interview
Built on Instinct, Grown with Intention: Humantra’s Brand Playbook
In conversation with Humantra’s Charlie Wright on building a brand by instinct and scaling it with culture and clarity.
27.08.25
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5 min
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In a world full of branding gimmicks and wellness clichés, Humantra cuts through. Beyond hydration, it’s a real-time case study in how brand and business can grow in sync, organically, intuitively, and with strategic clarity. Humantra has built a brand world not just to express who they are, but to guide decisions, shape culture, and filter growth.
As Charlie Wright, Humantra’s Founder and CEO, puts it, “You have to earn the right to be a brand and that starts with building a real business.”
The mindset of brand as the outcome of integrity, not image, has informed every move. Humantra didn’t begin with a tagline or a set of visual assets. “We’ve built the antithesis of what a business book would tell you,” Charlie says. “Most would say stay in one market. We launched in seven. We did things that didn’t always make sense on paper, but they made sense to us.”
This approach might sound rebellious, but it reflects a deeper principle of brand strategy: coherence over convention. You can build a brand world with enough integrity to take risks, explore edges, and remain unmistakably you.
Over time, this clarity became Humantra’s operating system. When brand runs that deep, it becomes self-reinforcing and a lens to build through. Spend five minutes with anyone from the Humantra team and you’ll feel it. This isn’t a brand that lives on the outside, but one that shows up in their language, their work, and their priorities. “We talk a lot about ownership, accountability, radical candor,” Charlie says. “It’s not personal, it’s professional. People should leave this business better than they came into it, personally and professionally.”
That kind of culture is brand made tangible. The same principles that shape Humantra’s external tone, such as clarity, presence, and care, drive its internal rhythm, transforming brand strategy into culture strategy. “Everything we do is a vibe check,” Charlie says. “Are the people sound? Can we integrate well? Would our team enjoy working with them? If the energy’s off, we don’t do it… even if it’s a huge opportunity.”
This might read as instinct, but it’s really brand governance in action. The same clarity that drives consistency in tone and visuals also governs relationships, products, and growth choices. It’s why Humantra has turned down major partnerships that didn’t feel aligned, and why they’ve invested in moments most startups wouldn’t, like a Ramadan-inspired apricot flavor or a Run Club that isn’t tied to revenue.
“We want to do cool sh*t with cool people,” Charlie says. “Not everything has to lead to a commercial outcome.” That line sums up Humantra’s equity model: build meaning first, and value will follow.
When your brand world is solid, you don’t have to cling to category rules. You can play like a fashion label one day, a hydration brand the next, and a cultural partner the day after, and it still lands. “We act like a beauty brand when we need to, like a fashion brand when it makes sense. But it’s always Humantra. That’s the filter.”
Even the name “Humantra,” born from blending “human” and “mantra,” has grown in meaning over time. “Everyone has trillions of cells that need hydrating,” Charlie says. “Whether you’re an athlete, my 70-year-old mum, or a kid heading to school, it’s a basic human need. We just want to help people thrive.”
Humantra’s identity reflects its founder, steady, self-aware, and guided by instinct. “In the early days, I used to feel like it was all luck. But I’ve realised I’ve always done right by myself. I’ve made gut calls. And when I’ve been wrong, I’ve owned it. That’s what got us here.”
At Freedom, we believe great brands are built from the inside out. Not just through design or language, but through a shared internal logic that shapes how you operate.
Four years in, Humantra is a category leader in the UAE, rapidly expanding in the UK, and making global headlines. But the real power isn’t in the speed of growth, it’s in the strength of identity. “There’s nothing radical about building a sustainable business,” Charlie says. “It’s just doing things right, over and over again.”
The takeaway for brand builders: when brand is treated as an internal compass rather than an external wrapper, it doesn’t just survive growth — it guides it. Humantra shows that instinct and intention, when aligned, can build a brand world that moves with integrity.
Photos courtsey of @humantra and Hotel & Catering.
In a world full of branding gimmicks and wellness clichés, Humantra cuts through. Beyond hydration, it’s a real-time case study in how brand and business can grow in sync, organically, intuitively, and with strategic clarity. Humantra has built a brand world not just to express who they are, but to guide decisions, shape culture, and filter growth.
As Charlie Wright, Humantra’s Founder and CEO, puts it, “You have to earn the right to be a brand and that starts with building a real business.”
The mindset of brand as the outcome of integrity, not image, has informed every move. Humantra didn’t begin with a tagline or a set of visual assets. “We’ve built the antithesis of what a business book would tell you,” Charlie says. “Most would say stay in one market. We launched in seven. We did things that didn’t always make sense on paper, but they made sense to us.”
This approach might sound rebellious, but it reflects a deeper principle of brand strategy: coherence over convention. You can build a brand world with enough integrity to take risks, explore edges, and remain unmistakably you.
Over time, this clarity became Humantra’s operating system. When brand runs that deep, it becomes self-reinforcing and a lens to build through. Spend five minutes with anyone from the Humantra team and you’ll feel it. This isn’t a brand that lives on the outside, but one that shows up in their language, their work, and their priorities. “We talk a lot about ownership, accountability, radical candor,” Charlie says. “It’s not personal, it’s professional. People should leave this business better than they came into it, personally and professionally.”
That kind of culture is brand made tangible. The same principles that shape Humantra’s external tone, such as clarity, presence, and care, drive its internal rhythm, transforming brand strategy into culture strategy. “Everything we do is a vibe check,” Charlie says. “Are the people sound? Can we integrate well? Would our team enjoy working with them? If the energy’s off, we don’t do it… even if it’s a huge opportunity.”
