One of the most popular sports drinks in the United States is heading north of the border into Canada.
BodyArmor Sports Nutrition announced Wednesday it will begin its expansion and distribution internationally for the first time.
Beginning in January 2024, BodyArmor will be available in key Canadian cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. The Coca-Cola Company acquired BodyArmor in 2021 for $5.6 billion after previously owning a 15% stake,
“This is something that the brand has been waiting for,” Federico Muyshondt, CEO of BodyArmor, told Fox News Digital about expanding into Canada.
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“Since the acquisition from Coca-Cola happened, which was one of the main reasons the brand was acquired, was not just to keep it growing in the U.S., but to make this an international, global brand. The fact that we’re going north of the border into Canada is momentous for us. It’s massive.”
BodyArmor, created by Mike Repole in 2011, brought a new sports drink to the industry with a potassium-based beverage that had coconut water as its base. Gatorade and Powerade, also owned by Coca-Cola, are sodium-based.
BodyArmor’s Sports Drink and BodyArmor Lyte, the low-calorie version, have done well in the U.S., which led to this new endeavor north of the border.
“It’s half the sugar and half the carbs of what’s been out there in the marketplace historically. The addition of coconut water is another big difference,” Muyshondt explained.
BodyArmor also introduced Flash I.V., a rapid rehydration beverage that was launched in the U.S. However, that won’t be part of the launch in Canada, at least not at first.
“I think we want to start with our base products, which is the BodyArmor Sports Drink and the BodyArmor Lyte. Establish ourselves. But we do think rapid hydration is not necessarily a thing yet in Canada, but it will be soon,” Myshondt explained. “We’re going to be ready with BodyArmor Flash I.V. having a potential fast follow to complement our launch.
“We felt it was important for us to establish ourselves with the products that have made BodyArmor what it’s been in the U.S.”
BodyArmor quickly developed partnerships with some of the world’s top athletes, including NFL quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Bryce Young and Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.
Muyshondt made sure to point out the late Kobe Bryant was also an initial investor in the company in 2014. The Bryant Estate netted $400 million when Coca-Cola fully acquired the brand after investing an initial $4 million in the brand.
So, heading north of the border, partnerships with top athletes in Canada are a priority.
“Our athletes are not only spokespeople for our brand, but our athletes are our partners,” Muyshondt said. “It’s a big part of the BodyArmor model, to partner with the best in the business. We are getting close to be able to announce some of our exciting partnerships in Canada.
“Expect from us to come up and bring A-listers to the table.”
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BodyArmor is expecting quick returns from its launch. Muyshondt says testing has shown tremendous reception for the sports drink.
“We need to do a darn good job of making sure that we position BodyArmor as the brand that it is, and we tell the consumers, the shoppers, what BodyArmor stands for. If we’re able to tell the story effectively, that BodyArmor is just the better hydration drink with potassium-packed electrolytes and no artificial colors or sweeteners, that’s the story we want to tell.”
If the reception matches sales, Muyshondt believes the sky’s the limit considering Coca-Cola’s global bottling system that contributes to quick expansion.
“Canada is the tip of the iceberg,” Muyshondt said. “I think we can look at north of the border, south of the border — that’s going to be priority one and priority two for us to prove the model out. Beyond that, there are a lot of interesting markets in Western Europe, in Asia and even South America where we need to take the learning from the launches north and south of the border and expand.”