Is 32Gi a good sports nutrition brand in South Africa?

What is 32Gi?

32Gi is a South African endurance-nutrition brand. The Comrades Marathon's own blog gives 2010 as its start and announced 32Gi as the official gel and energy-bar supplier for 2024. That is a meaningful signal of local credibility, though it is a sponsorship rather than a quality test. We could not confirm the current Comrades arrangement beyond that announcement, and the brand's ownership is not published in our sources.

What does the range cost?

Prices are from South African retailers in October 2026.

The Race drink works out at about R39 per serving, or roughly R0.58 per gram of carbohydrate. That is far cheaper per gram than gels such as SiS GO (about R2.04/g) or Maurten Gel 100 (about R3.00/g) in our calculations. Compare more on the energy gel guide.

What are 32Gi's strengths?

• Local and race-proven. It is stocked at Dis-Chem, Checkers, Sportsmans Warehouse and cycling retailers, so you can buy replacements mid-training block.
• Good value in drink form. The Race drink uses a glucose, fructose, maltodextrin and isomaltulose blend, in line with the multiple-transportable-carbohydrate approach that supports 60 to 90 g/h.
• Broad range from gels to a plant-based protein shake, with no sweeteners listed on the Race products.
• 32Gi states, in a Comrades blog post, that all its products are kosher and halaal certified; that is a brand claim we have not checked against a certifier.

What are the weak points?

• Retailer pages rarely print carbohydrate per gel, caffeine mg or sodium, so you cannot calculate carbs per Rand for gels.
• Price spreads of more than 10% between retailers are common (Endure R383 versus R465), and the Race Pro tub ranges from R287 to R600.
• Third-party testing: we found no Informed Sport or similar batch-testing listing for 32Gi in our research. Drug-tested athletes should ask the brand for batch-test evidence and check the scheme register.

Who is it for?

Runners and cyclists who want a local, mid-priced system for gels and race drinks, particularly Comrades and Cycle Tour participants. Budget buyers will find cheaper gels (Nutritech Endurade about R14.99 at Checkers). Maurten and SiS suit those who want specific hydrogel or isotonic formats at a premium.

See where to buy gels and electrolytes and the Comrades plan.

Pregnant athletes, under-18s, and anyone with kidney, heart or blood-pressure problems or on regular medication should get individual advice from a doctor or registered dietitian.

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