Bai Goes West, Opening Chicago Market and Building National Momentum

HAMILTON, N.J., and ATLANTA, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bai Brands, makers of Bai 5, a line of healthy, all-natural, five-calorie, antioxidant-infused beverages, today announced a series of major expansion plans and signaled a move towards "national brand" status by the end of 2014. Over the next 12 months, the company will expand its distribution footprint to all 50 states, offering products in 12,000 new retail outlets.

The company this week launched Bai in Chicago with a dedicated sales effort to introduce the beverage that has created huge buzz in the Northeast to this key market. The launch is being supported by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), the premier beverage distributor in the Midwest, and Jewel-Osco, the market leading grocery brand that Midwesterners have been shopping for a century.

"The Bai secret is now spreading across the country," said Ben Weiss, founder and CEO of Bai Brands. "Consumers who have discovered Bai in one of our launch markets are now asking for it at their favorite retailer back in their home town. Our plan is to launch in over 1,700 new stores by the first day 2014, which will constitute a number of key pieces of our national distribution puzzle."

In addition to the Midwest launch, leading retailers like Target, Stop & Shop, Hannaford Supermarkets and Raley's, plus more than 100 West Coast Costco stores, have added Bai to their beverage mix in recent months.

To support this expansion, Bai Brands recently opened a corporate office and warehouse facility in Corona, California, as a significant step in building a coast-to-coast presence. The 27,000-square-foot warehouse will streamline operations on the West Coast and give the company a 'Bai-coastal' presence, signaling the brand is serious about building a national footprint.

"Over the last several quarters, we have demonstrated unprecedented success in grocery channels where we have really driven our 'look of success'", said Ken Kurtz, President of Bai Brands. "In coming months, we will introduce the brand more formally to the convenience channel. Consumers are thirsty for all-natural, low-sugar, low-calorie beverages that taste great! Bai is a perfect fit for the healthy beverage door in convenience stores across the country."

Bai is exhibiting at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Atlanta Sunday October 13 – Tuesday October 15 at booth 7617.

About Bai Brands, LLC.
Bai Brands, LLC, makers of Bai 5-Calorie Antioxidant Infusions, is a Princeton-based company founded in August, 2009 by entrepreneur and coffee industry pioneer Ben Weiss. All nine Bai 5 beverages are 100% natural, only five calories, infused with coffeefruit and flavored with exotic fruit juices. They are naturally sweetened, gluten free, Kosher, vegan, soy-, BPA- and GMO-free. For more information about Bai, the brand named by Beverage World among the "Breakout Brands of 2012", visit drinkbai.com.

SOURCE Bai Brands, LLC