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Frustrated over not being able to find a drink in stores
that combined both components, the Chandler
resident decided to turn his pre-workout concoction into a commercial
product.
After about 10 months of product development and market
research, Rothchild's WheyUP
drink will show up on Hi-Health store shelves this week.
Rothchild says the
berry-flavored caffeinated beverage fills a niche in the energy and fitness
drink markets. It contains 90 calories, 22 grams of protein and artificial
sweeteners. It tastes similar to a Red Bull and is about the same consistency
as a Gatorade.
"To me you can almost look at it as a
next-generation energy drink, or a healthier energy drink," said Rothchild, who runs a home-based Internet advertising
agency called Webworks Marketing in addition to WheyUP LLC.
Fitness magazines urge bodybuilders to consume 20 grams
of protein before lifting weights. But nutritionists say eating food to get
energized is healthier than drinking an energy beverage.
"Energy is sort of a misnomer because energy only
comes from calories," said Melanie Hingle, a
registered dietitian in the University
of Arizona's
department of nutritional sciences. "The energy that people perceive
to get from these drinks is from caffeine. ... Ultimately it's better to
eat real food than to drink a beverage."
Hi-Health connection
Nutrition retail chain Hi-Health sees potential for it,
which is why the chain is selling the drink in all of its 53 stores, which
are all in Arizona.
In exchange for the exclusive sales rights for the first
60 days WheyUP is on the market, Hi-Health is
giving Rothchild's product premium shelf space.
"It's the first product of its kind that I'm aware
of that has combined the features of an energy drink along with the
features of a protein drink and brought them both together," said Jay
Chopra, vice president of merchandising for the Scottsdale-based chain.
WheyUP will be one of 800 to
1,200 new products Hi-Health introduces in its stores this year, Chopra
said. Every year the company is approached by a handful of individual
product inventors similar to Rothchild, he said.
After the 60 days are up, Rothchild
said he plans to have his distributor sell to gyms and eventually
convenience stores, which are often energy-drink meccas.
Rothchild faces an uphill
battle in breaking into the rapidly growing energy drink market.
The market grew from about $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion
in sales in 2006, according to Jeffrey Klineman,
editor of industry trade magazine Beverage Spectrum. That number is
expected to top $2 billion this year, he said.
The big hitters in terms of market share include Red
Bull, Monster Energy and Rockstar, although
several smaller players catering to niche demographics have entered the
market, he said.
"At this point, the market has so many strong
brands and even not-so-strong brands that you have
to come in with an established niche," he said, noting that several
fitness drinkmakers have been trying to make the
jump from gyms and to mainstream retailers.
Big investment
Rothchild said he is aware of
the unfavorable odds but is optimistic that a catchy name and a marketing
campaign that involves in-gym demos will pay off.
To date, Rothchild and four
financial partners have invested about $125,000 into product development,
insurance and marketing.
The team is actively seeking $300,000 to $500,000 in
financing, he said, which would pay for additional production and
potentially hiring a few employees.
To bring the drink to market, Rothchild
worked with a California
company called Key Essentials that develops drink formulas.
If the product takes off, Rothchild
said he wants to sell the drink in different flavors.
The biggest challenge he said he has encountered in
creating WheyUP is running two companies at once.
"To be able to find that balance between making
this happen without being paid for it, and making sure I'm still paying the
mortgage and feeding my kids, for me has been the biggest balancing
act," the father of four said.
* More information: WheyUp.com.
Reach the reporter at andrew.johnson@arizonarepublic.com
or (602) 444-8280.
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