LIFEAID launches functional drinks to boost post-workout recovery

From sleep-aid to fitness, new products see success

LIFEAID’s latest innovation, FITAID Strawberry Lemonade, racked up $250,000 in sales in its first week, the company says. (Image courtesy of LIFEAID Beverage Co.)

Functional beverage innovator LIFEAID Beverage Co., was born in Santa Cruz, Calif., from its founders’ passion for fitness and health. Vehement about getting people off of high-sugar, high-caffeine beverages, the founders started LIFEAID in 2011, which over the past 10 years, has successfully expanded its portfolio globally to include products that support overall wellness — and they’re just getting started.

“Our inspiration comes from our own family, friends, brand athletes and consumers,” says Emily Sommariva, chief marketing officer of LIFEAID Beverage Co. “We create products for people who are obsessed with living active, healthy lives and are conscious about what they put into their bodies.”

The company launched its natural sleep product, DREAMAID GO, in the past year, while FITAID Strawberry Lemonade hit store shelves in June. It is the ideal post-workout recovery beverage, with 40 calories in a 12-ounce can and packed with omega-3s and essential vitamins, the company says.

"We've made athletic recovery simple. Now we've made it even more delicious for summer," said Aaron Hinde, president and co-founder of LIFEAID, in a statement. "As our first flavor extension, FITAID Strawberry Lemonade checks off all the boxes for a refreshing finish to a hard workout. Stacked with anti-inflammatory goodness and great taste, this is my new favorite in our roster."

Ahead of the general release, FITAID Strawberry Lemonade was made available to gyms across the United States and Canada, and also is available at HEB and Vitamin Shoppe.

In a statement, LIFEAID said that athletes and brand fans will be able to enjoy an ice-cold FITAID Strawberry Lemonade at the finish lines of Spartan Races, during the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games and ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, at USA Weightlifting events.

"With our latest innovation, we wanted to be both strategic and flavor-forward in what we brought to market," said Orion Melehan, co-founder of LIFEAID, in a statement. "We are going back to our roots of making recovery delicious, and bringing the gyms, many who have been with us since the beginning, something to celebrate and enjoy."

FITAID's recovery blend includes branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), glucosamine, CoQ10, and omega-3s, and is sweetened with raw organic blue agave with no artificial flavors or sweeteners, the company says. FITAID Strawberry Lemonade racked up nearly $250,000 in sales in its first week, Sommariva says, making the team even more eager and excited to get back on the road to engage with consumers in real-time.

“Cans-in-hands is how we build this business and [is] an integral component to our brand,” Sommariva explains. “[FITAID Strawberry Lemonade] is our first flavor variation of our most popular blend, FITAID, which is specially formulated for athletic recovery.”

As part of an exclusive early summer retail distribution, LIFEAID worked with retail partners HEB and Vitamin Shoppe. The company also has had “amazing adoption” through its robust eCommerce platform.

“Our sports and fitness channel is heating up, as are our authorizations for the LIFEAID Go! Collection, which is our convenient hydration and vitamin powder mixes,” Sommariva says. “We are thrilled to have them added in at CVS and continue to see their adoption with consumers.”

While LIFEAID would like to put some moonshot out there on company earnings, they are critically focused on one thing: serving as many health-conscious consumers as possible with “premium, clean, functional, nutritional and delicious” products.

“We know there is a better way [to make beverages], and hope to keep guiding the industry in the right direction,” Sommariva explains. “As a challenger brand, we are always having to find ways to be innovative and stay ahead of the curve as much as possible. There may be other brands that have larger pools of resources, but our team has the grit and resilience to accept the challenge by advocating and crafting premium clean functional products.”

The LIFEAID team currently is working on expanding its portfolio in its European and Australian markets, as well as preparing for what it says are some “very exciting” innovations to be announced in Q1 of 2022, so stay tuned.

Returning to her roots in Chicago after writing and marketing in California’s wine country, Sarah Graybill covers everything from beverage brand creative and innovation in packaging, to responsible manufacturing and products simply too good not to buzz about. Sarah has two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Public Relations and English from Drake University, but has been writing since age 8. Sarah’s favorite aspects of her role as associate editor are the dynamic industry wavemakers she gets to know, and the journeys and stories that make their products noteworthy.