We took some time to sit down with Peakform Nutrition CEO and Co-Founder Risel Maldonado to talk about their commitment to a tailored-made approach to nutrition and how their new Gummy Multivitamin is a perfect fit for their vision of custom-made nutrition for their customers.
When we sat down with Risel the first thing that stood out was his presence. Being 5’10” and 235 lbs you immediately feel as though you need to start working out more. He laughed and said he gets that a lot although he feels that he is not that big. At first it can be intimidating, but after spending several moments with him he opened up and his passion for fitness and nutrition made it easy to see the softer side of him and how he able to inspire others to “Achieve Your Peak”!
Editorial Team: So what made you get into this lifestyle?
Risel: I started into fitness way before I ever got into the nutritional side. I was in the Navy and it helped me to get into shape. While I was in I was the Fitness Enhancement Plan (FEP) Coordinator on my ship. Shortly after getting out I was working as a cashier at CVS when a store manager tried to recruit me to work at her GNC.
I started at the beginning of 2009 as a sales associate and I wanted to learn everything I could. I took the job seriously since I was recommending products that people put into their body so whenever I had down time I was researching the ingredients on every label until I understood how they worked. I fell in love with the science of it all and the more I read the more I wanted to learn.
Editorial Team: So how did you get from sales associate to running this company?
Risel: Well during my time with GNC, I worked for them off and on for about ten years, I was able to develop relationships with several of the companies that were on the shelves at GNC. MRI, Cellucor, Grenade, Performix, Ghost, New Chapter, etc. so I ended up working for Cellucor and was part of the team that grew them from a new brand on the shelves at GNC to the international powerhouse they are today with C4 Energy. I was with them before that product even existed!
After I left Cellucor I worked for a couple of the other brands and even got out of the industry for a while. My love for it brought me back to GNC where a co-worker and I talked about starting up a company one day. Later on down the road we connected again and we turned “one day” into let’s make this happen today! Almost three years later and here I am!
Editorial Team: That’s a crazy turn of events. What would you say was your favorite moment during that span?
Risel: It’s really hard to boil it down to one. In the past 16 years I have helped athletes of every caliber even Olympians and a legitimate prince one time so I have a lot to choose from.
I guess it was when I ran the booth for Cellucor at the Arnold back in 2014. Before the pandemic that place was a madhouse and we had the largest booth that year. Cellucor was probably the biggest name at the time so everyone on the team kind of felt like they had rockstar status.
Saturday is always the busiest day at the Arnold and we were slammed. I was working the crowd helping people with their purchases and explaining how the ingredients worked in the body and how to stack their products. The team noticed how well the customers were responding and impressed by how much I knew that they started sending everyone to me. It ended up getting me a promotion to work in different channels in the company!
That event had a big part in making Cellucor the company it is today and I played a large role of its success. So I guess if I had to choose just one, that would be my favorite moment!
Editorial Team: Let’s take a moment to talk about Peakform Nutrition, we see your tagline “Achieve Your Peak” and you guys talk about a tailored-made approach to nutrition, but what does that mean to people who are experiencing your brand for the first time?
Risel: Great question, so our philosophy here at Peakform Nutrition is that we don’t think people should have to conform to a one size fits all approach that a lot of the fitness industry will have you believe.
Not everyone wants that for themselves but they could benefit from better nutrition and enjoy a better quality of life. That is what we mean by “Achieve Your Peak”. Whether your goals are to be a professional athlete or just feel more energetic and be in better shape we can help shape a nutritional program using supplements to augment your diet and lifestyle. We don’t mean a vitamin pack but a true nutritional supplement program with your goals, diet, and lifestyle in mind.
Editorial Team: So how does the Gummy Multivitamin fit in?
Risel: So that comes down to the lifestyle portion that I was just talking about. A majority of supplements come in pills. Not everyone wants to take pills or take a boatload of pills on a daily basis, I know this from personal experience. My father bugged me for over a decade about a gummy version of a multivitamin. Lol.
This product gives people the option to make it easier to take a multivitamin and also it gives them a more on-the-go kind of option vs having to carry their vitamins in a pill container. It also helps that it tastes great too!
Editorial Team: So what else can we expect Peakform Nutrition in the near future?
Risel: We are ramping up with events for the rest of the year. We have partnerships with several sporting bodies so we are looking forward to working with IFBB, OCB, and USPC! I’m also excited to tell you that we have some more products dropping before the end of the year so look out for those!
Editorial Team: Is there anything else you want to add before we wrap up?
Risel: Sure! I know for a lot of people they may not know where to start. Just leave us a message on the site and we do free initial consultations to help you get on the right track. Our goal is to help you “Achieve Your Peak”!