Chris Paul’s new partnership with Koia is the latest in his effort to make plant-based nutrition more accessible to underserved communities and give them an opportunity to live better, healthier lives.

NBA All-Star Chris Paul has teamed up with plant-based beverage brand Koia to further his goal of making plant-based nutrition more accessible and create a  ‘systemic culture shift where underserved communities have access and opportunity to live better, healthier lives’.

As part of an initial pilot program, Paul will introduce  Koia vending machines in the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

A greater roll-out is in the works for 2022. 

Koia

Koia is a plant-based protein shake company co-founded by Four Loko and Not Your Father’s Root Beer co-founder Chris Hunter. 

It sells nearly 20 flavours of low-sugar, high-protein, non-GMO vegan smoothies.

According to the brand, it is set to remove 4 million pounds of sugar from the category by 2021.

‘Thrilled’

“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,” said Hunter.

“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.”

Chris Paul’s plant-based journey

This isn’t the first time Paul- who went vegan in 2019- has invested in the plant-based Industry.

He is also a brand ambassador and investor in the vegan food tech brand Beyond Meat and is in a partnership with  GoPuff – a food delivery service – to promote plant-based foods and Black vegan businesses.

To further the GoPuff partnership, the 11-time National Basketball Association All-Star will purchase  50,000 bottles of Koia Straw-nana Dream Smoothie exclusively for GoPuff customers nationally.

According to Paul, since going vegan he has noticed a substantial improvement to his overall health, performance, and recovery both on and off the court.

“For me, being as competitive as I am, I looked at this and I was like: hold up, let me try this out. And I tried it, and the first thing that changes when you go plant-based—and it might be too much information—is going to the restroom. It becomes… a lot faster. A whole lot faster,” Paul told Men’s Health.

 “I do feel really good right now. I think the biggest change for me is the aches and pains of the season. I started working out and training and I got to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I thought, am I not lifting hard enough? Am I not training hard enough? Why am I not achy? I ain’t trying to say you have to stay with it, but give it a try.”

Paul hopes that his investments in the plant-based sector will help him to spread his knowledge and tell people about his experience and even motivate them to try healthier, more nutritious food options.

 “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 said. 

• Read: Post Malone invests in plant-based burger company in $2.3 million funding round

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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