Price analysis of energy drinks pre and post-tariff
After absent-mindedly checking out gamersupps and seeing the price of a tub has doubled in the last month or so, I feel it is neccessary to re-assess the economic arguments surrounding powdered energy drink. I will be comparing the value of both price points of a typical gamer supps product against the baseline of a can of energy drink as well as a new data point in the form of this video outlining a pretty basic recipe for home-made versions. (Credit to Infernoplus)
All price points are in CAD
All measurements are in ml, operating off of assumed standard serving sizes.
The price of shipping will be taken into consideration for gamer supps, but things like taxes on all purchases will not.
The price of home-made energy drinks will assume approximately $5 was spend purchasing taste additives, in the form of fruits or juices. In addition, the price calculation of the green coffee extract and guarana powder had to be somewhat approximated at these do not seem to be readily available in Canada.
Even with tariff-impacted pricing a serving of Gamer Supps is still noticably more economical than buying a can of energy drink. At this point I would argue it's a matter of opinion whether the effort needed to source the ingredients and make your own energy drinks is worth the comparatively slim savings of 21 cents-per-serving.