Chris Paul has joined forces with the top-selling plant-based beverage brand as a way to implement positive changes in underprivileged communities.
NBA’s Chris Paul teams up with Koia to bring vegan options to underserved communities. Paul has invested in the 100% plant-based beverage brand as a way to further his goal of providing better access to healthy foods for all and to promote awareness about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle.
“My hope for investing in Koia and other changemakers in the industry is that we work together toward a bigger systemic culture shift where underserved communities have access and opportunity to live better, healthier lives,” Paul told VegOut.
Chris Paul’s Partnerships with Beyond Meat and Koia
After transitioning to a plant-based diet in 2019, Paul noticed significant improvements in his overall health, performance, and recovery both on and off the court. Since then, he’s made a point to support the vegan companies that are helping make a difference in his life and the lives of others. In 2020, Chris Paul’s partnership with Beyond Meat was a way to drive change in communities where there is a lack of education on health and nutrition, and his new partnership with Koia comes as a perfect complement to his mission.
Making Plant-Based Nutrition Accessible to Everyone
Both Paul and Koia share a mission of making plant-based nutrition accessible to everyone, especially communities where access to healthy, low-sugar food options is scarce. As a first step in achieving their goal—set to take place this year—Paul and Koia will implement a Koia vending machine program on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) campuses. Further expansion is planned for 2022. In addition to the HBCU program, Paul has committed to purchasing 50,000 bottles of Koia’s best-selling flavor—Straw-nana Dream Smoothie—for customers of the affordable food delivery service GoPuff nationally.
“We are thrilled to partner with Chris Paul because he’s an exceptional human being on and off the court, embodying the power of plant-based nutrition,” Chris Hunter, Co-Founder and CEO of Koia, told VegOut. “We are aligned with Paul around a vision of the future where everyone has access to healthy food and look forward to working together to make that a reality.”
Koia plant-based protein shakes are available in over 16,000 stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Walmart, 7-Eleven, and Target. To stay connected with all of the latest programs and initiatives Paul and Koia are implementing, check out Koia’s Instagram at @drinkkoia or visit drinkkoia.com.
