// Press Releases
Memorial Day Brand Positioning
To set ORIGIN apart from the usual flood of Memorial Day sales traffic, I opted to steer into honoring our fallen service members with a more fitting remembrance: silence. Messaging on the site, social, and emails reflected the language of the press release. The landing-page messaging (image below) is included with the press release.
Memorial Day - 2023
Origin USA and Jocko FUEL to Shut Down for 24 hrs.
Joint Ventures to Halt Operations with One to Remember Silent Vigil
Farmington, Maine 05/24/23 - Origin USA
“It’s been there for a while now, taking root in my thoughts” said Pete Roberts, Founder/CEO of Origin USA and Jocko FUEL when asked what made a startup apparel company and provider of sports nutrition products think it was wise to halt sales operations on what’s typically a prime consumer holiday. “We know what people expect this time of year, what our customers assume will be waiting when they hit the site or get an ad - sales, discounts, something.” Roberts continued. “But it’s wrong. At least for us it is.”
Back in 2017, Pete became fast friends and business partners with Jocko Willink, a decorated Navy SEAL, and Roberts nods to that brotherhood as the seeding force of what made the Memorial Day decision a right call just waiting to be made.
“His friends became my friends,” stated Roberts. “Their histories and values and ethos - it all just amplified everything I already felt at my core, why I started Origin. We exist to honor America’s manufacturing heritage and breathe life back into it. And none of that would be possible without American sacrifice. None.”
“So let business have 364 days of the year,” Roberts continued. “But we’re taking one day back... this year and every year moving forward. One to Remember is our vow. A sacred promise to honor the fallen and renew the fight.”
Official Notice: At midnight on May 29th, 2023, Origin USA and Jocko FUEL websites will shutter sales operations for a 24-hour period in remembrance of the men and women of our Armed Services who sacrificed their own futures to ensure ours.
About Origin USA
Headquartered in Farmington, Maine, Origin USA, LLC. is a manufacturer and direct-to-consumer provider of premium lifestyle apparel that offers all-American performance textiles and durable goods, including everyday workwear and clothing, denim, boots, fitness gear, and hunting apparel.
Now in its 12th year of operation, Origin was founded by Pete Roberts when he decided that the impossible was inevitable: to bring manufacturing back to our shores. With a team of believers behind him, Roberts cleared a swath of forest in the foothills of Maine, built a 7,000 sq. ft. timber-frame facility, and rescued a historic loom from oblivion, giving it a second chance to help craft the American Dream.
Today, Origin USA operates in Maine and North Carolina, producing heirloom quality goods that remain true to the company’s founding promise: that ORIGIN would be built by American workers using an all-American supply chain to deliver the finest goods - all without compromise.
More information on Origin USA can be found on the company's website: https://originmaine.com
About Jocko FUEL
Headquartered in Jay, Maine, JOCKO FUEL, LLC. is a provider of a broad range of premium sports nutrition products. JOCKO FUEL was established in 2017 when decorated Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink, entered a partnership with CEO, Pete Roberts, and together they conceptualized the Jocko FUEL brand. A year later, the product line was launched with the introduction of the first and all-time best-selling product, Joint Warfare. The Company's product line has grown to include JOCKO GO energy drinks, JOCKO MÖLK protein drinks, and a diverse portfolio of sports nutrition products.
More information on JOCKO FUEL can be found on the company's website www.jockofuel.com.
Product Launch
New products are crucial for D2C brands. Drop culture expects and requires a steady cadence of newness to keep the brand alive. Hydrate was JockoFuel’s launch into the highly competitive hydration market.
JOCKO FUEL Hits Hydration Market Head On with HYDRATE
RE HYDRATE. RE CALIBRATE. RE ENGAGE.
Jay, Maine, 06/09/23 - Jocko Fuel
“It’s simple,” said Brian Littlefield, Co-founder/CPO of Jocko Fuel. “We just took hydration and made the healthiest version out there.”
Crashing the saturated hydration market, Hydrate promises to deliver the future of hydration by offering what the competition can’t: a perfect balance of electrolytes, functional carbs, and vitamins - all with incredible taste.
“We’re holding the line on clean fuel and quality,” added Littlefied. “No added sugars or artificial sweeteners. It’s perfect.”
Hydrate takes a targeted approach, flooding the body with four key components: Electrolytes - minerals lost with exertion and dehydration; D Ribose - a functional carbohydrate shown to transition into cellular energy more readily and rapidly than sugar; Theanine - to combat mental fatigue and stress that comes from dehydration and intense physical activity; Vitamin C, B6 & B12 - to support energy levels.
Pete Roberts, Founder/CEO of Origin USA and Co-Founder/CEO of Jocko Fuel, offered insight into his motivations for developing Hydrate: “As kids, we were trained by big brands what good hydration looked like. Turns out they were more concerned with pumping us full of sugar and flavor than actually putting something in our bodies that was good for us. These days, people are educating themselves on how to stay hydrated the right way, and our community is more physically active than ever. I'm just one of millions that need hydration on a daily basis as I push myself on the mats, on the bike, and in the gym. It was necessary for us at Jocko Fuel to bring a product to life that not only tasted GOOD. It had to be something people could trust.”
Jocko Willink, Co-Founder of Jocko Fuel and a former Navy SEAL officer, brought it all back to basics. “This is something we absolutely had to do. Because I sweat. I sweat when I lift. I sweat when I roll. And then you’ve got to replenish all that stuff. Otherwise, your performance is going down.”
Starting June 9th, 2023, Jocko Hydrate will be available for purchase on Jockofuel.com and Amazon for $28.99. Plus, Get 10% off and Free Shipping with a subscription at JockoFuel.com. Hydrate comes in two delicious flavors: Blue-Raspberry and Lemon-Lime. Each bag contains 16 single-serving stick packs of Hydrate powder.
Jocko Fuel Hydrate
RE HYDRATE. RE CALIBRATE. RE ENGAGE.
Rip. Pour. Mix. GO.
About Jocko Fuel
Headquartered in Jay, Maine, Jocko Fuel, LLC. is a provider of a broad range of premium sports nutrition products. Jocko Fuel was established in 2017 when decorated Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink, entered a partnership with CEO, Pete Roberts, and together they conceptualized the Jocko FUEL brand. A year later, the product line was launched with the introduction of the first and all-time best-selling product, Joint Warfare. The Company's product line has grown to include JOCKO GO energy drinks, JOCKO MÖLK protein drinks, and a diverse portfolio of sports nutrition products.
More information on Jocko Fuel can be found on the company's website www.jockofuel.com.
UFC Partnership
Partnerships and collaborations are crucial in building a brand, and ORIGIN cross-pollinates with JockoFuel, sharing key influencers and organizations. JockoFuel’s partnership with CrossFit and ORIGIN’s relationship with the UFC were two of the more significant announcement at the time, and it was imperative that I threaded the needle to demonstrate why the relationship made sense.
Oct. 12th, 2023
ORIGIN™USA to be UFC's Exclusive Partner for Jeans, Boots, Workwear and Hunting Apparel
ORIGIN™USA Named "Official Jeans of UFC".
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UFC®, the world's premier mixed martial arts organization, and ORIGIN™, an all-American brand who manufactures their products, dirt-to-shirt in their Maine and North Carolina factories, today announced a marketing partnership that provides Maine-based, ORIGIN™, with significant exposure across some of UFC's highest-profile platforms, including live events.
Under the terms of the agreement, ORIGIN™ will be UFC's exclusive partner for the jeans, boots, and hunting apparel category and ORIGIN™ will be named the "Official Jeans of UFC."
In addition, ORIGIN™ will be the Presenting Partner for specific UFC FIGHT NIGHTS for the remainder of 2023 and will receive prominent branding at select UFC Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, including placement inside the world-famous Octagon®. Additional entitlements will include broadcast integrations within designated Pay-Per-Views and exposure at key fight week activities, including press conferences and weigh-ins.
ORIGIN™ will also be incorporated into event-specific social media content that is distributed through UFC's popular digital and social channels, which reach more than 243 million users worldwide. In addition, the agreement provides for an annual Brand Ambassador fund that will bring the partnership to life through appearances, content, and creative campaigns with UFC athletes.
"There is so much overlap between UFC Fans and ORIGIN™ consumers," said Grant Norris-Jones, UFC Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships. "Compared to fans of other sports, UFC fans over index on purchasing jeans, boots, hunting apparel and other products ORIGIN™ is known for. This is a tremendous consumer growth opportunity for ORIGIN™ and we're proud to support them and help them achieve their goals."
“It’s the UFC – the premier MMA organization in the world,” said Pete Roberts, Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Founder and CEO of ORIGIN™. “And this is a tremendous collaboration because there’s a shared passion – for the fighting spirit, for pushing boundaries and being relentless, disciplined, unapologetic, and determined. That’s what it takes to win in the UFC, and it’s what it takes to win in our battle to bring American manufacturing home. We’re grappling with a larger problem, and this fight is an economic war on Freedom.”