Hydrate and Energize! FYXX Hybrid® gives workout buffs a healthy option

   Long-time fitness center owner turned beverage entrepreneur Steve Ondish couldn't believe his eyes. Before workouts, gym goers were guzzling sodas laced with sugar and caffeine, coffee, and energy drinks made with artificial ingredients and preservatives to get an extra boost from their weight training, spinning and body sculpting. It really seemed counter productive to me, says Ondish. I knew there had to be a better, healthier way to hydrate and energize before and after workouts. So he dedicated himself to fixing the problem.This Spring, Ondish and his partners launched FYXX Hybrid®, a line of natural, caffeine-infused spring water beverages with zero calories and zero carbs. Constar, a leading supplier of high performance PET packaging to the beverage industry, is supplying 20-ounce (590 ml) PET bottles with Vertical Compensation Technology™ (VCT) for four FYXX Hybrid flavors: Original, Lucky Lemon Blast, Tropical Citrus Smash and Blue Razzberry Storm. FYXX Hybrid has plans to expand the line with an additional flavor - FYXX Freak. The FYXX Hybrid bottles include an eye-catching cobalt blue colorant, reinforcing the image of a refreshing, spring water-based beverage. Roll-fed labels with bright, flavor-specific graphics of white, orange, and yellow pop off the brilliant blue bottle. The result is a product with true shelf appeal. FYXX Hybrid beverages are hot filled for better shelf stability. The need for more shelf-life muscle led the company to Constar, which launched its VCT technology for hot fill beverages in 2008. An alternative to traditional six-panel vacuum PET bottles, Constar's VCT technology employs an innovative panel-less structure to compensate for high temperature filling and processing. The bottle's hoop geometry enables the bottle to flex vertically to compensate for the vacuum created in the hot fill process. The new FYXX Hybrid PET bottles with VCT technology come with an important sensory benefit. The hoop geometry imparts a much more rigid in-hand feel than a typical PET bottle even though it is made of lightweight plastic, just 39 grams. The strength lends a premium feel to the beverage. The bottle has one other important design feature, a 38mm wide mouth finish, which makes FYXX Hybrid more drinkable, says Ondish. When you're working out, you want a mouthful of instant refreshment, you don't want to sip. Bowman Apple Company of Mt. Jackson, Virginia, is co-packing FYXX Hybrid on its new state-of-the-art PET bottling line. The new line accommodates hot fill and heat set filling. FYXX Hydrid is available in Kings and Food Town supermarkets throughout New Jersey as well as Costco stores in Florida and Georgia.