New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, and everyone is getting prepared for the big night! For some, the holiday season may lead to a cocktail or two — which inevitably causes some unpleasant morning-after moments.
There are few things worse than waking up with a hangover. In fact, it will likely negate just how much fun you had the night before. So to help you get through the rest of the season (if you’re over 21, of course), we’ve rounded up some of the most popular hangover cures and preventative supplements that you can pick up from Amazon today!
The pre-mixed drink contains a ton of helpful nutrients that can alleviate traditional hangover symptoms. You can drink this before, during or after your night out and feel significantly better the next day.
Get the PARTYAID supplement drink for prices starting at just $11, available from Amazon!
Tucked away in the back of the old Santa Cruz Wrigley’s factory is a warehouse manufacturing the recovery fuel for CrossFitters.
Forty thousand free cans of FITAID were handed out at the 2019 CrossFit Games — a far cry from the humble beginnings of LIFEAID Beverage Co ten years ago.
Where it all began
“Orion and I met in a CrossFit gym back in 2009 in Santa Cruz and we had this crazy idea and launched LIFEAID in 2011,” said Aaron Hinde, co-founder of the company.
Aaron invited the Morning Chalk Up to the company’s headquarters which supplies LIFEAID products to around 30 percent of CrossFit boxes in America.
“In this warehouse that we’re in now we used to have a little tiny cage that held two pallets of product and that was it. It took us six months to sell through it, one can at a time slowly,” he said.
The company now employs 75 people full time, it’s growth a byproduct of two key factors according to the co-founder.
“The product but also the people and the relationships that we forged early on and nurtured, we still have those relationships nine years later.”
Aaron describes this as the “OG” – or “original gangster” parts of the community – that continue to propel the company forward.
What’s new
LIFEAID’s evolving and has just started stocking each of their unique flavours in a monk fruit, stevia blend.
“We’re launching all of our entire line in the zero sugar format with no artificial sweeteners,” Aaron said.
This includes:
FITAID; probably the brand’s most recognisable “black” line.
PARTYAID; born out of the boys' experience at the Burning Man Festival.
GOLFERAID; believe it or not, this was the “OG” flavour. “When we had free time we used to golf, but that doesn’t really happen anymore,” Aaron laughed.
FOCUSAID; the “healthy, energy drink replacement.”
LIFEAID; all about “anti-inflammatory.” Aaron said, “It came out of the need for a daily drinker.”
What’s next
Aaron and Orion practice what they preach, concluding the tour with a personalised workout – “The Aussie” – in the team’s office gym set up like a mini, in-house affiliate.
Don’t ask me why a huffy, puffy 15-minute EMOM (5 wallballs, 5 pull-ups, 1 rope climb) reflects my Australian heritage, but let’s just say we earned our ice-cold FITAID which is always on tap at HQ.
“People feel comfortable cutting loose and know that we’re going to take good care of them,” Aaron said.
That’s certainly the case both in the U.S. and abroad. For example in Australia, LIFEAID Beverage Co is now stocked in approximately 70 percent of gyms.
For the company, now a major sponsor of the CrossFit Games, global engagement was the big takeaway from Madison, 2019.
Having naming rights to the ‘FITAID Lounge’ (formerly known as the Beer Garden) the company hosted the ‘One Ton Challenge’ drawing fitness personalities – names like CT Fletcher and Wes Kitts – who’d otherwise be unlikely to attend the Games.
“It was great to get a lot of international exposure it was fun to see all the different cultures there,” Aaron said.
“CrossFit is still alive and well with all the changes there was a little apprehension in the air, we weren’t really sure how it was going to shake out. At the end of the day the best athletes always rise to the top.”
“CrossFit, functional fitness, what we do, how we train, it’s going to be here I think forever, you can’t really go backwards,” Hinde said.
As spring turns to summer, beverage makers from across a range of categories are launching a slate of new products aimed at quenching consumers’ thirst during the hot weeks and months ahead. In this gallery, we highlight a handful of the notable new products introduced to market or announced in the past month, including new packaging formats for Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice and CHERRISH, an imported flash-brewed coffee from one of Japan’s top RTD brands, and protein-packed chocolate milk versions of two classic candy bars.
