From brand updates to new products to emerging trends, BevNET has you covered for all things Natural Products Expo West. Follow all our coverage, including more news roundups like this, right here.
Is This Love? Could “Be,” Says Vital Proteins Founder
Love was in the air at Expo West, in the guise of a new electrolyte drink from Vital Proteins founder Kurt Seidensticker.
The brand, Be Love, was conspicuously active at this year’s Expo West, from sampling outside the convention center to sponsoring a Diplo-hosted afterparty. What is ‘Love,’ you may be asking? It’s a three-SKU “balanced electrolyte beverage” in 12 oz sleek cans (for now) that promises zero-sugar hydration via a healthy payload of sodium, potatssium and magnesium. The product is priced at around $2.99 in retail and in 12-packs for $36 each on the brand’s website.
While mainly known for its powder-based products, Vital Proteins dipped into collagen-infused waters and other beverages during Seidensticker’s time leading the brand prior to its acquisition by Nestle in 2020.
Plezi Gets Assist from Steph Curry
Having launched to much fanfare with a celebrity assist from former First Lady Michelle Obama, kids-focused beverage brand Plezi has rapidly expanded from its initial line of fruit drinks to fizzy soda alternatives and now sports hydration as the line looks to age-up alongside its young audience.
Plezi’s hydration drinks – which prominently leverage NBA superstar and Plezi investor Steph Curry across their branding – will make its brick and mortar debut in California later this month. Brand reps at the company’s Expo West booth were light on the details, but the drink is aimed at teenagers who are starting to make their own drinking decisions (so, PRIME fans?). The wrapped, ridged 16.9 oz PET bottles fit firmly within the category, but the brand’s pitch is around half-the-sugar, 2x-the-electrolytes compared to the “leading sports drink.” Flavors include Tropical Punch, Lemon Lime and Orange Mango Twist.
A PATH to Sports Hydration?
Aluminum bottled water brand PATH is taking its mission for reducing plastic via refillable packaging to the sports hydration space. During the show this week, Path shared a very early look at a prototype of innovation slated (for now) fr 2026: a 4-SKU line of a “minamalist’ sports hydration beverages containing sea salt, magnesium, potassium, natural flavors, citric acid and stevia.
The products are available in Berry Citrus, Strawberry Watermelon, Peach Mango and Tropical flavors and come in a ridged 16.9 oz aluminum bottle that the brand says better aligns with category norms in the sports drink space. The naturally flavored electrolyte drink launch will be paired with the launch of electrolyte beverage stick packs, enabling consumers to refill the bottles with the same liquid while creating minimal waste.
Leisure Hydration Goes National
Leisure Hydration is now a nationally distributed brand, announcing it has secured a partnership with Whole Foods Market nationwide. The natural retailer has taken on all three of the brand’s SKUs: Wild Blueberry, Tropical Mango and Lemonade.
The brand’s 16 oz. non-carbonated electrolyte refreshers contain two times the amount of electrolytes as the leading hydration drink, including 140mg magnesium, 60mg potassium, 25mg sodium, 400mg chloride and 75mg sulfate. Additionally, the beverages contain adaptogens Ashwagandha and L-theanine.
The new distribution partnership comes just two months after Leisure Hydration landed in all Chase Sapphire Airport lounges across the U.S., including Boston (BOS), New York (JFK and LGA), Phoenix (PHX), Washington, D.C. (IAD) and San Diego (SAN).
Cali Water’s New Cans
Cactus water hydration brand Cali Water showed off a new look with flavor-centric cans and cleaned up front-of-pack callouts that put its hydration benefits, antioxidants and electrolytes front and center. The newly wrapped cans were deployed to help better catch consumers’ eye on shelf, a spokesperson said.
The move comes on the heels of the addition of actress and singer Demi Lovato as an investor and brand partner. In addition to the celebrity addition to its already-star studded roster, the brand also brought on Nikki Vasquez as trade marketing manager late last month; Vasquez previously served as marketing manager at Taika and brings expertise from stints at Vital Proteins, REBBl and Suja, among others.