BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The ‘Five minutes with’ series presents a company with five short, sharp and to-the-point questions about who they are and what they do. This week we’re joined by Matt Harrison of OTE Sports.
Can you tell us the history of the company?
We launched OTE five years ago due to being frustrated by the over sweet, sickly and unnatural products that were offer. We believed there was a better way using natural ingredients, having products that were kind on your stomach and that tasted great. Our mantra then is still true today: Goodness In, Greatness out.
What are you ultimately trying to achieve?
We wanted to match taste with functionality and produce products that were as natural as possible and that were kind on your stomach. We also want to produce product that aren’t just for on the bike. Heathy snacking is increasingly important and we want to help people by producing great tasting heathy snack bars like our Protein and Anytime Bars.
What gives you an edge over other brands in the industry?
I think there are lots of fantastic brands in the industry so its not about being better than them its about being the best we can be. We are passionate about what we do and are consumers, which I believe is fundamental to being successful. I didn’t want OTE to be people in suits managing spread sheets I wanted us to live a breath what we do and we have managed to that so far!
What innovations in the industry are exciting you at the moment?
There are lots of things I like as a consumer – Sram eTap has been a revelation to me as its cleans up the look of a bike so much. Before that powers meters and the data they provide to enable you to be the best you can be on every ride really excited me. Overall though, things that excite me most of those that open up our great industry to a wider audience and speed up the journey from the few to the many.
What does the future hold for the company?
Its hard to look too far ahead when you are a small company. We are growing fast, having fun and learning as we go – that’s what I want the future to hold as well.
