Plant protein drink maker KiiTO has rebranded as Vast, a move aimed at broadening the brand’s identity beyond keto-friendly products and expanding into conventional and club retailers.
According to co-founder and chief sales officer Kendall Dreyer, the change comes as the brand has grown its presence outside of the natural channel through retailers such as 7-Eleven. Vast is sold in over 1,500 doors nationwide, including Whole Foods, Erewhon, Lazy Acres, Bristol Farms, Sprouts and The Fresh Market.
Vast’s line of protein drinks feature 1 gram of sugar per 12 oz. bottle and contain added functional ingredients that vary by flavor. The roster includes Vanilla Bean (ashwagandha), Dark Chocolate (maca), Matcha Latte (moringa), Mocha Latte (cordyceps and lion’s mane), Coconut Cashew (reishi) and Cookies and Cream (chaga). The latter two flavors launched this month. All products retail for $4.99 per 12 oz. bottle and are sold in 12-packs online for $59.
Upon launching as KiiTO in 2019, Vast entered the market at a time when the keto diet was among the fastest growing trends in food and beverage. The original name was a pun; kiito means ‘raw silk’ in Japanese, referencing the drink’s “silky smooth” texture, Dreyer said. Although the company does not anticipate the keto diet falling out of favor anytime soon, the name change is designed to help distance the brand from the trend should keto ever become unpopular.
“I think that while consumers who are practicing keto will always gravitate towards our products, there’s a large subset of consumers who do not classify themselves as keto, who do not practice the keto diet,” Dreyer said. “We’re kind of shutting out a very large customer base. So getting away from it and focusing instead on lifestyle, wellness and low sugar plant-based nourishment was really crucial for us.”
On the labels the brand is currently called Vast by KiiTO, but Dreyer said this is temporary and intended to ease the transition among the existing consumer base and the “by KiiTO” will be dropped sometime next year. However, the parent company will keep the KiiTO name.
Along with the new branding and identity, Vast has upgraded its formulations and renamed its existing SKUs to emphasize the core flavor. Although the liquid inside the bottle still contains the same functional ingredient profile; for example, Vanilla Ashwagandha is now Vanilla Bean and Matcha Moringa is now Matcha Latte. Dreyer said the change was prompted by Vast’s move into the mainstream — while natural channel shoppers are familiar with ingredients like ashwagandha, many conventional consumers were confused by the names.
This year, the company aims to double its retail footprint and build out its distribution network, which currently consists of a hybrid model of DSD and national distributors, Dreyer said. In addition to its three co-founders, Vast currently employs seven full-time team members.
Moving ahead, Dreyer said Vast will continue to emphasize health and wellness in its marketing and is preparing campaigns built around celebrity influencers, gifting products and social and digital advertising.
“Our target customer has always been a 25 to 39 year old, health and fitness focused consumer,” she said. “I think that millennials, our target, are very cognizant of their sugar consumption and our products are really going to continue to provide them with low sugar nutrition and nourishment.”