A nutrition company run by a former National Hockey League player is entering the CBD space.
BioSteel, co-founded by NHL pro Michael Cammelleri, is now pursuing cannabis products after Canadian company Canopy Growth (CGC) acquired a majority stake in the brand.
The newly formed partnership has since launched a CBD protein powder, sugar-free protein gum, hydration mix, and sports collagen, and is now ready to announce its first brick and mortar partnership.
According to information exclusively obtained by Forbes, the companies have gone into business with The Vitamin Shoppe.
The stateside company will offer BioSteel’s new line, CBD for Sport, across almost 500 retail locations. It is Canopy Growth’s first move into retail partnership in the US.
Cammelleri said his team is “proud to partner with a leading retailer like The Vitamin Shoppe, a company that shares (BioSteels’s) “commitment to making the highest quality nutritional products available to American consumers.”
He added, “With the launch of BioSteel CBD for Sport, we’re delivering the benefits of our renowned sugar-free Sports Hydration Mix and other nutritional products while satisfying consumer demand for CBD as part of a healthy and active lifestyle.”
The companies have worked to create the world’s first line of CBD-isolate-infused sports nutrition products which are backed by scientific advancements in CBD research.
The NHL player started BioSteel back in 2009 with John Celenza, while seeking to provide “cleaner” sports nutrition products to players. A number of ex-sporting pros have started their own CBD ventures over the years.
He said the pair had noticed professional athletes were consuming products that were ultimately filled with artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, and unnecessary stimulants. The company’s first product, the Pink Drink, has a straightforward list of clean ingredients targeted to deliver only the essentials needed for physical power.
However, when CBD was removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substances list in 2018, the company decided to expand.
Celenza said, “Innovation is continuing to happen as we look at additional product offerings to meet the demands of our consumer base.”
“We see BioSteel CBD for Sport as a way for active consumers to integrate it into their daily diet and fitness routines through their hydration, protein, collagen or even gum.”
Some CBD companies are now recruiting sporting legends to promote their products.
On its website, BioSteel Sports Nutrition describes itself as “leading the wave” of healthy sports drinks on the market.
It adds, “We are not just talking about a ‘better for you’ product, but rather one that redefines sports drinks. BioSteel is unmatched in the market and is proud to be raising the bar on consumer expectations of sports drinks, and has become the #1 purchased product in professional sports.”
The brand is said to only use premium ingredients and values product transparency, functionality, and authenticity to raise the bar for sports nutrition.
CEO of Vitamin Shoppe Sharon Leite shared the company’s excitement. She said, “The Vitamin Shoppe is proud to be a leading national destination for trusted, high-quality CBD hemp extract products.”
“We see robust interest from our customers in the CBD category and we are continually expanding our industry-leading assortment of the best formulations that meet our high standards of quality.”
BioSteel CBD Sport products will only be available for purchase in states where the law permits the use of CBD. Leite told New Hope that the company aims to stock the products across all of The Vitamin Shoppe stores in the future.
She said, “We are now in 37 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, as of January 2020. The newest states we have entered are Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Our goal is to be in all 750+ doors of The Vitamin Shoppe, as regulations evolve.”
