Swiss sports supplement brand KA-EX has appointed Aaron Heidebreicht as CEO North America, placing a 20-year category veteran at the helm of a US commercial operation that already spans more than 4,000 points of sale — including a national rollout across 2,200 GNC doors completed in August 2026.
Heidebreicht arrives with a résumé that tracks the trajectory of modern sports nutrition specialty retail. He previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at KAGED and led Applied Nutrition's North American business as CEO, with earlier stints at GNC and Nutrabolt. He will operate from Nashville, Tennessee, building out the US team and managing retail expansion and commercial partnerships.
The Technology Differentiator
KA-EX's US portfolio currently comprises two finished formulations: Creatine + Energy and Cortisol Stress Reducer, each offered in Ready-to-Drink and Ready-to-Mix formats. The RTD line is built on VICAP, the brand's patented dual-chamber cap technology, which physically isolates sensitive active ingredients from the liquid base until the moment of consumption — addressing a well-documented bioavailability challenge in pre-mixed functional beverages where ingredients such as creatine and adaptogens can degrade over shelf life.
"KA-EX does something no one else in this category does: its patented VICAP cap keeps sensitive ingredients stable until the moment you drink. That is a real advantage at shelf, and our retail partners are already seeing it," said Heidebreicht. Both SKUs carry Informed Sport and NSF certification, clearing the bar required for sale to competitive and professional athletes — a credential that has supported partnerships with the Brooklyn Pro Pickleball Team, Brooklyn FC, and Tudor Pro Cycling.
The Cortisol Stress Reducer SKU also positions KA-EX squarely in the fast-growing adaptogen and stress-support segment, where cortisol modulation has become a primary structure-function claim as consumer interest in recovery and stress management converges with the sports nutrition channel.
Retail Expansion Roadmap
Distribution is set to widen materially in early 2027. Vitamin Shoppe will add KA-EX across 700-plus doors in January, and Earthbar will transition from test-market status to a full-chain rollout on the same timeline. KA-EX is also cited as one of The Feed's highest-growth brands in 2026, signaling traction in the endurance and premium-fitness e-commerce segment alongside physical retail at GNC, GoPuff, and Rumble.
The appointments and channel moves reflect a broader pattern in the sports nutrition and functional beverage market, where European brands with strong domestic credibility and proprietary delivery technology are using specialty fitness retail as a US beachhead before pursuing mass or club channels. For operators and retail buyers evaluating the RTD sports supplement space, KA-EX's dual-certification stack and format flexibility — RTD alongside a powder mix option — reduce formulation risk while broadening placement opportunities across gym, convenience, and specialty tiers.
KA-EX founder and CEO Pedro Schmidt framed the hire as a deliberate infrastructure investment: "Aaron has built and scaled some of the most successful brands in this category. With him leading North America, we are investing in a dedicated US team and in the partnerships that will bring KA-EX's Swiss science to many more athletes and everyday consumers."
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.