Enervit

Enervit is a sports nutrition company, based in Milan, Italy. The brand, founded in 1976, has helped support cyclists and other athletes before, during and after the action with carbohydrate supplements, rehydration drinks and other nutritional products.

History

Enervit was founded in the late 1970s by pharmacist Dr Paolo Sorbini. Sorbini had already established a physiotherapy brand in the 1950s and became linked to the Giro d’Italia in 1973 when it provided medical and dietary advice to riders from its Giroclinica mobile laboratory. In the same year, he opened a production plant in Zelbio, which overlooks nearby Lake Como.

Three years later and Enervit - a combination of “energia” and “vita” (energy and life) - was launched to create sports nutrition products, an unheard-of idea at the time. Enervit partnered with a group of doctors, scholars and technical specialists in the years to come in a bid to find a scientific approach to dieting and supplements within professional sports.

Off the back of its work at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Enervit launched the first meal replacement supplement in 1982.

Over the next two decades, Enervit’s range of products and the sports it was invested in expanded, with Sorbini’s team helping track and field athletes, sailors, football teams, skiers and mountain climbers to achieve their goals through nutritional strategies and supplements.

American biochemist Barry Sears worked with Enervit in 2000 to develop a nutrition strategy known as the Zone diet, or EnerZona, for which the company launched a successful range of products that delivered a perfectly balanced ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

In 2008, the official company name changed from Also Laboratori S.a.s. to Enervit S.p.A. and was included on the Milan Stock Exchange.

By the mid-2010s Enervit had opened a second production plant in Erba, also in the Como province. The plant was built with the specific intention of producing energy bars. The production facilities are entirely free from palm oil and gluten.

Enervit made more big strides towards the end of the 2010s, first partnering with Ironman as its official nutrition partner and then returning to the UCI WorldTour to sponsor both UAE Team Emirates and Trek-Segafredo.

Key Moments

1982 - Enervit Protein

With a slogan of ‘strong and lean’, Enervit launched its first meal replacement supplement off the back of research at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The supplement was designed for those looking to lose weight.

2015 - The new 4.0 plant

The construction of a new Industry 4.0 plant in Erba was a bold choice by the company given many businesses in the area were delocalising. However, Enervit’s move saw them become even more international than ever before, all whilst staying in touch with the company’s local roots.

2021 - Nutrition in its DNA

Enervit established itself as ‘The Positive Nutrition Company’ in 2021 off the back of an initiative that started at an international conference in 2017.

Enervit's products

© Sprint Cycling Agency

Endurance: Enervit has a range of carbohydrate supplements for before, during and after activities. These products are available in gel, bar and drink form.

Muscle mass: To provide additional protein for workouts, whether that be pre-workout, during or for recovery, Enervit has a Gymline range of high protein bars, whey protein and vitamin tablets.

Meal replacement: Enervit also offers a selection of bars and shakes for meal replacement purposes. Providing all the vitamins and minerals needed to have a complete meal.

Did you know?

Pro cycling

© Sprint Cycling Agency

Current sponsorships: UAE Team Emirates, Lidl-Trek, Italian National Team

Highlights

• Francesco Moser used Enervit's nutrition strategies to help him beat Eddy Merckx’s hour record in Mexico City in 1984.
• After returning to pro cycling in 2020, Enervit were part of almost instant success. UAE Team Emirates’ talisman Tadej Pogačar won back-to-back Tour de Frances in 2020 and 2021 with Enervit supporting him with a nutritional strategy for these victories.
• The Slovenian also has won three of the five Monuments to date, winning Il Lombardia twice (2021 and 2022) as well as editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2021) and Ronde van Vlaanderen (2023).
• Alongside his two maillot jaunes, Pogačar has won 11 Tour de France stages since 2020.
• Lizzie Deignan of Lidl-Trek, then Trek-Segafredo, won the 2020 La Course by Le Tour de France before following it up with victory at a delayed edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
• A year later and 30-year-old Deignan claimed the first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes in emphatic style. Teammate Elisa Longo Borghini would make it consecutive wins at the race for Trek-Segafredo with another solo victory six months later.
• Former World Champion Mads Pedersen won six Grand Tour stages across the 2022 and 2023 seasons - two Tour de France wins, one Giro d’Italia stage and a trio at the 2022 Vuelta a España, earning him the green points jersey in the process.