Gatorade announces G Series launch in Canada

New G Series™ product line goes beyond hydration to set new corporate direction for Gatorade

TORONTO, Aug. 12 /CNW/ - PepsiCo Canada, licensee of the Gatorade® brand in Canada, announced today that the G Series™ line of products will make its Canadian debut in Spring 2011. To help athletes get the most out of their performance, the G Series line-up provides fuel, fluid and nutrients before, during and after activity. Grounded in the latest sports nutrition research and developed in collaboration with athletes, the G Series platform showcases the Gatorade brand's deep understanding of the performance needs of today's athletes.

"With the G Series platform, Gatorade brand has gone beyond hydration to provide sports nutrition solutions that are specifically tailored to meet the different needs of a broad range of athletes," said Dale Hooper, VP Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages Canada. "The G Series platform highlights the Gatorade brand's long-time commitment to science and is a major step on our journey from a sports drink company to a sports performance innovator."

During the inaugural G Series Symposium held today at the MaRS Centre for Innovation in Toronto, the three-step sports nutrition G Series portfolio was unveiled to an audience of athletic trainers, educators, professional athletes and nutritionists gathered to discuss and learn about the hydration and nutrition needs of today's performance athletes. Attendees also watched the G Series Performance Lab, a showcase of elite Canadian athletes including MMA champion Georges St-Pierre and ultra-marathoner Ray Zahab, being put to the test by Gatorade Sports Science Institute scientists.

"Innovation has helped make mixed martial arts what it is today," said Georges St-Pierre, reigning MMA world champion. "I'm excited for the launch of the G Series portfolio here in Canada because I think Gatorade will see the same kind of success based on their willingness to take risks and innovate in their own industry."

60 Canadian athletes, including St-Pierre, Zahab and Olympic and world champion kayaker Adam Van Koeverden, are set to trial the products and will provide feedback that will help inform the specific 2011 launch product line up of the G Series in Canada.

"I train more than 25 hours a week for a split-second advantage over a thousand metre race," said Adam van Koeverden, kayaking Olympic and world champion. "I'm always searching for ways to work more effectively and improve more with every stroke, so it's awesome to be on board with the G Series now that it's coming to Canada."

About the G Series

The G Series is designed to meet the distinct sports nutrition and hydration needs before, during, and after training or competition - pre (Gatorade Prime™), during (Gatorade Perform™) and post (Gatorade Recover™). In Spring 2011, Canadians can expect to see a selection of products currently available in the US as well as future products now in development. The G Series includes products across both the Performance and Pro line ups. The G Series Pro products were originally developed to meet the needs of professional and aspiring professional athletes while the G Series Performance products were recently introduced to help a broader range of athletes get the most out of their performance.

The three-part performance portfolio includes:

• Before: The energy to kick start activity
• During: Fluids and electrolytes to hydrate and help replenish what is lost through sweat during exercise and carbohydrate energy to fuel working muscles
• After: To help the muscle recover from exercise and get ready for the next workout or competition

While developing the G Series, which first launched in U.S. earlier this year, Gatorade scientists collaborated with some of the world's top athletes, including Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, and Dwyane Wade, and solicited feedback from a comprehensive study of over 10,000 athletes in the US. The study included 400 one-on-one interviews in 14 states with elite high school athletes and a wide-array of sports health professionals to ensure the G Series meets athlete needs.

"Building on the insight from these athletes, our US team applied the institute's 20 years of expertise in sports nutrition and developed functional products that address today's athletes' needs," said Dr. Jeff Zachwieja, Research Fellow at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington, Ill.

About Gatorade Canada

The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports. Gatorade Thirst Quencher® is backed by more than 40 years of research and is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench thirst, and provide carbohydrate energy to support athletic performance. The company's product portfolio is built around the G Series™, a before, during, and after approach to athlete nutrition and hydration. For more information, please visit www.gatorade.ca.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: Photos accompanying this release are available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information:

Laura Bryce

High Road Communications for Gatorade in Canada

416.644.2290/ [email protected]