Kelowna-based Vampt Brands wants you to drink your way to better health with their recently announced “fitness beer,” called Lean Machine. “We like to refer to it as ‘Recovery Ale’” the company’s website says, and so this “lager ale” (that’s not a thing that beer can be, incidentally, but whatever) is thus gluten-free, and contains 7 vitamins and 7 grams of protein, but clocks in at only 77 calories—mostly because it has only 0.5% alcohol. This combination of dubious traits, the company claims, makes it the perfect after-workout beer.
Although I personally remain skeptical of something that sounds like a Frankenstein melding of O’Doul’s and Vitamin Water, there’s absolutely no doubt that there exists a large and growing market for health-conscious drinks in general. The sports- and energy-drink market in Canada has grown 23% over the past five years, to just shy of $900 million, according to market research firm Euromonitor, with most of that growth coming from the energy drink side.
Lean Machine has a pedigree in the Ready-To-Drink alcoholic beverage category, with veterans of the Mike’s Hard Lemonade empire apparently on board:
Lean Machine has assembled a world-class team of experienced management from the food & beverage industry. Our top executives were behind the introduction and launch of Mike’s Hard Lemonades; a brand that created the category and is now the second largest brand in North America. The team has come together again to launch a first-of-its-kind product that will create a new segment in the Sports Recovery Ale Category. The marketplace for these types of products is ever expanding as new drinkers come of age and search for brands they can claim as their own.
If you’re interested in this as an investment opportunity, you’re in luck. Vampt has a unique pre-order scheme going on now: Pay $150 and you’ll get a case of 24 cans of Lean Machine, a promotional hat, a promotional shirt, an invitation to the launch party, and a voucher for $150 worth of Lean Machine Brands Inc. shares. Which might—just might—allow you to bulk up your portfolio while slimming down your physique.
Beat that, Gatorade.
