As the company looks to its new FITAID Energy line as a fast-growing sales leader, NFL star Bishard “Budda” Baker has invested an undisclosed amount into functional beverage company LIFEAID to help support the brand’s expansion.
Baker, a two-time All-Pro safety for the Arizona Cardinals, is the first pro athlete to invest in the California-based company. He will become a minority shareholder with plans to become a prominent face for the FITAID Energy line in marketing materials going forward.
“My investment is a no-brainer,” Baker said in a release. “Nutrition is a huge part of my training and performance on and off the field. FITAID Energy brings the benefits of functional beverages to the energy drinks category, without any of the negatives.”
According to CEO Orion Melehan, Baker has previously served as an athlete brand ambassador for LIFEAID, and it was Baker who was interested in taking a stake in the company.
“We’ve been talking to Budda and his agent, and they’re sharp guys always looking for the next big thing to invest in, and so we worked out a very sizable investment because we really wanted Budda to have true skin in the game,” Melehan said. “We thought that the sponsorship, plus this skin in the game with the investment, was going to yield the best results for brand advocacy and authenticity in our key market, which is Arizona. So all the stars aligned to put this deal together.”
Baker will participate in local and national marketing campaigns, including retail activations, radio marketing, digital ads and billboards, among other efforts, for at least the next three years, Melehan said. He noted that LIFEAID’s products “super perform” in Arizona, where its FITAID line has deeper than average penetration, including a strong presence in the gym channel, natural channel stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods, as well as convenience chains like Kwik Trip and Circle K. That’s a bit of an anomaly from the company’s nationwide footprint, Melehan said, where its products are “not in convenience in any meaningful way.”
The majority of the new financing will go towards supporting the FITAID Energy line, which debuted online in April and has rapidly become one of LIFEAID’s best selling brands. Melehan said that over 40% of new online customers since the launch have purchased the energy drinks and the line now makes up 26% of total revenue from gyms, direct-to-consumer and Amazon sales. From July to August, he said sales of FITAID Energy on Amazon grew 43% month-over-month.
FITAID Energy is available in four flavors – Mango Sorbet, Peach Mandarin, Blackberry Pineapple and Raspberry Hibiscus – and contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners; a blend of BCAAs, electrolytes, turmeric and vitamins; and 200 mg of caffeine from green tea leaf extract per 12 oz. can.
The line positions LIFEAID within the fast-growing fitness and performance energy space, putting the brand in direct competition with rising competitors like CELSIUS, Alani Nu, C4, Ghost and ZOA, among others. Melehan noted that launching Energy under the company’s FITAID brand, which “most of the brand equity is tied behind,” has helped to quickly establish a repeat consumer base and serves as a “natural plug-in” at its existing brick-and-mortar accounts.
FITAID Energy launched in retail nationwide in July in The Vitamin Shoppe and the company is also putting a focus on independent gyms, military and natural channel accounts. The line is also rolling out now to H-E-B stores in Texas and to three divisions of Kroger. As well, Melehan said the company launched Energy in the E.U. market through gyms and ecommerce and experienced a 50% increase in overall European sales in August.
“I think our consumers had been asking for a clean energy drink for a number of years, so there’s a lot of pent up demand for this product,” Melehan said.