Elevator Talk: Shyft Energy, Drink H2O, Psilly Goose, Kaviva, Pink Palm

20:43Czar Daniolco:A crowded trade show floor is the hardest place to tell your story for the first time. Give the industry a head start by sharing your news early. Download the guide from BevNet CPG Media to learn how to reach buyers before the big show. Visit BevNet.com forward slash trade show. All right.

21:04Drink H2O:On to our next guest for this episode of Elevator Talk. We have DeeDee Short and Shane Beidler, who are the founder and chief operating officer, respectively, of Drink H2O. DeeDee, Shane, it's great to see you.

21:19Shyft Energy:Thanks for having us.

21:21Drink H2O:Thanks much for joining us on Elevator Talk today. Shane, how are you doing? I'm doing great. Thank you. Thank you. Drink H2O. I don't think there's going to be a lot of education required with this brand. I could be wrong. But Didi, tell us all about it.

21:35Shyft Energy:Well, I'm Didi Short, proud founder of Drink H2O. Here's the reality. In America, we use about 50 billion plastic bottles every year. And at the same time, 2.2 billion people globally still do not have access to clean drinking water. We have more water than we know what to do with, and parts of the world are still walking miles for it. That disconnect, it should bother us. So we built Drink H2O to prove something. The beverage industry doesn't just move products, it moves outcomes. We package crisp water and infinitely recyclable aluminum because hydration should not create permanent waste. And every 26 pallets that we sell funds a clean water well through our partner, Charity Water.

22:21Shyft Energy:Volume builds wells. Think about that for a second. If one small disciplined company can turn pallet movement into infrastructure, what could happen if the entire industry decided to align profit with measurable hope? We don't need new inventions. We need intention. And we don't need louder marketing. We need disciplined execution. We exist to turn everyday hydration into measurable hope. And I believe if we choose to, we could make clean water inevitable. Join the movement and check us out at www.anyonethirsty.com. We are offering water, offering hope. Cheers.

23:04Drink H2O:Cheers, indeed. I love your social focus. And, you know, I think water in cans is definitely something that we're seeing more of on the market. And being able to differentiate from one versus the other is difficult. But having a social mission could be a good way to get people interested in your brand versus others. Just in terms of your size and development, where are you? When did you launch? Where are you sold?

23:32Czar Daniolco:Yeah, we launched in 2024 in June. And we are winning our backyard. We're sold all over the North Idaho area into kind of eastern Washington. And then also we just got a little bit distribution down in L.A. and San Diego. We currently also have a government contract that we're working on out of Texas. So we're kind of trying to just put cans in hands and get people hydrated.

24:07Drink H2O:And price point per can?

24:10Czar Daniolco:It's around$1.69 to$2.69.

24:15Drink H2O:And these are for 16-ounce cans, is that right? Yes. You know, Zar, I was traveling last week, and I found myself going into convenience stores and at the airport retail stores. And I was thinking, why am I buying this plastic bottle? And then when I saw the option to buy one that was in an aluminum bottle or an aluminum can, I was reaching for that one instead. I feel like there's a trend shift happening right now. Do you see that as well? I mean, we got retailers, some here in LA,

24:46Pink Palm:really took their water aisle and got rid of anything that was plastic. And obviously, I love glass personally. You should see my recycle. uh, water, water bin, man. It's, uh, it's a bad habit, but, uh, I, I have made the choice myself and I, I, if, when I can refuse to drink out of plastic, if, if, if I, if I can help it, but yeah, we're seeing that shift, uh, in most retailers, um, where they can, uh, you know, plastic bottles though, they're there, they are, it's, it's a, it's a big, it's a big undertaking. Uh, they're, I mean, I'm a distributor. It's even hard for me to look at my business.

25:24Pink Palm:So we have a lot of awesome products in plastic still, you know, unfortunately. But where we can make the change and where we could vote with our dollars, I think people definitely will trade up to better packaging.

