Written by Tim Rigby
One of the most popular old school supplement brands from 1988 onward was the expansive line of Champion Nutrition products. This was a cutting-edge manufacturer who was one of the first to offer a wide range of products from protein to aminos, creatine, glutamine and fat burners. In 2008, some 20 years after launching, they were acquired by Nature’s Products led at the time by Jose Minski. This allowed the new parent company to expand beyond health and wellness products and get a foothold within the athletic and fitness realms. The conception of Champion has an interesting backstory, told to Inside Fitness by no less than fitness icon James Grage, who himself co-founded BPI Sports:
“In the 80’s, Mike Zumpano moved to California to write for Weider and worked for Ed Connors as a trainer at Gold’s Venice,” says James. “He used to do nutrition seminars for some of the bodybuilders at the gym and one of the people that used to attend religiously was a young Dan Duchaine. With Mike’s science background, they wrote the infamous Steroid Handbook. The money Mike made from that is what he used to launch Champion. He was partners with Greg Picket who later left and formed Cytosport/MuscleMilk. The very first supplement I ever took in my life was when I was 16, which was Champion’s Metabolol protein – which eventually led to my interest in the industry.”
Don’t forget to check in next week for our breakdown of EAS.