THE HYPE

New beverage “hydrenergizes” with pure water and natural caffeine – introduced first in Ohio

June 9, 2009 – DUBLIN, Ohio -  Central Ohio shoppers have a new hydration alternative to help them beat the heat and keep energy high this summer. ávitāe naturally caffeinated energy water is now available at Kroger supermarkets. Kroger is the first large supermarket chain to feature the product developed in Dublin, Ohio.

ávitāe (ah-vee-tay), taken from the Latin word for life, vitāe, packs the caffeine punch of a soda or half-cup of home-brewed coffee. While it may include the same amount of caffeine as its soda and coffee counterparts, ávitāe looks, tastes and provides the health benefits of water without the sugar, calories or artificial colors.

“Bringing ávitāe to Kroger is a huge step for us in breaking into this new beverage category and we’re excited to be partnering with this great retailer,” says ávitāe creator Brian Pitzer.

Brought to Kroger store shelves by Vitality Distributing of Dublin, ávitāe is the brain child of Pitzer, a local entrepreneur and Ohio State graduate who was always fascinated by caffeine.

While at Ohio State Pitzer would drop caffeine pills into sports drinks for a mid-day pick-me-up, however as he grew older and craved the same caffeine kick without the sugar, he created ávitāe. With the help of local business investors, grants, and organizational assistance, ávitāe went from concept to bottling and distribution to stores like Kroger in about two years.

While Kroger is the first larger supermarket chain to sell ávitāe, sales of the new “hydrenegizing” beverage launched several months ago at www.avitae45.com, www.amazon.com and in all central Ohio-based PromoWest concert venues. The brand also has a following of fans on Twitter and Facebook who have been talking about the product for months.

The company is also playing an active roll in philanthropic events.  This August ávitāe is providing water to Pelotonia, a grass root bike race to end cancer featuring seven-time Tour de France champion and LIVESTRONG ambassador Lance Armstrong.

Tags: avitae, Brian Pitzer, caffeine, Dublin, energy, Facebook, Kroger, Lance Armstrong, Ohio State, Pelotonia, supermarket, twitter, water

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 1:58 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.