Expanding its platform beyond the RTD space, LifeAID Beverage Co. announced today the launch of LifeAID Go!, a line of single-serve powder drink mixes which will debut online this week.
Go! features powdered versions of the brand’s ImmunityAid and FitAid SKUs, which co-founders Orion Melehan and Aaron Hinde said are among the brand’s top selling beverage products. The line is paleo-friendly, vegan and contains zero sugar. The mixes will be available in 30-packs for $39.99 or individual 6.9 gram packets for $1.99. In addition to launching direct-to-consumer and on Amazon this week, the powders will rollout into retail in September beginning with Harris Teeter stores.
“One of the biggest pieces of feedback that we’re always getting from our existing customer base is ‘I can’t bring [the drinks] when I travel,’ or ‘I work construction and there’s no way to keep them cold when I’m at the jobsite,’” said Hinde. “Powder allows for increased use occasions, and also to attract new customers to the brand as well.”
According to Hinde, the company will give the company an expanded presence in the on-premise, fitness and travel channels, as well as placement at checkout counters in retail stores. He noted that although the COVID-19 pandemic had caused gyms to close and significantly reduced air travel, consumers are looking to the summer season as an opportunity to escape their homes and get outside. Citing a sharp uptick in demand for outdoor equipment, such as RVs, and increased reservations at campsites nationwide he said the company will aim to market Go! to these consumers.
Powder beverage mixes have seen sales continuously rise over the past year, Melehan said, but LifeAID is looking to offer more nuanced functional alternatives to the energy and electrolyte hydration products currently on the market. According to market research firm IRI, energy drink mixes grew 12.5% to $122 million in the 52-week period ending March 22 while sports drink mixes grew 13.5% to $100 million.
“When we look at the market we see a lot of the energy drink mixes or the hydration mixes, but we don’t really see vitamins for post-workout recovery, or immunity, or partying or nootropic need states,” Melehan said. “So we really think we can bring new customers into the product portfolio and we can increase the brand halo at retail by having multiple points of distribution in the stores.”
Though the launch of Go! was pushed back several months due to the ongoing pandemic, Hinde said the brand’s online sales have doubled since March and the powders are expected to have a strong early performance in ecommerce. He added that trial purchases of variety packs have also increased.
Go! also represents a third pillar for LifeAID’s expanding brand platform, Melehan said, noting that the company has sought to “build out the narrative” for its varied functional beverage line and how use occasions are communicated to the consumer.
Go!, as the name suggests, is meant as a product that can be purchased in bulk and packed in lunches or gym bags for anytime consumption. However, as LifeAID expands its RTD line, the company has divided its core offerings into two categories, the grab-and-go products intended for niche use occasions, including FitAid, FocusAid, PartyAid, ImmunityAid and GolferAid, and “daily elixir” products including LifeAid and LifeAid Hemp, which are intended for ritual consumption.
“I think this whole platform we’ve slowly been grinding out over the last nine years is now coming to life,” Hinde said. “People live multiple lifestyles, we’ve seen that with COVID as our ImmunityAid demand spiked, now we’re seeing FitAid rise as people go outdoors, FocusAid has grown as people work from their home offices, and I think we’re going to see a big PartyAid spike once things open up. So we all live different lifestyles and we happen to have a product for that lifestyle.”