Creatine’s Untold Story and How 30-Year-Old Lessons Can Shape the Future

Creatine burst into the public consciousness in 1992 when an investigative reporter inside the Olympic Village in Barcelona caught wind of British athletes using a product called Ergomax C150. This led to an explosion of interest in – and questions about – the ingredient after high-profile British athletes won multiple gold medals.

I developed Ergomax C150, working closely with the late and great Dr. Roger Harris (1944 — 2024), and Prof. Erik Hultman (1925 — 2011), the pioneering scientists behind the landmark studies of creatine and athletic performance in the early 1990s.

Thirty years on, these are the slides I used at the Sports & Active Nutrition Summit 2025 to share the story, the lessons from that time, and how and why creatine will play a pivotal role in tomorrow’s high-growth active nutrition and healthspan categories.

1. ...and how 30-year-old
lessons can shape the future
Creatine’s
untold story
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

2. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Roger not only transformed the way we approach
performance enhancement but also helped lay the
foundations for creatine to become a cornerstone
of the global sports nutrition category.
Roger’s impact on the field is immeasurable.
‘A true pioneer in the field of sports nutrition
research’: Sports nutrition world pays respects
to Roger Harris (1944 — 2024)
By Stephen Daniells
16-Dec-2024 Last updated on 16-Dec-2024 at 14:13 GMT

3. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
1992
Creatine 1.0

4. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
How it all began.

5. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
March 3rd ‘92
Day 0

6. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
March 8th ‘92
The
secret
meeting
Day 5

7. The handover!
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
“1 to 3% performance
improvement in explosive
sprint and power sports”
- Dr Roger Harris
Elevation of creatine in resting and
exercised muscle of normal subjects by
creatine supplementation
R C Harris, K Söderlund, E Hultman

8. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

9. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

10. Accepting the challenge
120-day sprint
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

11. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

12. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Day 47
April 19th ‘92
Rapid product development

13. July 25th ‘92 Barcelona
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Day 120

14. Plot twist
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

15. July 28th ‘92
We never saw this
coming or have a plan!
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Day 123

16. x5
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

17. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

18. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

19. 1993: Filing the 1st Creatine Patent
WO-1994/017794 A1
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Day 337

20. Sales
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

21. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
We humans are
the super heroes
and creatine is
our cape

22. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
2025
Creatine 2.0

23. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
1992-2025

24. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

25. April 18th ‘23 -August ‘24
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Day 11,368

26. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

27. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Total global production of
creatine monohydrate
35,000 tn
Total number of people
taking creatine (3mg/day)
35M
2024
Total global production of
creatine monohydrate
(CAGR 12.4%)
130,000 tn
Total number of people
taking creatine (3mg/day)
115M
2035

28. BIO HACKERS EARLY ADOPTORS EARLY MAJORITY LATE MAJORITY LAGGARDS
2035 ➜
MAINSTREAM MARKET
1992 - 2035
EARLY MARKET
2.5%
13.5%
34% 34%
16%
PERFORMANCE
INSPIRATION
SPORT NUTRITION
BELIEVERS
ACTIVE NUTRITION
ENTHUSIASTS
MOTIVATION
HEALTHIER NUTRITION
ASPIRATION
COMMODITY NUTRITION
SKEPTICS
CREATINIFICATION
EVERYONE
FORTIFICATION
Creatine Adoption Life Cycle
Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
THE
CHASM
➜

29. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Whitespace opportunities
Active nutrition
Ageless strength
Generational resilience
Women’s health
GLP-1 agonist off-ramp
Cognitive support
Vegan and plant based
Ageing population / Longevity / Healthspan

30. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
10x growth
across multiple
dimensions

31. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Today
12,041

32. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

33. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
C₄H₁₁N₃O₃ x H₂O
Los Angeles - Chicago - New York - Toronto - London - Berlin
Fall 2025

34. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025

35. Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025Do not duplicate or distribute without written permission from Yeu Ltd. © 2025
Let's
talk
Steve Jennings
CEO & Co-founder, Yeu
[email protected]
[phone]