Princeton, N.J. (March 4, 2011) – Bai Brands today announced an agreement to expand distribution of its natural, antioxidant-infused beverages in Pennsylvania and New Jersey through an agreement with Davis Beverage Group, a leading distributor of numerous national beverage brands. Bai Brands produces the fast-growing Bai and Bai5 lines of beverages powered by the coffeefruit, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants.
Bethlehem, Pa.-based Davis will serve as the Pennsylvania and New Jersey distributor for Bai. Following recent agreements with members of the Northeast Independent Distributors Association (NIDA), an organization of leading multibrand distributors covering nine states, Bai now has significantly enhanced its distribution network throughout the Northeast.
Davis has thousands of distribution points, including a strong supermarket presence, and more than 200 employees. Its key clients include Turkey Hill Minit Markets, a convenience store chain operated by The Kroger Co., which has more than 245 stores in Pennsylvania, as well as locations in Ohio and Indiana.
“Davis has a proven track record of introducing and promoting brands in strong markets, and we are excited to reach this agreement that will provide us with avenues for further expansion — particularly given Davis’ impressive presence in the supermarket and convenience store space,” said Ben Weiss, Bai’s founder and CEO.
In addition to opening doors in the Pennsylvania market, the partnership with Davis represents a coming of age for Bai in its home state of New Jersey, Weiss noted.
“Bai was born and raised in New Jersey, and up to this point we have grown our presence in the state with a focus on self-distribution and forging relationships with retailers ‘up and down the street.’ This deal with Davis will enable us to continue to expand rapidly in New Jersey while retaining the same level of commitment to providing retailers with quality products and service,” he said.
In the New Jersey market, Bai’s relationship with Davis will be managed by Ray Schlaefer, who has served as Bai’s lead sales representative in the state since the company’s founding.
“Ray’s transition into this role as a partner with Davis exemplifies that path that Bai has traveled since we started the company in 2009,” Weiss said. “Ray has become well known to our customers as ‘The Bai Guy’ in his ever-present Bai truck. He has built relationships with retailers and consumers, run countless product demonstrations and promotions, and handled distribution on his own — playing all of the hands-on roles needed in a startup, family-oriented operation.
“New Jersey truly has been the incubator for Bai,” Weiss continued. “It is the first market where we began to realize our potential to reach consumers who wanted a healthy, unique beverage that complemented their active lifestyles — and Ray has been a driving force in that success. Now as Bai continues to expand, Ray’s skills and experience will be vital to managing this important partnership with a large distributor in Davis who can help take our business to the next level. ”
About Bai Brands
Harnessing the benefits of coffee’s “superfruit,” Bai Brands produces the innovative line of Bai and Bai5 beverages to meet the demands of today’s health-conscious consumers. Bai beverages offer refreshing, exotic fruit flavors and are powered by the coffeefruit — one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants and, until now, one of its greatest secrets. Based on a scoring method used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC), the coffeefruit extract found in Bai provides more than 40 times the antioxidant benefit of acai per gram and more than 50 times the benefit of pomegranate.
Bai is lightly sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice in its traditional line and organic stevia in its low-calorie Bai5 line. Unlike the over-caffeinated energy drinks saturating the market, a bottle of Bai contains 70 mg of natural caffeine — less than a typical cup of coffee — that is derived from coffeefruit and white tea extract.
Bai beverages are available through an expanding network of retailers and distributors in the Northeast, the West Coast and the Midwest, as well as the Caribbean, Dubai and Panama. Bai won the Best New Functional Drink and Best New Beverage Ingredient awards at the InterBev 2010 Beverage Innovation Awards. For more information, visit www.drinkbai.com.