Interview with the people behind Ammo energy 02/12/08
Question 1. Who are you and what is the name of your company and how many people work for your company?
We are Bevolution - The Beverage Revolution - headquartered out of Ft. Lauderdale Florida with supporting staff of fewer than 10 employees in the tri-county area. We are hailed as flexible, resourceful, and accommodating manufacturers with a flair for developing exceptionally great tasting products.
Question 2. How did you and come up with the idea for Ammo? Surely there is some interesting story involved.
AMMO - is a morph of our Energized Cocktail Mix. We learned from Military personnel who tried our Energized Cocktail Mix that soldiers were chewing chocolate covered coffee beans or the freeze dried coffee and sugar that came in their MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) to stay alert, and doing so could cause them to cough, choke or debilitate them in other ways placing them in danger. They inspired us to manufacture a portable version of Energized as a better choice for the warrior on the go. Fact finding with the NATICK Soldier Center and Walter Reed Medical Centers provided insight into caffeine doses and delivery mechanisms for combat rations. Civilian market testing called for a lower sugar, lower carb version so we upped the kick and lowered the calories. Hence AMMO - Developed for the Military.Perfected for you!
Question 3. Who came up with the Ammo package design and label?
The package design was a team effort - Don't ya just love the convenience and features of AMMO packaging that allow you the drinker to select the amount of energy you want.
Question 4. Why did you decide to go with just Caffeine and not add any other common energy drink ingredients like taurine, ginseng or B vitamins?
Not much is known about how the combinations of caffeine, vitamins and sugar kick-start the body's metabolism and affect the body. When France banned Red Bull health officials cited uncertainties about the interactions of taurine, an amino acid, and glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate. These combinations may result in the inefficient absorption of fluid and nutrients by the intestine, creating the possibility of gastrointestinal distress or digestive difficulties. Some energy drinks contain herbs, amino acids, protein and other substances, usually in such small amounts that they are unlikely to have any noticeable effect on performance. In addition, your body can only process so many vitamins. Water soluble vitamins, like the B group vitamins and vitamin C, cannot be stored by the body to any great extent, so if you take in more than your body needs, they are simply excreted, in some cases overworking the kidneys. It is important for your health not to go overboard with your vitamin and mineral intake and be aware of the guidelines for specific supplements. So consuming too much an energy drink with vitamin supplements can have negative effects. Research proves caffeine is a positive performance enhancer - so why mess with the good stuff - rather we opted to keep it clean and give you the drinker the opportunity to choose the amount of energy that's right for you.
Question 5. Do you plan on adding any other flavors or possibly a full size ammo energy drink?
If you want a full size AMMO drink just mix it up with any beverage you want - mix it up with water, soda, soda water or whatever. After hours, we find AMMO adding flavor and kick to cocktails and even beer. You determine the taste you like and how much caffeine you want. While we do have other products we market business-to-business, there are no immediate plans to launch them to the public.
Question 6. So what is this mysterious 4th flavor you mention on your website?
If I tell you, it will no longer be a secret now would it? HINT: If you have all three flavors, you can create the fourth. It's called the Purple Dragon 'cause after you drink it you won't be -draggin' that is.
Question 7. Can you just drink Ammo without mixing?
We call AMMO - A Liquid 'Shot' of Energy, placing 'shot' in quotes to indicate its versatility. While we do not encourage or recommend it, (for obvious reasons), it is safe to drink AMMO without dilution. The folks at Military Times threw caution to the wind, did just that with our original formula, and gave it great reviews. Now it's even smoother and mixes just as easily; if you choose to use less than the entire cylinder, your drink will not be as strong. Actually, AMMO is a lot safer to drink than energy drinks, no more dangerous than drinking coffee.
Question 8. Who is your products main competition? Energy drinks, Energy shots; Starbucks?
When a consumer has so many choices for beverages and energy products they all are your competition. While the canned energy drink market has literally hundreds of competitors, the micro sized segment has fewer than a dozen companies although that number is growing. The current market leader is 5-Hour Energy but it, like others are twice the size of AMMO. Other entrants in the micro sized category include UpShot, GNC Kore, C4, and Six Hour Energy. In an independent taste test Military Times Publications calls AMMO ".easily the best tasting". Pills, sprays or flat packed gels are also alternative energy sources. It's all about choice and we intend to capture market share by offering you the best tasting, most convenient, powerful energy source we can create.
Questions 9. Who is your target market? Extreme sports? Night life? Office workers, military personnel/law enforcement, shift workers?
Yes all of the above. If you want versatile, convenient, great tasting energy, we want AMMO to be your choice. While we focused our market launch on paintball enthusiasts, because of similarities in task performance between soldiers and paintball athletes, AMMO is quickly crossing over to mass-market applications in all the categories you mention. We intend to make AMMO - The 'Shot' Felt Around the World.
Question 10. Will you be selling Ammo to individuals on your website? You guys have some great looking t-shirts. Will you be selling any of these shirts or other merchandise on your site?
For now, we are supporting our distributor's on-line stores. Glad you like the tee-shirts;) We supply them to the teams we sponsor and may make them available on-line in the future. Watch for other goodies like stickers, dog tags, umbrellas and water bottles as well at www.drinkAMMO.com.
Question 11. Tell all the Energy drink junkies out there why they should use and support Ammo. Give us your best sales pitch.
Bevolution AMMO has over twice the power of eight-ounce energy drinks in a convenient one-ounce cylinder that requires no refrigeration, has no questionable additives, no carbonation or undesirable aftertaste. The cylinder is about the same size as a standard shot gun shell that easily fits into any nook or cranny you can think of. A favorite AMMO feature is the measuring scale on the side of the cylinder that allows you the drinker to determine just how much of an energy shot you want. You choose what works for you, as little as you like or up to 171 mg of caffeine. It offers superior mixability as a versatile energy enhancer to any beverage you can create. Heck you can even add AMMO to the Crimson Bovine so it won't so be painful to drink. With only 25 calories and 8g of carbs AMMO is low calorie, low sugar, and very low sodium so you get great tasting energy without compromise or crash. It's available in three flavors, Fruit Punch, Citrus Ice and Blue Razz - and keep your eyes peeled for the Purple Dragon. AMMO is actually a lot safer than energy drinks. No more dangerous than drinking coffee.
Read the review of Ammo Energy Shot