Puresport, a sports nutrition company with support from Scotland rugby player Finn Russell, has successfully raised £3.6 million from a group of investors to facilitate its transition from CBD supplements to new products including stress-relieving mushrooms and performance-enhancing salts.

Formerly known as Puresport CBD, the company halted sales of its ingestible CBD products in September of the previous year, attributing this decision to stricter guidelines imposed by the Food Standards Authority (FSA), which barred the introduction of new edible CBD items.

Chief Executive Daniel Temm remarked, “No new product development has been permitted for ingestible items, effectively bringing the growth of that category to a standstill.”

The funding round was spearheaded by venture capital firms Redrice Ventures and Five Seasons Ventures, alongside participation from existing investors, including Russell and England rugby player Ben Earl.

Temm indicated that the funds would be allocated to bolster Puresport’s presence in the UK and support its expansion into the US market, highlighting that the brand’s identity aligns well with the preferences of US consumers. “Our brand really fits the US market, considering what we stand for and our community-oriented mission,” he added.

In 2019, the FSA included edible CBD products on its list of novel foods, which are categorized as foods lacking a history of consumption. Although the FSA has not yet approved any CBD products for sale, it is currently tolerating the sale of non-authorized edible CBD products while considering consumer interest and associated risks.

As of October 2023, the FSA revised its recommended daily dose of CBD from 70mg to 10mg due to concerns regarding potential damage to the liver and thyroid, further complicating matters for UK-based CBD brands, though it did not constitute a ban.

Currently, Puresport markets a variety of products including electrolytes, adaptogenic mushrooms, creatine, and topical CBD. Temm, 33, expressed aspirations for the company to achieve recognition comparable to established sports nutrition giants such as Myprotein and Optimum Nutrition.

“We’ve always recognized the need to diversify our portfolio into a broader sports category, but we initially aimed to establish a niche that would set us apart,” he noted.

Despite its roots in CBD, Temm pointed out that the company’s electrolyte sachets are now its top-selling items by a significant margin.

Puresport was launched in 2018 by Glasgow Warriors rugby players Grayson Hart and Adam Ashe, who originally began using CBD to avoid opioid painkillers. Temm became involved with the business in 2020 after meeting Hart while both were playing for Bedford Blues in 2019.

Ashe departed from the company at the end of 2020 and Hart followed in 2023, although both retain an interest in the business. Temm took over as CEO in January of this year.