At an age when most are retiring, the “Greatest of All Time” is starting a new business.
Muhammad Ali’s G.O.A.T. health snacks made their national debut Wednesday, his 65th birthday. Locally, they can be found at the Barnes and Noble University Bookstore in the South Gateway.
“In a world where Muhammad has broken virtually every norm about what is and what should be, on a birthday considered as retirement for many, Ali starts a new business,” said brand inventor Peter Arnell. “It’s him. It’s just him. It was perfect for him to begin his new career.”
The Arnell Group, a design and brand creation firm, developed the unique product with Ali for over three years. Ohio State was one of five campuses to launch the snack bags, along with Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Texas A & M University and Georgia Tech University.
“College campuses have been so significant in Ali’s life,” Arnell said. “When he had his problems with the Vietnam War and the government, the college students were behind him. And we had simple criteria for the campuses. We picked the ones most interested in health and fitness. We looked at colleges with good sports teams but also those interested in research and a healthy lifestyle.”
Symbols of the three-time heavyweight champion are everywhere in the product, with each type of snack named for famous Ali moves, rumble, shuffle and jabs. The shapes of the snacks are boxing gloves, speed bags, ropes and medicine balls.
“This is an opportunity for me to help everyone better themselves, body and soul,” Ali said in a press release. “G.O.A.T. foods have the nutrition, taste, style and attitude to empower people to eat like champions and walk like kings.”
Ali’s new health snacks are based on the concept of six “rounds” during the day, with each snack in a category designed to meet consumer needs at that time. Each bag has the round designated on the package. The Rumble snacks are designed for the morning, with each bar providing a serving of fruit and the calcium equivalent to one glass of milk. Flavors include Apple Punched, Nuts ‘N’ Nana, Who’s the Mango and Fruit Fight.
“We were trying a lot of the fruit ones and they have an intense fruit flavor,” said Kathy Smith, general manager of the University bookstore. “And there are chunks of fruit in there.”
Ali’s snacks also have flavors not normally associated with health snacks, such as Slammin’ Salsa, Big Bad BBQ, Holy Guacamole and pickle flavors. These snacks focus on protein and carbohydrates. The Jabs category emphasizes vitamins in what the company calls “vitamin powered energy crisps.”
“This product was built off the most stringent school snack policy in the country from the state of California,” Arnell said. “The policy is widely recognized as a powerful influence on youth nutrition.
“This whole thing is reflective on the menu and diet Muhammad has used in his life, for the past 50 years,” Arnell said. “Throughout all the research, the diet and fitness production and figuring out what people love, taste wise, he (Ali) was involved.”
Today, representatives from G.O.A.T. will be on campus for more free samples, giveaways and informational brochures.
“This is a huge launch, probably one of the biggest we’ve ever had,” Smith said. “And we usually don’t get full-sized samples but we do for this product. There’s been a steady amount of traffic from students still buying their books and they’re trying it out. I haven’t heard anyone say they don’t like any flavor they’ve tried.”
G.O.A.T. is also available for purchase at Barnes and Noble, with a small bag selling for $1.99 and a larger bag for $2.99.
“We have between 2,000 and 3,000 units,” Smith smith. “But of course, when they’re free, they go fast.”
Glenn Forbes can be reached at [email protected].
