is sold at various stores with random pricing (about 400–500 yen), so if you don’t need four cans, it’s better to buy them individually from stores selling them separately. I bought the individual cans.

It’s really impressive that a domestically produced energy drink has been leading the market consistently. It’s something you wouldn’t expect in Japan...

V Energy & Donut King Collaboration Product

V Energy teamed up with Australia's donut chain, Donut King, to launch the first guarana-infused donut starting in April. So, I went all the way to a suburb of Sydney just to try the V donut.

There is also a Donut King in Kings Cross, which is closer to the city center, but unfortunately, they didn’t carry the V donut. I thought I was done with the mission, but I couldn’t leave without trying it, so I decided to head out to the suburbs (^_^;)

So, I arrived at a shopping mall.

Inside the mall, I found Donut King. There were lots of V Energy posters everywhere, and the staff was even wearing V donut T-shirts.

The donuts were priced at $6 with a V Energy drink set. It’s not just limited to the collaboration period; V Energy is available for purchase in most food court-style restaurants in Australia. It’s clear how dominant V Energy is in Australia, and it’s everywhere, even in convenience stores and supermarkets.

So, I tried the donut. Check out that green powder!

I’ll write a detailed review about the donut in another article, but for now, just enjoy the photos.

Inside, there was green jelly. Honestly, it wasn’t very tasty... but you can read the full review later.

It’s amazing how the top food companies in Australia and New Zealand actually do these outrageous collaborations. It’s exciting to think about the possibility of major energy drink brands in Japan teaming up with other big names, as seen in this V donut collaboration and the exposure of V Energy in the streets.

When you visit Australia, make sure to enjoy the dominance of V Energy over other brands. It’s something you won’t find anywhere else in the world.

Unbelievable Discovery in Sydney

While looking for the Red Bull Street Fighter cans, I found this 250ml Red Bull design can. I thought there was a new one coming out, so I bought a few without checking closely. Later, when I got back to the hotel and took a closer look, I realized it was one of the limited edition cans released in South Africa ( ﾟдﾟ)ﾊｯ!

The cashier at the store mentioned that it had been released recently in Australia, so I realized they had been selling it unknowingly.

In some stores in Sydney, you can find imported products (mainly from the US) just casually on the shelves, which is pretty interesting. This South African Red Bull wasn’t even that expensive, so I’m curious about the route it came through.

I didn’t have much time for hunting this time, but I was surprised to see so many new products out. I look forward to going hunting again soon (●´ω｀●)