New York – October 19, 2026 -- Swiss sports supplement brand KA-EX has appointed Aaron Heidebreicht as CEO North America, as its US distribution passes 4,000 points of sale following a national launch across 2,200 GNC stores in August 2026.
Heidebreicht to lead US strategy from Nashville
Heidebreicht brings more than 20 years of sports nutrition leadership. He is a former professional baseball player who held positions at GNC and Nutrabolt. At KAGED he served as Chief Commercial Officer, and most recently he ran Applied Nutrition's North American business as CEO.
At KA-EX, he is responsible for US commercial strategy, retail expansion and building out the North American team from Nashville, Tennessee. Founder and CEO Pedro Schmidt called North America the company's most important growth market and said KA-EX is investing in a dedicated US team.
Vitamin Shoppe and Earthbar rollouts are set for January 2027
Vitamin Shoppe will carry KA-EX in more than 700 doors starting in January 2027. Earthbar will move from test markets to a full-chain rollout in the same month. KA-EX says US growth is driven by specialty and premium fitness retail, and that it is one of The Feed's highest-growth brands in 2026.
Patented VICAP cap anchors a two-product US range
KA-EX currently sells two products in the US: Cortisol Stress Reducer and Creatine + Energy. Both come in ready-to-drink and ready-to-mix formats. The ready-to-drink versions use VICAP, a patented dual-chamber cap that keeps active ingredients separate until the moment of consumption.
Heidebreicht described the cap as "a real advantage at shelf" and said retail partners are already seeing it.
The range is Informed Sport and NSF certified. Athletes and teams using it include the Brooklyn Pro Pickleball Team, Brooklyn FC and Tudor Pro Cycling.
Beyond physical retail, the products are sold through GNC, The Feed, Earthbar, Amazon, GoPuff, Rumble and ka-ex.com.