Gatorade is the original sports drink, made by PepsiCo. It was invented in 1965 at the University of Florida to replace the fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes that athletes lose through sweat, and it is still the name most people picture when they hear sports drink. The formula pairs fast carbohydrates with electrolytes like sodium and potassium, which is why it shows up on sidelines and job sites alike. Hydration Depot is an authorized Gatorade distributor, so everything here is authentic Gatorade sold at wholesale.

Yes. Gatorade Zero has zero sugar but keeps the electrolytes, and it comes in single-serve sticks (sold in counts like 96 and 120, each stick making a 20 ounce bottle), bulk 960-stick cases by flavor, and ready-to-drink bottles. There is also G2, the lower-calorie line, available in bulk powder. Between Zero and G2, you can outfit a crew or team that wants electrolytes without the full sugar load.

Just about every form the brand makes. You can buy powder in tubs from 1 quart up to 6 gallon, single-serve powder sticks in counts from 80 all the way to a 7,200-stick industrial pallet, liquid concentrate by the gallon, bag-in-box syrup for dispensers, and ready-to-drink bottles and cans by the case or pallet. There are also employee hydration bundles sized for 25, 50, or 100 people. The rule of thumb: powder and sticks give you the lowest cost per serving at crew scale, while ready-to-drink is the grab-and-go convenience option.

Each single-serve stick makes one 20 ounce bottle, so a simple way to plan is one to two sticks per worker per hot shift, then multiply by crew size and days. For steady supply, the powder tubs and high-count stick cases stretch the furthest per serving. A popular crew-scale pick is the Gatorade 6 Gallon Bulk Powder Pack of 14, and for a turnkey option the pre-built bundles for 25, 50, and 100 employees take the math out of it.

Two reasons: the formula and the familiarity. The carbohydrate-and-electrolyte blend is built to replace what heavy sweat carries off during hard physical work, which helps crews keep going through a long, hot shift. Just as important, it is a taste and a name workers already know, so they actually drink it instead of leaving it in the cooler. For a safety program, a drink people will reach for on their own is a drink that is doing its job.