Leading sports nutrition company, PERFORMIX, has partnered with TricorBraun on innovative packaging structure for new product line.

Sports nutrition is a $7 billion category with a projected growth of 8.4 percent CAGR by 2021*, the highest growth rate among vitamins, dietary supplements and sports nutrition nutraceutical categories. Achieving easy container access while disrupting the category to deliver the best possible consumer experience was the objective and the result of a highly engaged and collaborative partnership between Performix and TricorBraun for the launch of the Performix Iridium line.

According to Brent Moore, vice president, operations at Performix, "The intent of the Performix Iridium product line is to be the premium trade up option for consumers who want to add higher order benefits to their physical well-being such as cognitive priming, perpetual strength and expedited muscle recover."

"The line was built to sharpen your edge and catalyze physical intelligence. The Performix brand is built around disrupting the space and bringing new benefits to sports nutrition and the packaging had to reflect the ground-breaking product within," explains Matt Hesse, founder and CEO at Performix. He goes on to say:

"The key objective was to create aesthetics that fall in line with the formulation with regard to disruption. We chose to work with TricorBraun because they have shown a propensity for being able to visualize and achieve breakthrough packaging to disrupt the sports nutrition category. Plus, they are fantastic innovators."

Performix's category audit reaffirmed their decision to move forward with a square tub as opposed to the standard industry round. TricorBraun provided multiple options. "TricorBraun has been fast to make changes, provide dates they can commit to and ultimately speed our time to market," explains Moore. The approach to the project has been collaborative. Moore says, "TricorBraun gave us the technical direction we needed to minimize cost and control our COG (cost of goods) while satisfying our design requirements and vision."

"We knew we had to nail down every single detail regardless of the design and engineering structural challenges that may present themselves along the way. Matt (Hesse) has such a passion for his brand that delivering anything less than world class packaging was not an option. Our team's expertise came shining through because Matt's leadership and vision was clear," explains Jon-Paul Genest, vice president of commercial engineering at TricorBraun.

According to Moore, "TricorBraun has proven to be an excellent partner by helping us develop processes for managing inventory as well as executing rush orders. TricorBraun has also helped us manage cash flow in this period of high growth. The Performix Iridium line, in part due to the packaging, has risen by 27 percent of brand sales in one year. Together, we’ve developed an effective system for managing logistics/shipments to co-manufacturers."

When asked about the technical challenges of a square bottle, Doug Peterson, TricorBraun packaging consultant, explains, "There were a few with both the two pound and the 32 ounce but it's all in day's work. Our goal to simplify the complexities of package development and manufacturability is steadfast so that our customers can remain focused on what's in the package."

According to Genest, "Whenever you move away from traditional packaging and bottle design with established industry specifications, it is critical that you redefine form, fit and function for your custom solution. Our process is such that with proper management and creative engineering we're able to preserve the design intent and the vision of the brand owner." Consumers will find the products squared off and stacked, front and center, at GNC. Two sizes (two pound and 32 ounce) were launched in 2016 at GNC stores and are also available online at GNC and bodybuilding.com.

• Two pound: Performix Iridium Native ISO Whey-i + in Fruity Charms, Chocolate Cake and Vanilla Ice Cream flavors
• 32 ounce: Performix Iridium Ion-i Multi-Phase Pre-Workout in Blue Ice (40srv/20srv), Cherry Limeade (40srv/20srv) or Ice Punch (40srv) flavors
• 32 ounce: Performix Iridium SST-i Multi-Phase Thermogenic in Blue Razz Ice (30srv) or Watermelon (30srv) flavors
• 32 ounce: Performix Iridium ISO-i Multi-Phase in Cherry Limeade (30srv), Sour Apple (30srv) or Blue RazzIce (30srv) flavors
• 32 ounce: Performix Timed Cognitive Priming Sour Gummy Bear (30srv)

TricorBraun's partnership with Performix began in 2014. The TricorBraun Design & Engineering team working with Performix during the past four years has included Doug Peterson, Jon-Paul Genest, Phil D'Andrea, Don Briggs and Shawn Viola. Peterson describes the team as, "One of the most nimble and adept at working in unison to overcome complicated challenges and meet the objectives and timeline of the customer."

* Euromonitor Vitamins and Dietary Supplements in the US 2016