ViSalus is adding to its portfolio of nutritious, on-the-go snacks with another strategic acquisition, this time in the booming energy drink category.
At its National Success Training event in Florida earlier this month, the healthy lifestyle brand introduced independent Promoters to its latest offering, NEON Energy Drink, acquired in a January deal with Altairia Corp. NEON is the creation of Altairia President and CEO Dakota Rea, who has since become a ViSalus Promoter.
The company’s national event also featured a birthday bash celebrating 10 years in business. The past year has been an eventful one for ViSalus. In September, co-founders Ryan Blair, Blake Mallen and Nick Sarnicola led a management buyout to regain ownership of the company from Blyth Inc., which now holds just 10 percent of ViSalus common stock.
Discussing the deal with DSN, Mallen said the brand will maintain its original product strategy of becoming the “largest healthy fast food provider in the world.” With that aim ViSalus has expanded its product portfolio of nutritious shakes and cereals with the acquisition of Go Bites, tweaked and launched in September as the Vi Bites line, as well as NEON Energy Drink.
Energy drinks are a hot commodity, with industry sales of $27.5 billion in 2013, according to market research firm Euromonitor. Global sales skyrocketed 620 percent from 1999 to 2013, and sales of energy drinks are rapidly approaching the level of coffee sales in the U.S.
With the launch of a decidedly global product, ViSalus sees an opportunity to build its international markets. NEON has at least one factor setting it apart from the competition: the drink earned its name from the glow it emits under black light, due to an element found in the South American Cinchona tree.
