Byline: Sharon Porta
Feb. 4--HOBART, Ind. -- It's taken almost two years, but QBlast Thirst Blaster, a drink developed by Leon Wolek is about to make it big. Pepsi America has agreed to become a distributor for QBlast.
'That means that everywhere you see Pepsi, you'll see QBlast,' Wolek, of Hobart, said. 'We will be getting exposure to Pepsi's 117 million consumers.'
Lake, Porter and part of Cook County will be a test market for QBlast, according to Tom Ploski, regional manager for the Pepsi Cola General Bottlers plant in Munster. QBlast will replace All Sport, which no longer will be in production. If the product goes over well, distribution will expand to Chicago and Milwaukee, Ploski said. He expects to begin distributing QBlast this month.
Although he started out as a hockey player, Wolek -- organizer of Leon's Triathlon -- has been in sports marketing, events and the sponsorship business for more than two decades. But it was through his association with hockey that his sports drink was conceived.
Working in the family kitchen more than 20 years ago, he developed a hydration product, Wolek's Quick Energy Mix.
Through various contacts, the Chicago Blackhawks and the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team used the drink back in 1980. That same basic formula, being used today, contains no sugar, no caffeine, 150 mg of potassium, essential electrolytes and complex carbs for energy.
'Because QBlast has zero sugar and low carbohydrates, I have been getting enormous feedback,' Wolek said. 'When I developed this, no one knew this big movement with health and obesity was coming. I think the product was a bit ahead of its time.'
QBlast is fruit punch-flavored and has 11 grams of carbohydrates with only 1 gram of sugar and 45 calories per eight-ounce serving.
'I didn't think you needed a ton of salt or sugar,' Wolek said. 'QBlast has an incredible taste; you never tasted a sports drink that is so refreshing.'
His company, Quick Energy Formulas of America, has taken the beverage to consumers with a grassroots marketing approach at events such as Formula One races, Chicago Air and Water Show and Chicago Target Grant Prix.
QBlast also has been sold at Wal-Mart, gas stations, and tested at various high schools.
'The response was fantastic,' Wolek said. 'What better way to go? Kids are not too diplomatic, and they told me they love it.'
While Pepsi will be the distributor, QBlast will still come from the Metro Beverage bottling plant in Columbus, Ohio. At the request of Pepsi, QBlast now has three flavors, adding an orange and lemon-lime.
Distribution will begin at the end of January.
'We have to be realistic, we are family run, and they are a massive organization, one of the most powerful companies on Planet Earth,' Wolek said. 'For the short-term, this represents a major investment on our part and will take enormous energy and resources. But this is what I have been working for, and I don't want to lose sight of my dream. We are still a family-run company that cares.'
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(c) 2004, The Times, Munster, Ind. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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