Plant-based protein drink maker Koia announced today it has partnered with keto diet influencer Thomas DeLauer, appointing the author and YouTube personality to the role of Chief Keto Officer, as well as launching a limited time collaboration flavor: Keto Raspberry Lava Cake.
After launching and discontinuing several line extensions, the introduction of Koia’s low-sugar, high-fat Keto shake line in 2019 has helped give the brand a clear identity as a refrigerated, plant-based beverage platform, alongside its Protein shakes and Smoothies.
Bringing on DeLauer – a diet and training coach and longtime keto advocate with over 2.9 million subscribers on YouTube – will be significant to fuel Koia’s expansion and amplify its messaging within and outside of the keto community, said co-founder and CEO Chris Hunter.
“We became aware of Thomas a few years ago as one of the pioneers around keto,” Hunter said. “I mean, he is really interesting; keto has grown in terms of awareness, but maybe in different ways. Some people look at keto as just like a diet where they can lose weight. But from a very technical perspective, there’s a lot of health benefits around ketones in your body and living a keto lifestyle, and Thomas falls on that technical side.”
The keto diet, which emphasizes minimal carbohydrate intake while consuming higher levels of protein and healthy fats to invoke the body’s fat-burning ketosis state, has continued to grow in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic as consumers have sought out healthier lifestyles. A November report by Packaged Facts estimates that 5% of the U.S. population currently follow the keto diet and an additional 3% are on the paleo diet.
“More and more people are curious about the keto lifestyle but want more plant-based options that deliver the right macro levels while still being delicious,” DeLauer said in a press release. “My knowledge in keto and nutrition research combined with Koia’s ability to create healthy and delicious plant-based products brings the best of both worlds to this community.”
As his first order of business as the company’s Chief Keto Officer, DeLauer worked with Koia to develop his own “dream keto product,” Hunter said, in the Keto Raspberry Lava Cake flavor. At DeLauer’s request, the new SKU features several points of differentiation from the brand’s main keto line, including the addition of macadamia nut milk alongside a coconut milk base as the fat ratio in the milk allows for better absorption and replacing rice protein with pumpkin protein.
The choice of raspberry flavoring comes from the fruit’s use in the keto diet as it contains enzymes that aid in ketosis, Hunter added, but it also has a personal attachment for DeLauer: Raspberry Lava Cake is his wife’s favorite dessert.
Each bottle of Raspberry Lava Cake also features a QR code that, when scanned, links consumers to a video featuring DeLauer breaking down the various functional benefits of the product.
The flavor is now available online direct-to-consumer via the brand’s website and will be available as long as supplies last. Ideally, Hunter said, it will be the first of many such offerings developed with DeLauer.
“It’s a way for us to, one, strengthen Thomas’ awareness in a broader population and, two, it’s an opportunity for us being keto to get deeper exposure and authenticity in the keto community, which Thomas lives in,” Hunter said. “And then it’s also an opportunity to do something fun and unique.”
Hunter said DeLauer now aims to help grow the brand’s “Koia Crew,” an opt-in consumer loyalty program that currently has about 10,000 members. Members of the Crew may get early access to new products, invitations to participate in surveys, or be tapped to help out with brand activation events. He noted that last fall, Koia tested its first limited time flavor offering, Pumpkin Spice, by offering consumers on its SMS texting list early access and the product sold out online within 72 hours.
Looking ahead, Koia is also aiming to grow its presence in mainstream retail this year, with the convenience channel being a key focus. The brand is now expanding into Speedway stores, Hunter said, which combined with its national authorization in 7-Eleven could put the brand in up to 14,000 c-stores nationwide, marking a major expansion for plant-based protein products in a space typically dominated by dairy-based brands like Muscle Milk and Fairway. Last year, Koia more than doubled its sales from 2020 with more than 60% of the growth coming from velocity increases, he added.
Koia’s partnership with DeLauer comes less than a year after the brand announced NBA All Star Chris Paul joined the brand as an investor, who aimed to expand the company’s presence in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
According to Hunter, while celebrity relationships are valuable for growing brand awareness, Koia aims to only partner with influencers who share the company’s values around plant-based health and nutrition. He noted that working with Paul has been beneficial for growing Koia’s presence in the market, and now with DeLauer positioned as Chief Keto officer the brand will continue to lean on him to help guide future product development.
“For me, it goes back to the fact that we’re all people and human beings and relationships matter; and if they’re authentic relationships, they work the best,” Hunter said. “And if they’re not, then they’re very transactional and you get what you get, right? So that’s the key learning, I would say, from [working with] Chris and from Thomas.”