25:39Drink H2O:Well, what would give you confidence? What would get you excited about a brand like Drink H2O such that you would swap perhaps a bottle to order that brand that you have that's in plastic and say, hey, you know what, we're going to give Drink H2 a shot. I mean, I think, you know, for me,

25:55Pink Palm:water is one of those interesting ones where like, you know, people don't, I think people don't think that water has a specific taste and it actually does it, right? Like the different kinds of water taste different. And so for me, I like natural water personally. I like natural spring water. I like mineral water, but that's my preference. I'm not saying that, you know, I wouldn't purchase other types of water, but I like, I start my quest there when I'm looking for hydration and water. I like to know that it's naturally sourced. I like to, I think there's great wells across this world with very life-giving water.

26:40Pink Palm:I love Deanne's like hope in a bottle story. And I wish nothing but success to you guys because it's crazy. Was it 2.2 billion people without water? Is that way or have a hard time getting access to water?

26:57Shyft Energy:Yeah.

26:58Pink Palm:That's wild. That's a wild plan.

27:00Shyft Energy:It's wrong. It's really wrong. It's 2026 now. And you're like, wait, how is that possible?

27:07Pink Palm:I mean, when you spoke about your project here, I think what I was hearing was, we don't need new equipment. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. I think there's a lot to that. Um, but yeah, I think, uh, at the end of the day, water is everywhere and it shouldn't be that people don't have, have, have, you know, can't get access to it. And then when you talk about plastic that, you know, that's a whole, it's like, it's almost like there's two missions there.

27:43Shyft Energy:it is but it's like a like the perfect circle you know i i think it's you know we want to we consume water so let's give water back and then you know we have a responsibility for this planet you know to take care of it so the next generations get to enjoy it the way we do you know so i don't know and i i believe like man if one company can make an impact you know i believe

28:06Pink Palm:others would follow suit and we'd have a little bit of a better world with life that's what we're looking for life. Where's the liquid life?

28:15Drink H2O:Shane, when you're out there selling the brands to retailers, what's getting them excited? What part of your message, what part of your pitch is really resonating with them?

28:28Czar Daniolco:A big part of it is the message of hope that we bring, offering water, offering hope, but also the fact that Zara kind of touched on this, that it's water from a well, 600 feet deep reverse osmosis charcoal filter and then put in a can it's simple it's clean it's not we don't have to educate people on what good water should be um but yeah we'd have to because often

28:52Pink Palm:the water that's in there and unfortunately i think you have to right like the yeah you know the greedy corporations that are very scaled up and are putting the plastic in our oceans and in our world, they're for profit and only for profit. And so, and they're, they're, you know, they got the machine, the media machine. So I think there is, you know, if people knew that it wasn't municipal water put in a plastic bottle, I think it, it helps make the choice to, to, to get, you know, well water naturally filtered. And then on top of it, sounds like you have some other filtration process to just, you know, make it taste good and keep containment, containment out.

29:34Pink Palm:So I think that education is still needed, Shane, unfortunately. I want to agree with you, but I think people really need education on water. That's what I was saying. There's so many different sources of water, and water's being re-engineered as we speak. I mean, people are oxygenating and people are, you know, doing different things to it, infusing it. And, and so there is there is there is a business there. And there are big businesses in water. You know, if outside of our country, some of the water companies in other parts of the world are like the biggest businesses in other countries, which is kind of wild when you think about it, like, you know, there's, I think in China, water is one of the biggest businesses, even more so than soda, alcohol, or other categories of beverage.

30:33Drink H2O:Interesting. Yeah, I never knew that. And I would assume it's sold in multi-packs, and that was going to be my question for Didi and Shane. By the way, is it Didi's or Deanne?

30:46Shyft Energy:My Didi. Call me Didi. Okay.

30:49Drink H2O:I assume people call you both because in my notes, I have DD on your Zoom screen here, you have DN, but anywho. I think a lot of water is sold in six packs, 12 packs, 24 packs. And I certainly, when I'm buying for a group or have a party or even when I'm buying for myself, I'm usually buying more than one. How much of your business is focused on multi-packs versus a single serve?

