By Bradley Zint
Daily Pilot, Costa Mesa, Calif.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) A California couple has created an all-purpose protein bottle as an alternative to plastic protein shakers. The “HITT Bottle” raised nearly $125,000 on crowdfunding giant kickstarter and is becoming a “hit” with fitness enthusiasts who are looking for a more reliable solution to traditional plastic shakers.
Daily Pilot, Costa Mesa, Calif.
A little more than a year ago, Costa Mesa residents Christian and Hannah Valencia both had secure, high-paying jobs in banking. And they had a baby on the way.
But the Estancia High School alumni also had a business idea — a better protein shaker bottle.
So, like many entrepreneurs of the 21st century, the Valencias took to online fundraising at Kickstarter.com for their product, the HIIT Bottle. The pitch was that they would make “an all-purpose protein bottle engineered to be a permanent solution for conventional, unreliable, plastic protein shakers.”
The campaign worked.
HIIT, which stands for high-intensity interval training, found 2,784 backers last year who gave nearly $125,000.
“Ever since then, it’s just been a life-changing event,” Christian Valencia, 30, said in an interview inside a garage in Costa Mesa’s State Streets neighborhood, which houses some of HIIT’s inventory.
The married couple left their banking jobs last year, knowing it was a major risk while expanding their young family.
But it seems to have paid off. HIIT Bottle, based in Costa Mesa, has sold about 25,000 units worldwide.
The bottles, billed as the first of their kind, hold 22 ounces and have a double-wall insulated body that’s vacuum-sealed with a lockable lid. Within the lid is a silicone piece that’s removable for easy cleaning.
The bottles come in black, gold and silver and are made of stainless steel and BPA-free plastic designed to be odor- and bacteria-resistant. The units are made in China, but the company is looking to eventually manufacture them in the United States.
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The first-generation bottles are virtually sold out. Now, HIIT is selling the second generation, which retails for $34.99.
The company also is working on a third version that could include filters and a 32-ounce size.
HIIT gets its word out through social media marketing and some athletes who promote it. Most of the bottles are sold online.
A portion of HIIT’s profits help the Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance, a Virginia-based nonprofit that provides tips for athletes limited by injuries or illness.
The Valencias have their sights set high. Christian points to Hydro Flask, which makes insulated stainless-steel water bottles, as an example they would like to emulate. The Bend, Ore., company sold this year for $210 million.
For now, HIIT Bottle keeps honing its small-business skills: logistics, product development, advertising.
“We’re learning as we go,” Christian said.
