CORONA, Calif. -- Monster Beverage’s latest innovation will launch in March in the form of a fitness energy drink minus the Monster brand name.
Reign Total Body Fuel will roll out in six flavors: Lemon Hdz, Melon Mania, Sour Apple, Carnival Candy, Razzle Berry and Peach Fizz.
The drink is positioned as a fitness energy drink that includes branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are commonly taken to boost muscle growth and enhance exercise performance, according to Healthline.com. They may also help with weight loss and reduce fatigue after exercise.
The new drink is “directly targeting Bang Energy,” according to Bonnie Herzog, managing director of consumer equity research for Wells Fargo Securities, New York.
Bang, produced by Weston, Fla.-based VPX Sports Nutrition, is one of the fastest-growing energy drinks on the market, stealing share from more familiar brands by marketing itself as the “world’s healthiest energy drink.” Bang also contains BCAAs, as well as creatine, vitamins B3 and B6, and coenzyme Q10.
Corona, Calif.-based Monster Beverage Corp. is currently in court in a lawsuit against Bang, challenging VPX’s nutrition claims. In the meantime, Monster has developed its own BCAA brand, Reign, offering it as a pre- or post-workout drink.
Herzog said she is “cautious” about the introduction. “Reign might be too little, too late for Monster,” she wrote in a recent research note. “Given Monster’s track record with new products, we see potential execution risk and have some concerns as to whether a stand-alone brand will truly work.”
Other U.S. innovation coming from Monster this year, according to a recent investor meeting, include:
- Monster Dragon Tea in Green Tea, White Tea and Yerba Mate
- Java Monster Swiss Chocolate
- Monster Energy Ultra Paradise
- Monster Mule, a ginger brew
- Espresso Monster Caramel
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