31:18Czar Daniolco:Multipack, for sure. We are getting ready to drop 12 packs and single cans at events, obviously. We do a lot of events.

31:30Drink H2O:Yeah, and I think that's a smart move. And this might sound, I don't know, what was our can answer this, but selling on Amazon where a lot of water is sold, a lot of beverages are sold in multipacks. I wonder how much of that impacts awareness and trial and just, you know, getting the word out to retailers and distributors about potential success. I mean, Zar, how much we're out of time here, but how much, you know, does online success matter to you as a distributor or to brick and mortar stores?

32:01Pink Palm:You know, for me as a distributor, it doesn't mean a whole lot, but I think for the brand, it does mean a lot. And I think, you know, Ray, with a project like this, I think, you know, So I think the simple idea that the more cans that you can get out there, the better you're moving the mission forward, right? And so whether that's Amazon or through retail, the idea is getting people to switch from plastic to something more sustainable. And I think that is accomplished with online sales. So yeah, however you can move that product, I think you move the chains down the field.

32:37Drink H2O:Excellent feedback and advice, Zara. Thank you so much. And thank you, Didi and Shane, for an outstanding conversation here on Elevator Talk. I really appreciate it. As I mentioned to Vish, please stay in touch. Let us know if we can help in any way. Also, I love the URL, anyonethirsty.com. I feel like that's a great tagline, anyone thirsty? Well, we got some for K2O here. Fantastic stuff.

32:59Shyft Energy:Thank you.

33:00Drink H2O:Great start to the show. Let's keep it going with our next guests, Stephanie Royale and Jake Millman, the co-founders of Silly Goose. stephanie jake it's great to see you great to see you great to be here thank you and it's silly with a p p s i l l y goose i love it tell us all about what you do silly goose we are not we are

33:25Shyft Energy:non-alcoholic beverages powered by plants and mushrooms that actually get you buzzed

33:29Czar Daniolco:yeah we have two two products so far we're going based on feel states we're trying to trying to change up the game a little bit instead of focusing so much on ingredients we want to deliver feel states to our customers so we currently have two products one is called silly and the other one is euphoria silly uses kana as its main active ingredient that you can see here uh and kana is gives delivers this very nice euphoric uplifting feeling it's non-addictive uh it's actually good for you you can drink it daily and then and it acts on the serotonin

34:08Shyft Energy:receptor so it's actually mood mood boosting and euphoric and you can actually feel a change in

34:14Czar Daniolco:your mood and happiness right it's not just a functional beverage so we saw a real gap in the market between functional beverages and then alcohol which people were trying to use functional to replace alcohol but it just wasn't giving that effect so we wanted to deliver feel states that actually gave you this buzz, actually gave you this uplifting feeling. And then our other product, Euphoria, it's basically the same Lion's Mane, Kana, and then Delta 9 THC as well. So we are also in the THC space, but we're not a THC company. That is just one of the feel states that we deliver.

34:54Drink H2O:Outstanding. And you're based in LA, right?

34:56Shyft Energy:We are.

34:57Drink H2O:Where are you sold in LA at this point?

35:00Shyft Energy:So we are predominantly online. We have TikTok, Amazon, our website, we have affiliate going, we have basically every digital channel. And then we do have some online retailers as well, like Soberish and a bunch of other e-commerce marketplaces. And we are in some individual physical stores as well through Air Goods and Fair. And we're currently working on some different distribution potential partnerships.

35:26Drink H2O:Awesome. Just out of curiosity, well, I guess it's my, it's my job to ask not out of curiosity, but with Silly Goose, where is your most effective online platform? You know, are you selling a lot on TikTok? Are you, you know, finding a lot of success on, you know, some other digital platforms?

35:46Czar Daniolco:Yeah, well, we did just launch about two months ago. So we are quite new. So far, Meta has been the biggest sales driver. We are actually in the process of launching on TikTok. We just launched a few days ago. So we're starting to see that get momentum quickly. We are on Amazon as well and starting to see that build momentum quickly as well. So we are actually second time founders is our second time doing this. So we knew the channels to go down. We know where we need to push on to generate that revenue to get profitable. The goal is to get profitable within our first year, and then we are going to be rapidly scaling up.

36:27Shyft Energy:And we also know that in order to have true success in retail, you need to have the online brand awareness and identity. So people, you could help support the velocity in the stores. So we're going super hard on our organic channels as well. We're literally out in the streets doing taste testing events sampling all those kinds of things uh we actually just had our first sampling event in miami and we were only planning on sampling the drinks and people came back to us with their bringing their friends telling us how telling them how amazing it was asking us to buy the drinks and we were actually not prepared for that we thought this was just going to be a sampling thing so we're like you know we're not going to turn down sales so we're switched to sales yeah

37:07Czar Daniolco:We sold out in like two hours. Yeah. And because people were coming back five, six times, they're bringing their friends. It was something really, honestly, incredible to witness, like true word of mouth marketing. People love the brand. They love the taste. We've been told it's the best product on the market in terms of taste.

37:27Shyft Energy:It tastes amazing. And, you know, everyone wants to be a silly goose. The world needs more silliness, more play in the world. and we're doing that through non-alcoholic drinks that make you feel good. When you feel good, you show up better in the world and everyone needs a little bit of that right now. So the cultural timing and relevance of this brand is just like, is very synergistic right now.

37:52Drink H2O:You know, you said a lot there and I agree with a lot of what you said. I feel like there are a lot of people looking for this type of beverage or beverages, you know, the THC infused and non-THC infused, but at the end of the day, you got to get someone to help you sell your product. And Hey, we have a guy who's here with us today. Not just a guy, a legend. Zara, you know, what do you think of this, this, this, you know,

38:16Pink Palm:I want to try it for a while. I want to be silly. I had a question on the Kana has that, and you don't have to say competitors if they, if, if I wouldn't, but has it been done in a beverage before? I, I, cause I haven't seen. No, we're the first major commercial. I might lead with that if I was you. Yeah, we meant to. He's like, Ray and I have seen it all. We think that I, Ray, have you seen it? I don't think I've seen a beverage with Kana in it.

38:48Drink H2O:I believe there was a brand, I'm blanking on the name of it. I believe it's called Inner Bloom. I think that's the name of it. And they're based in San Diego. We met them last year at our San Diego meetup. They're also pretty brand new. So, yeah. Yeah.

39:03Shyft Energy:Yeah. Well, we've we've done a bunch of research. I think I did see one. I also forget the name, but they didn't look like they had a lot of marketing behind them. And again, like you don't remember the name. We feel like we're the first like to really put it out there and have a lot of, you know, drive behind the brand.

39:20Czar Daniolco:Yeah, we're going pretty major commercial. We're funded. We raised about$2 million. We're really trying to make this the next major category. This non-alcoholic infused category we think is the next major wave in beverage. kind of we want to do what liquid death did for water in the alcohol space we want to offer this alcohol alternative that fits in with wherever alcohol is sold so we are positioning ourselves as an alcohol replacement versus like a functional drink

40:00Drink H2O:and i think that is extremely important is to figure out how you want to position yourself because it's going to help you with your pitch and talking to the retailers that you want to be in about how you're marketing to end consumers. Certainly, I would drink Silly Goose as an alcohol replacement if I'm not drinking alcohol. But I think the day part use could be a little varied. Zarr, do you think that Stephanie and Jake are on the right track and sort of staying in that lane as an alcohol replacement? or do you think there's broader opportunity?

40:39Pink Palm:I think they should stay in that lane. I think the adult NA category is very fragmented as alcohol licks are. I mean, there's guys that drink only beer. There's guys that are cocktail guys. There's bourbon guys. And so it's hard. There's wine people, right? So it's hard to address kind of in general an alternative for adult NA. I think what I like about their strategy though, Ray, is that they aren't stuck in THC or Delta 9 only, because I think that has its inherent challenge.

