“It began in the science building, Gerstenzang 123, at eight in the morning in a science class … biology probably. I look to my left, look to my right and I see my friends drinking the leading energy drinks—Rockstar, Monster, Redbull—and I think to myself, ‘Eight in the morning, not the best decision you can make.’” Thus began 4 Purpose Energy, an organic energy drink invented at Brandeis by alumnus Sam Ronkin ’15.

Ronkin began the project his sophomore year of college, inspired by a nutrition class and the students around him. The intention behind 4 Purpose in its early stages was to create a healthy substitute for the popular energy drinks found across the Brandeis campus.

Using his faculty and peers as resources, Ronkin found a team that put the idea into action. Patricia Amselem ’14, currently at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, co-founded 4 Purpose and played a major role in Ronkin’s development of the energy drink. “I got to bounce this idea off of her,” Ronkin said of Amselem, “she was interested, and she encouraged me.”

The next few steps took a lot of research, Ronkin said, but he used his background in biology to launch the experimentation process. He also found a resource in the professor of the nutrition class he was taking his sophomore year.

Ronkin spent the next three years in the same corner of the library, offering taste test after taste test to his friends, changing the formula little by little to achieve a satisfying taste, sufficient caffeine content and a high health standard.

He attributes the progress and formulation of the idea and the product to the environment that Brandeis provided him, specifically that of the student body. His peers drove his entrepreneurship and encouraged his dedication to the project.

“It was not easy,” Ronkin said of the many late nights he spent working on the formula, “it definitely was a big distraction.” As a student-entrepreneur, Ronkin forwent a lot of what he felt were normal, fun college experiences to pursue the growth of 4 Purpose. “If you want to find time for something, you make it happen,” he explained.

Looking back at his entrepreneurship at Brandeis, he recalled the impact student clubs had on his business pursuits. “I suggest to anyone interested in business, go attend clubs that are pertaining to that topic and find those like-minded people,” he said. He accentuated the importance of networking for the purpose of sharing ideas, revising strategies and building connections.

The finished product is now sold in 10 stores south of Boston, according to Ronkin, and the beverage is available in a raspberry pomegranate flavor.

Ronkin personally outsourced every ingredient in the drink. He fine tuned the formula to achieve the superior taste and organic ingredients. The organic cane sugar used is Fair Trade Certified, a rigorous set of health, social and environmental standards. Other features include organic caffeine, vitamins and a small portion of lemon juice shipped from Spain. The company places great importance on the content of the beverage. “I would rather drink this than any Coke, any Pepsi, any energy drink,” Ronkin said.

The energy drink contends with huge, experienced companies that produce widely consumed drinks such as Monster and even with other organic energy beverages, so the barrier to entry into that market was high, Ronkin conceded. “The problem with those,” he explained, “is that those just taste like water with bubbles and caffeine.” Ronkin created 4 Purpose with the intention of making a healthy energy drink that consumers enjoy drinking.

The taste is not the only thing that makes Ronkin’s product unique. “I will tell you this, there is no other company that is an organic for-purpose energy drink. We are the only company, I think in the world, that is like this,” he said.

The company dedicates 10 cents a can to Pencils of Promise, an organization that builds schools around the world to make education more accessible to children. The organization aims at helping thousands of kids receive proper educational facilities.

Ronkin’s interest in Pencils of Promise began at Brandeis, when a friend of Ronkin suggested he watch an online seminar through Harry’s H’University featuring Adam Braun, the founder of Pencils of Promise, and Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia and board member of Pencils of Promise. Using this inspiration, Ronkin has made it the company’s goal to raise $35,000 to build a school through the organization. “If you can do business and do good at the same time, that’s a good use of time.”

4 Purpose Energy’s involvement in philanthropy has actually had an influence on the product’s likability, according to Ronkin. Store-owners who sell the product and customers who buy it both enjoy supporting a company with a purpose of charity. The can even reads “10¢ For A Better Tomorrow.”

In addition to some stores, their product can be purchased through Amazon Prime or purchased directly through their website in packs of three, 24 and soon 10. Brandeis students can even receive a $2.50 discount on a 24-pack using the code “Deislife” when making the purchase.