Life is an endurance sport
We Needed This.
So We Brewed It.
We juggle careers, kids, and 100-mile races. We wanted energy that contributed to our health, not just borrowed against it. So we built FKTea.
ok, I've Heard EnoughMost Energy Drinks Are Working Against Us!!
Synthetic stimulants. Artificial sweeteners. Chemical cocktails. The energy drink industry has a problem.
Synthetic Caffeine
Lab-made stimulants that spike fast and crash hard
Artificial Sweeteners
Chemical sweetness your body doesn't recognize
Powder, Not Brewed
Nutrients added back in, not naturally extracted
Health-Negative
Ingredients that borrow from your body, not contribute to it
Born in Japan. Raised in the South.
Quest lived in Japan as a child and spent 20 years studying Japanese tea culture. When he pulled out his tea cart at a party, Trey asked 'What the hell is that?' That moment planted the seed for FKTea.
We source shade-grown Gyokuro from Kyoto hillsides and rare Tamaryokucha from Nagasaki's volcanic soil. We sweeten with raw honey from Apiaries near Lafayette, Louisiana. Then we batch-brew it ourselves.
Shop the Lineup
Clean energy for every moment
SWEET BLEND - Natural Lemon Tea Energy
Smoother, sweeter profile for post-workout and afternoon pick-me-ups.
Four Dads. 100-Mile Races. One Mission.
We run ultramarathons for fun. We work full-time jobs. We raise families. And we got tired of energy drinks that didn't care about our health.
Kevin Shears
CEO & Co-Founder
17 years Air Force including special warfare as a TACP. 8+ years DTC entrepreneurship. Lives in Oklahoma with wife Gabby and sons Bear (13) and Tub (11). Completed the Leadville 100 in 2024.
Ultramarathon runner, BJJ practitioner, father
Quest Meeks
Co-Founder
20+ years as a Japanese tea connoisseur. Practicing lawyer and former federal prosecutor. Lives in New Orleans with partner Mega and daughter Magnolia. The original FKTea recipe came from his kitchen experiments.
Ultramarathon runner, 1-Kyu Kendoka, father
Trey Monaghan
Co-Founder
10+ years running a family-owned hospitality group in New Orleans, including Molly's at the Market in the French Quarter. Connected the team to The Speed Project ultramarathon community.
Ultramarathon runner, skydiver, father
Wayne Jones
Co-Founder
8 years as Creative Director, previously at French Truck Coffee. Created the streetwear brand Likesushi. Designed FKTea's visual identity and brand experience.
Ultramarathon runner, boxer, father
From Kitchen Experiments to Your Fridge
The Injury That Started It All
Kevin fractures his foot training for Leadville 100. Instead of competing, he shows up to crew his friends Quest and Trey. The bond between the four future founders deepens.
Quest's Kitchen Experiments
Quest pitches his friends on a tea-based energy drink. For 20 years, he'd been perfecting his understanding of Japanese green tea. Kitchen recipe testing begins.
FKTea Becomes Official
The company forms. Four dads, four full-time jobs, four families to raise, one shared mission: build an energy drink that actually contributes to wellbeing.
First Production Run
350 cans of OG Blend roll off the line with a New Orleans co-packer. Friends and family get first taste. The response exceeds expectations.
1,100% Scale-Up
Production jumps from 350 to 4,200 units. Demand proves product-market fit. The founders prepare for retail expansion.
Japan Sourcing Trip
Direct relationships established with tea farmers in Kyoto and Nagasaki. Only shade-grown Gyokuro and rare Tamaryokucha make the cut.
First Retail Doors
FKTea hits physical shelves. Varsity Sports in New Orleans and CrossFit Complete in OKC become early partners. 100% retailer reorder rate begins.
Sweet Blend Launches
Customer requests lead to the second flavor. Louisiana honey gets a boost, creating a naturally sweetened option for recovery and afternoon energy.
Hood to Coast
12 team members race the legendary 200-mile relay from Mt. Hood to the Oregon coast. FKTea fuels the entire journey.
Why FKTea?
In endurance sports, FKT stands for 'Fastest Known Time' — the record for completing a route. It represents pushing limits, chasing excellence, and never settling.
For us, FK means something else: Finest Known. FKTea is the Finest Known Tea — the pinnacle of what a tea-based energy drink can be. Real ingredients. Real process. No shortcuts.