This might read as instinct, but it’s really brand governance in action. The same clarity that drives consistency in tone and visuals also governs relationships, products, and growth choices. It’s why Humantra has turned down major partnerships that didn’t feel aligned, and why they’ve invested in moments most startups wouldn’t, like a Ramadan-inspired apricot flavor or a Run Club that isn’t tied to revenue.
“We want to do cool sh*t with cool people,” Charlie says. “Not everything has to lead to a commercial outcome.” That line sums up Humantra’s equity model: build meaning first, and value will follow.
When your brand world is solid, you don’t have to cling to category rules. You can play like a fashion label one day, a hydration brand the next, and a cultural partner the day after, and it still lands. “We act like a beauty brand when we need to, like a fashion brand when it makes sense. But it’s always Humantra. That’s the filter.”
Even the name “Humantra,” born from blending “human” and “mantra,” has grown in meaning over time. “Everyone has trillions of cells that need hydrating,” Charlie says. “Whether you’re an athlete, my 70-year-old mum, or a kid heading to school, it’s a basic human need. We just want to help people thrive.”
Humantra’s identity reflects its founder, steady, self-aware, and guided by instinct. “In the early days, I used to feel like it was all luck. But I’ve realised I’ve always done right by myself. I’ve made gut calls. And when I’ve been wrong, I’ve owned it. That’s what got us here.”
At Freedom, we believe great brands are built from the inside out. Not just through design or language, but through a shared internal logic that shapes how you operate.
Four years in, Humantra is a category leader in the UAE, rapidly expanding in the UK, and making global headlines. But the real power isn’t in the speed of growth, it’s in the strength of identity. “There’s nothing radical about building a sustainable business,” Charlie says. “It’s just doing things right, over and over again.”
The takeaway for brand builders: when brand is treated as an internal compass rather than an external wrapper, it doesn’t just survive growth — it guides it. Humantra shows that instinct and intention, when aligned, can build a brand world that moves with integrity.
Photos courtsey of @humantra and Hotel & Catering.
In a world full of branding gimmicks and wellness clichés, Humantra cuts through. Beyond hydration, it’s a real-time case study in how brand and business can grow in sync, organically, intuitively, and with strategic clarity. Humantra has built a brand world not just to express who they are, but to guide decisions, shape culture, and filter growth.
As Charlie Wright, Humantra’s Founder and CEO, puts it, “You have to earn the right to be a brand and that starts with building a real business.”
The mindset of brand as the outcome of integrity, not image, has informed every move. Humantra didn’t begin with a tagline or a set of visual assets. “We’ve built the antithesis of what a business book would tell you,” Charlie says. “Most would say stay in one market. We launched in seven. We did things that didn’t always make sense on paper, but they made sense to us.”
This approach might sound rebellious, but it reflects a deeper principle of brand strategy: coherence over convention. You can build a brand world with enough integrity to take risks, explore edges, and remain unmistakably you.
Over time, this clarity became Humantra’s operating system. When brand runs that deep, it becomes self-reinforcing and a lens to build through. Spend five minutes with anyone from the Humantra team and you’ll feel it. This isn’t a brand that lives on the outside, but one that shows up in their language, their work, and their priorities. “We talk a lot about ownership, accountability, radical candor,” Charlie says. “It’s not personal, it’s professional. People should leave this business better than they came into it, personally and professionally.”
That kind of culture is brand made tangible. The same principles that shape Humantra’s external tone, such as clarity, presence, and care, drive its internal rhythm, transforming brand strategy into culture strategy. “Everything we do is a vibe check,” Charlie says. “Are the people sound? Can we integrate well? Would our team enjoy working with them? If the energy’s off, we don’t do it… even if it’s a huge opportunity.”
This might read as instinct, but it’s really brand governance in action. The same clarity that drives consistency in tone and visuals also governs relationships, products, and growth choices. It’s why Humantra has turned down major partnerships that didn’t feel aligned, and why they’ve invested in moments most startups wouldn’t, like a Ramadan-inspired apricot flavor or a Run Club that isn’t tied to revenue.
“We want to do cool sh*t with cool people,” Charlie says. “Not everything has to lead to a commercial outcome.” That line sums up Humantra’s equity model: build meaning first, and value will follow.
When your brand world is solid, you don’t have to cling to category rules. You can play like a fashion label one day, a hydration brand the next, and a cultural partner the day after, and it still lands. “We act like a beauty brand when we need to, like a fashion brand when it makes sense. But it’s always Humantra. That’s the filter.”
Even the name “Humantra,” born from blending “human” and “mantra,” has grown in meaning over time. “Everyone has trillions of cells that need hydrating,” Charlie says. “Whether you’re an athlete, my 70-year-old mum, or a kid heading to school, it’s a basic human need. We just want to help people thrive.”
Humantra’s identity reflects its founder, steady, self-aware, and guided by instinct. “In the early days, I used to feel like it was all luck. But I’ve realised I’ve always done right by myself. I’ve made gut calls. And when I’ve been wrong, I’ve owned it. That’s what got us here.”
At Freedom, we believe great brands are built from the inside out. Not just through design or language, but through a shared internal logic that shapes how you operate.
Four years in, Humantra is a category leader in the UAE, rapidly expanding in the UK, and making global headlines. But the real power isn’t in the speed of growth, it’s in the strength of identity. “There’s nothing radical about building a sustainable business,” Charlie says. “It’s just doing things right, over and over again.”
The takeaway for brand builders: when brand is treated as an internal compass rather than an external wrapper, it doesn’t just survive growth — it guides it. Humantra shows that instinct and intention, when aligned, can build a brand world that moves with integrity.
Photos courtsey of @humantra and Hotel & Catering.
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