Avitae promises ‘natural’ energy and hydration
Continuing with the energy theme, our next stop was at the booth of Avitae caffeinated water, a brand that almost collapsed in 2012/13 but has since emerged stronger under the direction of beverage industry veteran Norm Snyder.
While the business was hanging by a thread in late 2012 - and had just parted company with its founder and boss – it became clear that the fundamentals were there, but that the execution had been lousy, claimed Snyder, who took the helm in early 2013.
“It was a case of rebuilding the entire team and re-positioning the brand,” he said.
"Consumers want energy and hydration but they don’t want to drink their calories. They are also hearing a lot of bad things in the press about energy drinks and soda.”
Meanwhile, natural ingredients are a must, he added: “Avitae is a zero-calorie water containing purified water and natural caffeine from green coffee beans in three versions: 45mg caffeine (the equivalent of a diet soda), 90 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of a brewed cup of coffee), and 125mg (a cup and a half of coffee).”
Today the brand – priced at $1.49 for a 500ml bottle – is available in around 5,000 stores, and has just released four new flavors: Pomegranate Açai; Tangerine; Blackberry; and Strawberry Guava.
“2013 was about stabilizing the business as I had to start completely from scratch and rebuild a lot of bridges,” said Snyder.
“2014 was about growing it, and we’re building on that in 2015, but the hit rate on sales calls is really high, because it’s a new category.”