Why Bayern star Davies is now also an Erdinger

Created: 12/06/2022, 2:00 p.m

By: Hans Moritz

Partners: Bayern professional Alphonso Davies (center), alpha owner Pierre Pfeiffer (right) and managing director Tim Mörtl.

© alpha

The Erdinger logistics company alpha is entering the distribution of food - with a new drink in this country and a familiar face.

Erding - It was the Erdinger Weißbräu that was the first brewery to succeed in placing alcohol-free beer as an isotonic sports drink, advertised by sports stars such as Franz Beckenbauer, Magdalena Neuner and now Jürgen Klopp as brand ambassadors.

Now a second Erdinger company is following this path: alpha trading solutions with FC Bayern star Alphonso Davies.

The company, previously known primarily for multimedia solutions in retail and as a logistics company, is entering the food business for the first time in its 50-year history and is becoming the Europe-wide distributor of another sports drink: BioSteel from North America.

The contract will initially run for five years.

BioSteel was founded in 2009 by John Celenza and NHL veteran Michael Cammalleri.

So far, the electrolyte drink has mainly been sold in the USA in half-litre tetrapacks in five flavors – without sugar or artificial additives.

It is also available as a powder, as well as a protein powder.

Now the BioSteel products are to be launched on the European market, and alpha, with its owner Pierre Pfeiffer and Tim Mörtl, is making sure of that.

"Our goal is to place BioSteel in online shops with immediate effect - including in the https://biosteeleurope.shop managed by alpha - and also in stationary trade from the first quarter of 2023," announces Pfeiffer.

The aim is to quickly establish the product in supermarkets across Europe.

For this they will rely on the "strong trading network" alphas.

At the same time, further trading partners throughout Europe are to be acquired from Erding.

The way there leads through marketing in sport.

BioSteel and alpha are planning a big serve.

This includes appearances at leading sports trade fairs such as Fibo and recently at Ispo in Munich.

In addition, BioSteel is the official partner of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships until 2024.

The brand already relies on internationally renowned athletes such as top NBA basketball player Luca Doncic, American football player Patrick Mahomes and NHL stars Connor McDavid and Tyler Seguin.

BioSteel is a basketball affiliate with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets, and the US national ice hockey team.

Biggest coup: BioSteel has been a partner of the NHL since this season - and replaced its competitor Gatorade of all things.

Because football plays the most important role in sport in Europe, the Canadian-Liberian footballer Alphonso Davies has been signed.

He came to Bayern Munich in 2019, and the 22-year-old is part of the national team in Canada.

Pfeiffer and Mörtl announce that Davies, as a brand ambassador, will advertise the sports drink on his social media channels, among other places.

In addition, BioSteel sponsors the ice hockey teams Kölner Haie and Eisbären Berlin – and the Erding Gladiators.

Mörtl announces that "we are working on further cooperations in other sports to make BioSteel known".

The core competencies of alpha with its 300 employees, 120 of whom work in the field, are distribution, online and stationary sales and logistics.

alpha looks after several thousand branches of the most important retail chains and has its own logistics center on Kletthamer Feld.

In addition, alpha is connected to online shops throughout Europe and operates some for its customers.

The core business has so far been the sale of electronic items, merchandising products, cosmetics for the hotel industry, but also animal feed.

Most recently, alpha entered the toy trade.

Pfeiffer does not want to rule out further involvement in the food and beverage sector.

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