Aloe Gloe might have been the first aloe drink with a mainstream focus, but it appears that Brain-Twist founder Larry Trachtenbroit is aiming to have the prettiest.
Trachtenbroit, along with supermodel Petra Nemcova, recently appeared at an industry conference to introduce his latest product, Halo.
According to Trachtenbroit, Halo, a joint venture between Brain-Twist and Nemcova, is due out in April. The aloe juice drink will be mixed with other ingredients like coconut water and guarana in a stevia-sweetened, 30-calorie package. Early images of the product show Halo packaged in a 16 oz. hourglass-shaped plastic bottle with a white wraparound label. The label features an image of several overlapping green and blue circles (presumably meant to look like halos) at the top and an aloe leaf near the bottom. Multi-colored swaths adorn the front of the label to differentiate between each variety.
Although loathe to reveal too many secrets about Halo, Trachtenbroit told BevNET he was using aloe because he thought it had a lighter and crisper flavor profile than other emerging ingredients in natural and functional beverages. He also said that a portion of the profits would benefit Nemcova’s charitable foundation.
“It’s a great emerging category, one that wasn’t as polarizing as, say, acai or coconut water,” Trachtenbroit said.
Trachtenbroit also declined to say whether Nemcova, known for her appearances in Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit Issue and Victoria’s Secret catalogs, is a financial investor. She had a significant role in the naming, formulation and branding of the beverage, and will also play an important part in promoting the aloe drink via its relationship with her Happy Hearts Fund. Nemcova started the non-profit foundation to rebuild schools in areas struck by natural disasters.
Rather than have Nemcova be the focus of Halo’s marketing campaign, Halo will focus on a message of “good for you, doing good” — a reference to the healthy qualities of the beverage and its ties to philanthropy. Trachtenbroit said Halo will feature no specific claims about the ingredient, instead focusing on the product’s market segmentation: he said that Halo will attempt to leverage the growing interest in ingredient against longstanding beverage platforms in sports and energy, a key point of differentiation from other aloe drinks currently on the market.
Halo will premiere in two varieties: Reboot, an isotonic-focused drink made with five percent coconut water; and Bounce, an aloe/energy hybrid with natural caffeine derived from guarana. Each beverage will have 15 percent aloe juice.
Danny Stepper, the co-founder of L.A. Libations, said that he is hoping Halo will be “a massive success,” particularly as Aloe Gloe is currently the only American-made aloe drink on the market. Having another such product would enhance mainstream exposure for aloe and benefit the category as whole, he said.
“I’m bullish for them,” Stepper said. “We need a good competitor [for aloe beverages] that’s made in the U.S. There will be a lot of room for winners.”