Bai Brands announces agreements with major New England distributors

Sept. 9, 2010 - PRLog -- PRINCETON, N.J. — Bai Brands today announced agreements with three major distributors, Great State Beverages, g.housen and Rogo Distributors, to expand sales of the Bai and Bai5 lines of natural, antioxidant-infused beverages in New England.

Bai beverages offer refreshing, exotic fruit flavors infused with one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, the fruit of the coffee bean. Bai is the first brand on the market based solely on the coffee “superfruit,” which provides a much higher concentration of antioxidants than commonly found fruits such as pomegranate or acai.

The new distribution agreements represent a major expansion in the availability of Bai, which already is sold in numerous markets around the country. Great State Beverages (based in Hooksett, N.H.), g.housen (based in Brattleboro, Vt.) and Rogo Distributors (based in East Hartford, Conn.) are three of the Northeast’s leading multibrand distributors of premium soft beverages, wine and beer. Great State Beverages and its subsidiary Blue Coast Beverages will distribute Bai products in the Boston area, Cape Cod, Eastern Massachusetts and selected New Hampshire markets; g.housen will distribute Bai in Vermont and selected markets in New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts; and Rogo Distributors will distribute Bai in selected markets in Connecticut.

“These agreements provide Bai with an exciting opportunity to expand into the New England market through partnerships with established distributors who have proven track records of success in building brands in the region,” said Ben Weiss, founder and CEO of Bai Brands. “Our ability to secure deals with these premier distribution companies in this key market is a powerful indicator of Bai’s potential for continued success. These companies are presented with hundreds of opportunities to distribute new brands each year, and they have selected Bai based on their view that these agreements will generate significant revenues going forward.”

Great State Beverages, g.housen and Rogo Distributors are part of the Northeast Independent Distributors Association (NIDA), a network of distributors that covers nine states.

“For an emerging brand such as ours, this partnership is ideal,” Weiss said. “Based on our growing presence in other key regions, we were in a position to choose a route into the New England market. We selected these NIDA-affiliated distributors based on their long-established ‘up and down the street’ presence with retailers, which will provide Bai with a strong introduction to the market. Like Bai, these distributors have an entrepreneurial spirit along with a commitment to getting to know their customers and providing them with the best products on the market. We now will ramp up our own personnel dedicated to the New England market, and we look forward to developing further relationships within the NIDA network going forward.”

Based on a scoring method used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to measure the total antioxidant power of foods and beverages (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC), the coffee fruit extract found in Bai provides more than 30 times the benefit of acai per gram and more than 45 times the benefit of pomegranate. Bai is lightly sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice in its traditional line and organic stevia in its low-calorie Bai5 line, providing an alternative to high-sugar, over-caffeinated products. Unlike what is found in most energy drinks, a bottle of Bai contains 70 mg of natural caffeine — less than a typical cup of coffee — that is derived from coffee fruit and white tea extract.

Ron Fournier, vice president of sales for Great State Beverages, said, “Bai is a wonderful addition to our line of premium beverages. Consumers have shown an increasingly strong appetite for healthy products that will fortify their active lifestyles, particularly in metropolitan areas such as Boston, where we have a strong network of retail customers. With its innovative use of the coffee fruit, Bai will prove to be a perfect match for such demand in our distribution areas.”

Kevin Watterson, president of g.housen, said, “Given the increasingly competitive nature of the beverage industry, we take pride in our in-depth product knowledge that allows us to deliver the right products for our customers. From our experience in introducing new products to the marketplace, we can see that Bai is poised for success. We are delighted that this partnership will allow us to work together with Bai to expand its market presence.”

Clem Sayers, general manager of Rogo Distributors, added, “We expect this relationship with Bai to be a fruitful one — enabling our company to provide an enticing new option for our retail clients, while helping Bai branch out in the Connecticut market. We are impressed with the inroads that Bai has made in just a year since its launch, as we know through our own depth of experience in the beverage industry how challenging it can be to launch a new brand. We are confident that our proven ability to boost sales of new, high-quality products will make this a very profitable venture.”

About Bai Brands

Harnessing the benefits of coffee’s “superfruit,” Bai Brands produces the innovative line of Bai and Bai5 beverages to meet the demands of today’s health-conscious consumers. Bai beverages are powered by the coffee fruit — one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants and, until now, one of its greatest secrets. Bai beverages are available through an expanding network of retailers and distributors in the Northeast, the West Coast and the Midwest, as well as the Caribbean, Dubai and Panama. For more information, visit www.drinkbai.com.

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Harnessing the benefits of coffee’s superfruit, Bai Brands produces the innovative line of Bai and Bai5 beverages to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers. Bai is powered by the coffee fruit, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants.