Inside the Mission Behind the Kenetik Brand (With Peter Bayne)

In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Brett Stapper interviews Peter Bayne, co-founder and COO of Kenetik. Kenetik is revolutionizing the functional beverage space with a ketone-based drink that delivers sustained energy and cognitive enhancement without caffeine or sugar. After building a restaurant empire that the pandemic forced him to pivot from, Peter discovered ketones' cognitive benefits and created a product that tastes like "sweet tart candy" instead of "bile or nail polish remover" like competitors. Through scientific validation with NIH and major universities, direct-to-consumer mastery, and authentic storytelling, Kenetik has built a passionate community of biohackers, endurance athletes, and health-conscious consumers while helping customers with serious medical conditions improve their quality of life. Topics Discussed: Building a premium functional beverage from basement experimentation to clinical validation Transitioning from restaurant ownership to CPG during the pandemic Creating authentic brand storytelling through personal challenges and vulnerability Leveraging scientific partnerships with NIH and universities for credibility Mastering direct-to-consumer before expanding to retail Building passionate remote teams around mission-driven products Navigating TikTok Shop and live selling for beverage brands Using endurance sports sponsorships for targeted community building