We are going to kick off our 2013 Brand Awards with our number 5 supplement company, Top Secret Nutrition. With all the new and up and comers hitting the market this year, the list of brands worth acknowledging was long to say the least. Some had one hit wonders, some had a few average releases, some even had a string of top quality products. Top Secret however did exactly what they needed to do this year, producing a fine list of formulas, making some changes here and there, and successfully hitting the market in places they had not hit before.
To make it into our top 5 brands list there are a lot of things taken in to consideration. The one that we look for most is actually industry impact. Basically would the year have been the same if a certain company did not exist? In the case of Top Secret Nutrition it wasn’t a year round thing, but definitely the majority of it. Early on we got wind of two new supplements, the unique men’s multi-vitamin Vita-T, and the brand’s first entry into the pre-workout category Pump Igniter. Both were quite exciting, although it was the energizing one of the two that was on the tip of everyone’s tongue for a span of almost two months. Pump Igniter did officially launch a few weeks before the Olympia Expo, however Top Secret managed to maintain interest right up to the weekend event, creating one of the biggest queues at the show. The only real issue we had with that period was the gap between Pump Igniter’s first mention, and it’s three month later emergence. It was a minor thing, but after seeing the contents list and the reaction that got. It was disappointing to watch the product almost completely drop off the map before it came back around for release.
Dramatic beginnings aside, when Pump Igniter did eventually hit shelves, it did so with a bang. The pre-workout showed up in a trifecta of flavors, red raspberry, grape, and cherry limeade, with three tub sizes on offer, 8, 14, and 30 servings. After the staggered arrival of all the volumes and tastes, and the many specials and sales Top Secret organized through stockists. Reviews started pouring in about Pump Igniter’s impressive level of energy, hard hitting intensity, title relevant pump, and unbeatable value. The results and effects of the supplement were further seen in our own review, which landed Top Secret’s formula 3rd (then 4th) on our top 10 pre-workout list.
Some other notable entries from the brand in 2013 included, BCAA Hyperblend Energy, it’s recently launched caffeine free alternative BCAA Hyperblend, the individual breakthrough HydroCarn – Beta Alanine HCL. As well as the massive amount of simple yet complex products, Super Greens & Reds, F.A.S. Lean with caffeine, Caralluma Fimbriata Plus African Mango, Probiotic Weight Loss, Concentrated Red Palm Oil. The multiple Green Coffee Bean, L-Carnitine, and Garcinia Cambogia formulas, and Top Secret Nutrition’s first premixed supplement, the raspberry flavored L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones.
While that list could of course go on longer if we actually went in to the many variants the brand produced. Top Secret are showing no signs of slowing down as we move into the new year. For those that missed the announcement, following the release of the caffeine free BCAA Hyperblend. Top Secret confirmed their interest in expanding on what has now become the Igniter Series. Initially the only two products to carry the Igniter suffix were, Cardio Igniter and Pump Igniter. Which are set to be joined by Ab Igniter White, also known as the regular edition, and Ab Igniter Black, the more complex fat burner of the two Ab Igniters. Both are being teased to hit shelves in the next few months, and it is worth mentioning that there are talks of more formulas for the high quality line. Other categories and supplements are expected to be ‘Ignited’ following the Ab duo, with rumors of amplified variants of three or more current Top Secret Nutrition products.
It has been a whirlwind year to say the least for Top Secret. A company who have taken the area in which they already had a strong position in, grown on it, and branched out further than most would have expected. The developments, the updates, the build ups, the hype, the brand had it all in 2013. They were featured in our Top 5 list last year, and have managed to snatch a spot once again. Holding on to their relevance in an industry were companies come and go, and competition spawns almost every week. We could say that this year even if Top Secret Nutrition continue putting in the same effort, the next 12 months will be just as good as the last. But based on what is coming, what we have seen, and what the brand are capable of. You can almost count on the innovative company upping their game, spreading themselves out into even more categories, and proving why they remain to be a brand to watch.
