What's in a name?

People often ask me where the name VALA came from and what it means. I’m a proud Welshy (full disclosure: I don’t speak Welsh) and I really wanted my brand to have a Welsh name. I spent a while searching online for a unique word that reflected the ethos of the brand. In the back of my mind were my favourite brands (apple, Nike, LANY) that have memorable one word names and minimal branding.

After experimenting with exercise-related translations, I decided to search for Welsh baby names. That’s when I stumbled across VALA - which is a girls name meaning ‘chosen’. Straight away, I felt a connection to this word.

As athletes, we choose how to fuel our bodies and I personally always believe in choosing natural foods as fuel. If we are honouring our bodies by exercising them and pushing them to the limits, the least we can do is provide them with unrefined and nourishing foods. I wanted athletes to be able to have the choice of a natural gel that tastes great and feels good going down. The word VALA represented all of this, not to mention it looks interesting with all of those peaks and valleys on the letters (another Welsh reference?). So there you have it. A little nugget of insight into the creation of VALA and the building of a brand.

Gem.