LIFEAID
Timed for the summer season, functional drink maker LIFEAID has released two new products: FITAID ZERO and FITAID RX ZERO, both of which contain zero calories or sugar and are sweetened with stevia and monk fruit. The new items are available for sale in 24-packs through the company’s website and in 12 oz. cans at select retailers and gyms.
Mood33
Cannabis beverage brand Mood33 has released a new SKU — Peace — which combines 20 mg of CBD with 2 mg of THC.
Natalie's Orchid Island Juice Co.
Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company announced earlier this month its plans to transition to PET packaging for its 8 oz., 16 oz. and 32 oz. bottle sizes.
Oatsome
Oatsome is the latest brand to jump into the increasingly competitive oat milk category. Available in a one liter carton, the product is organic and free from any added gums or stabilizers.
BodyArmor
Sports drink brand BodyArmor entered the powdered mix category this month with the launch of two flavors — Fruit Punch and Orange Mango — in 3.56 pound bags designed to be used with five gallons of water.
Earth's Own
Canadian plant-based beverage maker Earth’s Own has released a new chocolate oat milk available in 1.75 liter multi-serve and 250 ml single-serve formats. The flavor uses 50% less sugar than regular chocolate milk and includes 4 g of protein per serving.
CHERRISH
CHERRISH, a line of ready-to-drink cherry juice-based beverages, has introduced a new 3 oz. “to-go” pouch format for its three SKUs: Cherry Pomegranate, Cherry and Cherry Blueberry.
Teavana
Teavana has added a new flavor to its lineup of sparkling craft iced teas: Blood Orange Mango White Tea. A blend of white tea, orange peel, champagne mango and a touch of cane sugar, the new flavor will be sold for a suggested retail price of $2.39.
Boss Coffee
Japanese beverage conglomerate Suntory is bringing its flagship ready-to-drink coffee to American audiences with the broad launch of Boss Coffee. The line, which highlights the use of flash-brewed coffee, will be available in 12-packs of 8 oz. cans in two varieties: black and cafe au lait.
Functional drink line expands into retailers nationally while preparing for new product launches.
March 29, 2019 – Santa Cruz, CA – High-growth functional beverage brand LIFEAID, which produces premium vitamin drinks, recently closed a $7.7 million financing round to support the brand’s expanding distribution in retailers across the U.S. The round includes investments totaling $4.7 million from Everplus Capital,Cambridge Companies SPG and a half-dozen angel investors, in addition to a $3 million asset-backed line of credit with Dwight Funding.
LIFEAID Beverage Co. produces a line of nutrition-focused drinks for consumers with active, performance-driven lifestyles. The current LIFEAID lineup features six functional drinks, each with a unique proposition and dedicated consumer. In 2019, LIFEAID will expand its presence in Walmart and Kroger stores along with additional retailers nationwide. FitAid, the brand’s pioneering post-workout recovery drink, is a favorite of fitness devotees and professional athletes. ImmunityAid became a top-selling product for the brand just six months after being launched at the start of last fall’s cold and flu season, demonstrating the increasingly broad appeal of LIFEAID.
In addition to increasing the presence of its drinks in prominent retailers, including a new authorization with Wegman’s, LIFEAID Beverage Co. has also fully established its direct store delivery (DSD) network in the Pacific Northwest. New partners in the region include The Odom Corporation, Sound Beverage Distribution Inc., Craig Stein Beverage and NW Beverages. In Northern California, LIFEAID finalized a similar agreement with distributor DBI Beverage. The brand is starting to build a similar DSD network in the Northeast and is also increasing its presence in convenience stores like Giant.
LIFEAID CEO Orion Melehan stated, “Strategic investors and working capital financing are more important now as we continue to build the LIFEAID brand and platform of customized vitamin drinks — vitamins you’ll actually enjoy drinking. Our goal for 2019 is to emphasize product innovation and smartly capitalize on growth opportunities with partners that understand our vision, mission and the brand’s deep connection with its consumers.”
