A cheetah is the swiftest four-footed animal, so it makes sense
that former Hollister resident Michelle Haworth chose the sleek cat
as the symbol for her company’s entry in the booming energy drink
market.
A cheetah is the swiftest four-footed animal, so it makes sense that former Hollister resident Michelle Haworth chose the sleek cat as the symbol for her company’s entry in the booming energy drink market.
Haworth, a graduate of Spring Grove School and San Benito High School, anticipates that the lightly carbonated, citrus-flavored drink Cheetah Energy will springboard San Jose-based City Ice Beverages – the company she founded with partner Todd L. White in 2004 – into the mainstream.
The 33-year-old Haworth said she and White came up with the concept for a new energy drink in 2002, when there were already more than 200 such beverages on the market.
“It was and is a growing market,” says Haworth of the $1 billion energy drink landscape. “We noticed there was a growing segment of that market in which people wanted something that gave them energy like Red Bull, but tasted good – not like medicine.”
Working with a “flavor house,” White and Haworth researched numerous herbal ingredients before finding a combination “that was functional and tasted good.” They claim to have found a mix that has positive effects on “the mind, body, and nervous system,” according to Haworth. “We wanted something that was not just an energy kick, but something that was beneficial to the body.”
In addition to high fructose corn syrup and citric acid, Cheetah Energy Drink contains a number of herbs including damiana, guarana, yerba mate, ginseng, and horny goat weed. Some claim that damiana and other herbs can enhance a person’s libido, while yerba mate is said to boost the immune system and “stimulate the mind,” according to the company’s Web site. Cheetah’s can carries the caveat that it is “not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease” and includes the recommendation that children, pregnant women and people sensitive to caffeine should avoid drinking it.
Like most energy drinks, Cheetah includes caffeine (about the same amount as a cup of coffee), and taurine, an amino acid.
A sleek, red and yellow 12-ounce can of Cheetah contains 80 calories, 15 milligrams of sodium, no fat, and 18 grams of sugar, about half of a typical can of soda.
Haworth says Cheetah “tastes good, is refreshing, and gives you a kick, but you don’t get the jitters,” a common side effect of high-caffeine energy drinks.
Cheetah’s distribution began in October 2005 and it is now carried by more than 320 stores, including a number throughout San Benito County. Hollister resident Mark Haworth, Michelle’s brother, spends his time as territory manager for City Ice Beverages getting free samples out to the public and working to expand Cheetah’s retail base. The drink is primarily available in Northern California, but expansion plans include Southern California, Las Vegas, Arizona and beyond.
Company representatives have also visited beverage industry trade shows to get more exposure for the product and Michelle Haworth is banking on recently signed celebrity endorser Mike Bibby of the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings to help promote the product.
“We’re aiming toward getting our product endorsed and used by other mainstream sports,” Haworth said. “It’s an untapped market. Competitors in this beverage segment have branded their products with extreme sports, but with sales of soda on the decline, most people want to drink something that’s healthy and functional.”
The company’s Web site recognizes that while most energy drinks are popular among teens and young adults, energy drinks are also popular mixers with alcohol.
While Cheetah is the company’s flagship product, Haworth and White plan to expand their offerings to include water, juice, and coffee drinks in the future.
The company’s flagship product is marketed for the 18- to 35-year-old consumer group, but “we’ve gotten good reaction from all age groups,” said Hollister resident Curtis Heen, director of sales and marketing for City Ice Beverages.
“We’re offering functional products with innovative packaging. It’s universal – every country knows what a cheetah is,” Heen added, predicting big things for “the fastest energy drink on earth.”
For more information on Cheetah Energy, go to www.cheetahenergy.com.
