Hydration is the foundation. Start there.

I remember my first sip of Gatorade. I was about 12. It was a brutally hot late-summer morning, and I’d just finished mowing the lawn. I felt like shit.

I chugged the whole bottle—and felt better. 

That stuck with me.

Since then, I’ve been on a bit of a quest—first around hydration, and eventually sports nutrition more broadly. 

I’ve never been an elite athlete, but I’ve always relied on my body to take me places: long days on the river, on the bike, running and climbing, and time spent in the mountains and desert—often backpacking for days at a time—along with travel, work, museums, concerts, late nights, and the occasional rough morning.

I’ve spent a lot of time pushing my limits—and trying to figure out how to stay hydrated and feel good doing it.

I grew up in the Inland Northwest, where being active outdoors was just part of life. That shaped how I think about effort, balance, and paying attention to what your body needs. Later, I moved to the big city for a culinary apprenticeship. 

In Seattle, I followed my curiosity and lived passionately. I rode my bike everywhere, spent long, hot and greasy hours in restaurant kitchens, went to rock shows and museums, hiked among the giant conifers when I needed to reset, and worked in a record store for the simple reason that I loved music. Eventually, I ended up at a scrappy little company called Starbucks—back when it only had a handful of stores and no one thought it would take over the world.

That’s where things started to click. I learned what real quality looks like, the difference intention makes, and why some products earn a place in people’s daily lives—and others don’t.

From there, I spent years traveling, working in the outdoor industry, and eventually in sports nutrition—helping build and grow several great brands in the process.

Along the way, one idea kept coming back: hydration is foundational. You can go weeks without food, but only days without water. When our hydration is off, everything feels harder than it should.

But I also saw the other side of the industry—products built around extreme performance, not how we actually live. Driving down the road one day in Idaho, I had the idea to take what matters from sports nutrition and leave the rest behind.

That was the day I started Monkey Wrench. I’m in it to create honest products that actually work—for most of us.

Thoughtful, clean ingredients. Delicious clean real flavor. Products designed for real life: long days, travel, workouts, late nights, and everything in between.

No hype. No fluff. No shortcuts.

If you use our products, you should feel better. Every time.

That’s the bar.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Jay Peery - Founder