“We’re proud of the caliber of our latest investors, and appreciate the follow-on investments from some of our earlier ones who believed in LIFEAID Beverage Co.’s tremendous potential early on,” Melehan continued. “In addition to our equity financing, our new relationship with Dwight Funding gives us the flexibility to strategically invest in growth without additional constraints on working capital, given our growing inventory and accounts receivable.”
Joe Yu, principal of Everplus F&B Fund stated, “LIFEAID has shown an incredible and rare ability to continually capture the attention of a dedicated and rapidly growing audience of wellness enthusiasts. The functional beverage category is growing and we think LIFEAID will be an increasingly dominant player in that category. We are confident in the ability of LIFEAID’s forward-thinking and highly strategic leadership to achieve their goals, and we are very excited to be an investor in the company."
Dwight Funding managing partner Ben Brachot similarly commented, “LIFEAID is a leader in the wellness and performance space. We are excited to be working with a brand that has such a strong bond with its customers. The brand’s growth is built on a strong foundation that has set them up to become a household brand name.”
About LIFEAID
LIFEAID Beverage Co. was founded by Orion Melehan and Dr. Aaron Hinde in 2011 and is a pioneer in functional beverage. The brand offers nutrition-focused products including top-selling natural energy drink FitAid, as well as LifeAid, FocusAid, ImmunityAid, PartyAid and GolferAid. Visit www.lifeaidbevco.com.
About the Financial Round Partners
Everplus Capital, located in Newport Beach, California, manages a consumer-oriented fund focused on better-for-you food and beverage brands. Visit www.everplus-cap.com.
Cambridge Companies SPG is a highly respected strategic opportunity investment firm based in Newport Beach, California. Cambridge SPG turns opportunities into value by buying controlling and non-controlling interest in companies poised for growth. The firm focuses on retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG) as well as food & beverage. LIFEAID Beverage Co. is the firm’s 25th investment in the CPG space. Visitwww.cambridgespg.com.
Dwight Funding provides debt solutions uniquely tailored to the needs of growing consumer brands. With a nationwide presence, Dwight has deep ties to the CPG community and is able to provide its portfolio companies with strategic advice and solutions throughout the brand lifecycle. Visit www.dwightfunding.com.
A big thanks to Brad Avery of BevNET.com, Inc.for helping us share the news with the #beverage and #CPG financial community.
In a time when food is viewed as medicine, the LIFEAID Beverage Company is capitalizing on the expanding interest in better-for-you functional drinks through rapid innovation.
At BevNET Live Summer 2019 on June 12 and 13 in New York City, we’ll sit down with the company’s co-founders, Aaron Hinde and Orion Melehan, to explore how the company is using its deep roots in Crossfit culture to experiment with and expand its product set.
Since we last spoke to LIFEAID at BevNET Live in 2016, the company entered traditional brick-and-mortar retail, raised capital, released a number of new products and now has its sights set on c-store and mainstream retailers. In 2018 alone the company reported a 169 percent increase in sales and is aiming to triple its retail presence to at least 18,000 doors this year, including Walmart, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Sprouts stores.
Behind LIFEAID, FITAID, FOCUSAID, PARTYAID, GOLFERAID, and most recently IMMUNITYAID, the company continues to develop products aimed at niche target demographics and specific use cases. This talk will give BevNET Live attendees insight into how they use subcultures like Crossfit to activate their user groups.
Along with all star speakers like Melehan, Hinde, and others, attendees will also take part in networking and sampling opportunities, as well as offerings like the Beverage School startup session on June 11, and the New Beverage Showdown pitch competition.
Early registration savings are coming to an end! The early registration deadline is next month on Friday, April 26th. Register now to save $200 per ticket.
Additional information can be found on the BevNET Live Summer 2019 website. Questions about the conference can be directed to Jon Landis.
About BevNET Live
BevNET Live Summer 2019 will return to the Metropolitan West in New York, NY on June 12 and 13. A Beverage School for industry newcomers will also be held on Tuesday, June 11 at no additional cost.
BevNET Live is the premiere event for beverage brands, distributors, service providers, retailers and investors to discuss what’s next for the industry. With the industry’s foremost speakers and our New Beverage Showdown, BevNET Live attracts hundreds of brands to each event.
