Brand of the Month - Vivo Life

This month's Brand of the Month is Vivo Life. When it was first released, we knew we had to bring their flagship protein supplement, PERFORM, to our customers. This month, they released their new salted caramel flavour. It would have been rude not to feature them, right?!

We caught up with Josh, the company director, to find out more about what makes their products so special.

 

What's your story? Why did you start Vivo Life?

I've been mad about health and fitness for as long as I can remember, so looking back I guess it was inevitable I would go on to make it my career.

The idea for Vivo Life all started a few years ago when my now business partner Salv and I were growing pretty frustrated with the supplement industry, the lack of transparency and the incredible amount of terrible products on the market.

We decided to do something about it, and originally set up Vivo Life as a marketplace for health products that actually work - and people can really trust. No BS, no false promises - no feeling short changed when yet another supplement doesn’t work.

We worked with top nutritionists to find the best health products for our store, but over time we realised something was missing. We both trained hard, I was experimenting with veganism at the time and Salv never got on with whey proteins anyway.

After searching high and low, we felt that there was a huge hole in the market for a high quality plant based protein powder that was built for performance. There are plenty of plant based / vegan protein powders on the market, but they're all a bit fluffy and not really geared towards someone who is training hard and looking to get more from their body.

With more people making the switch away from whey protein - and looking for an alternative that could compete - we soon realised there wasn't anything available. And so, after over a year of development, our first flagship product PERFORM raw plant protein powder was born.

 

Can you tell us a little more about PERFORM?

PERFORM is our first and only product. We've poured all of our time, energy and resources into this - so we could create the best plant based protein powder that the world has ever seen.

The problem with most plant-based protein powders is they're not really built for performance, but with PERFORM, all that changes. It contains 25 grams of protein per scoop, which is virtually unheard of for a plant protein, with an amino acid profile that is BETTER than whey.

It also contains 6g BCAA. We do this by adding certified vegan BCAA powder to the blend, because we found that plant proteins were lacking in BCAAs (which are the building blocks of muscle tissue) so again, aren't usually ideal for someone who is training hard.

The protein complex in PERFORM is made from bio-fermented pea protein (which is an extremely unique way of unlocking the protein from peas without the need for heat). This is combined with organic, cold pressed hemp protein to get a complete amino acid profile. We then add the vegan BCAAs I mentioned earlier, along with an extremely potent turmeric extract (95% curcuminoids) to kickstart recovery and fight oxidative stress.

Then there's pure Himalayan salt for electrolyte support, and digestive enzymes for faster absorption. And depending on the flavour you choose there are also additional superfoods and adaptogens, such as chlorella, spirulina, maca and lucuma.

Oh, and it actually tastes great too! If you've ever had any other vegan protein powder you'll know how awful some of them can be. PERFORM doesn't have that earthy, grainy taste that so many of them do. Our new flavour Salted Maca Caramel is my favourite by far - and I haven't heard a bad word said about it. Even people who are used to synthetically sweetened whey proteins can't stop shouting about how good this one tastes!

 

Sounds awesome! Aside from the taste, how does PERFORM differ from other plant-based protein powders?

I think the completeness of the product. There are thousands of protein powders on the market, but I don't see any that contain all the beneficial ingredients that ours do.

Again, 25g protein is unheard of for a vegan protein, but it's much more than just a protein source. There are so many other components to it that enhance it's powers, from the turmeric extract to improve recovery, to the digestive enzyme complex for faster absorption.

It's 100% natural with no artificial flavours, no sucralose, no aspartame. Quite simply it's everything I was looking for in a protein powder for the last 5 years, but could never find. 

 

Why do our customers need PERFORM?

After an intense workout at the box, you've got some serious recovering to do. Protein shakes aren't anything new - they're a fast acting way for your body to get it's hands on some amino acids to kickstart muscle repair. But most people struggle to digest whey protein shakes efficiently. If your whey protein sits like a rock in your stomach, or leaves you bloated and lethargic, there you have your sign that whey protein isn't the right choice for you.

Remember, just because a protein powder has a high amount of protein on the label, doesn't mean that you'll be able to absorb and utilise it all. Absorption is everything, and if you can only absorb 25% of your whey protein powder then you're literally flushing money down the toilet. I think plant-based protein powders have been frowned upon for a long time, but new technology has allowed us to finally catch up with whey and even surpass it. PERFORM is changing the game and is the reason why so many people are switching from whey to plant based every single day.

 

What kind of feedback have you had so far?

I'm always surprised at how diverse our audience is. On one side, we have vegans telling us how amazing it is that they can finally get a plant-based protein powder that actually helps them with their training, and one that actually tastes delicious.

And on the other, you have all the people switching from whey or other animal based proteins, marvelling at how amazing they feel after drinking PERFORM and how they'll never go back to 'regular' protein powders. It's such an incredible movement to be a part of and it's only just beginning!

 

...and finally! Why is training important to you? What's your best piece of training advice?

Training for me is a form of self improvement, and there are so many aspects of it that transfer to your every day life. Whether it's adding a little more weight to the bar or trying to get another rep, you're walking in that gym or box and trying to be better than you were yesterday. And you take that attitude out of the gym and apply it to the rest of your life, whether that's work or family or finance or whatever. For me that is the magic of training and why I see it as a platform for growth in the rest of my life.

 

Wanna get your hands on the new Salted Caramel PERFORM?

Here you go: