DENVER and VANCOUVER, B.C. — Koios Beverage Corp. rolled out its functional drinks in more than 200 convenience stores, including Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven and Shell stores in Colorado.
Koios expects to expand to nearly 1,000 c-stores by the end of the year, in addition to the more than 4,000 retail points of sale where its drinks are already sold in the United States including grocery stores, sports nutrition retailers and Amazon.
The company, with headquarters in Denver and Vancouver, B.C., sells Fit Soda and Koios sparkling drinks.
C-stores have played an increasingly significant role in the U.S. retail sector amid COVID-19, Koios said. The company cited a report from retail technology company NCR Corp. that detailed the importance of c-stores and fuel retailers amid the coronavirus, with a key attribute being how often consumers are turning to c-stores as an alternative to grocery stores, which tend to sell out of essential items quicker.
The company attributed its success in Colorado to lower incidence rates of the virus that have allowed for many businesses to reopen. Koios CEO Chris Miller said Fit Soda, which launched in July 2019, has a loyal customer base online, with more than half of purchases from Koios’ online store coming from repeat customers.
“With these levels of loyalty and retention, our objective is to maximize availability of our beverages to our customers in the places they prefer to shop, and convenience stores are becoming a prominent channel for this category,” Miller said. “We hope to keep up our momentum with landing convenience store placements, and our goal is to reach 1,000 convenience stores by the end of 2021 as we seek to grow our overall footprint in this dynamic and rapidly evolving category.”
Koios sparkling drinks use a proprietary blend of nootropics and natural organic compounds to enhance productivity without using harmful chemicals or stimulants, the company said. The beverages are also infused with MCT oil, which is derived from coconuts and helps the body burn fat more effectively, create energy and produce ketones in the brain, allowing for greater brain function and clarity, Koios said.
Fit Soda is made with branded-chain amino acids (BCAAs), is sugar-free and consists of naturally occurring electrolytes. It also has zero calories and caffeine free.
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