41:17Psilly Goose:Yeah, difficulties.

41:19Pink Palm:And we've been watching the dam kind of for probably over a decade, and it's been hard. It's been hard for the CBD guys. And so I think those are some of the challenges. Also, when I asked if it was in any other beverages, I think part of what will be hard that you should get ready for in retail is, you know, once we, if retailers aren't familiar, um, sometimes they like to, to wait a little bit. I mean, we're seeing this even with Kava, um, where it's like, you know, an old ancient, I mean, I'm, I'm from the Pacific islands, like we, you know, it's, but it's still like some retailers are still uncomfortable with it.

41:57Pink Palm:And I think there's, there's a, there's a little bit of a challenge there but i like how you split your aces um with ingredients and and again i'm very curious on the kana and how um how it how it makes you feel yeah it's it honestly it

42:14Shyft Energy:feels great and we are trying to support that education with online education as well and when we do get into retail we want to start with specific markets and support those markets with demos and really master that and then do it for the markets that are our consumer data supporting go that way and then we do the national rollout but we've seen with our other brand too what it takes to succeed in retail and it is demo support and it is promotions and it is having boots on the ground there so we are prepared to do that for the markets that we enter and since we live in LA we would love to hit that market first since it's such a health conscious market that is a lot of people are familiar with Kana and a lot of people aren't, you know, some people still don't know what Lion's main is and are going to ask us if it's psychedelic, you know?

43:00Shyft Energy:So there, there's, is going to be that challenge, but we do know how to approach it. And it is with education and just being like really out there with the brand. So we want to start in LA, potentially Miami, potentially New York after, uh, hit it that way and then do the national rollout.

43:15Drink H2O:And what's the price point per can you're, you're in a 12 ounce slim can.

43:19Shyft Energy:Yeah, we're in a 12-ounce sleek, and we are$8 a can, six on subscription.

43:24Drink H2O:Okay. And I'm assuming when you are trying to make that and you are already in some retail stores, is it in the cold case or are you on the Ambien shelf?

43:32Shyft Energy:They are displaying it in their own way. So we're in some non-alc stores that are just kind of with the different non-alc beverages. Mostly Ambien. Yeah, mostly Ambien. I mean, it doesn't have to have cold storage. It obviously tastes better cold, but we can just ship at Ambien. Yeah.

43:47Drink H2O:And I think if you can get that cold case next to alternative alcoholic beverages, I think that's probably where you want to be. Again, we're out of time. But Zar, any bits of advice for anyone listening and anyone participating in today's episode on how to get into that cold box? What's going to get that retail buyer, that merchandiser excited about putting your brand in their cold case?

44:11Pink Palm:I think it's having something unique. I think it's having a founder that is willing to put themselves out there and demo and do the uncomfortable things and really kind of get those retailers excited about bringing in something new.

44:27Drink H2O:Great advice. Man, I hate when we're out of time because I feel like there's another at least 15 minutes where I can speak to you guys, but we'll continue this conversation.

44:35Pink Palm:Also, you can contact me and you guys can find me.

44:38Shyft Energy:I've already DM'd you when we first hopped on.

44:42Drink H2O:I love it. I love it.

44:44Pink Palm:These are long conversations. Yes. Yeah. I think Ray really sets it up nicely where, you know, they're, they're good questions and, and, you know, this is, this is kind of the playbook that you guys will be venturing to. So, yeah, absolutely.

44:58Drink H2O:Well, I'm glad that you guys are proactive and getting in touch with Zara. And I think anyone who's participated in this show or watching or listening should do the same. And I know, I know Zara's going to be like, Hey Ray, I have 600 messages in my inbox now. You really did me on this one, didn't you? But no, the more people that you can talk to and not necessarily talk to every day, but just the different kinds of feedback and advice and insights you can get from as many people as possible, the better, especially in this industry. So I'm glad that you guys are already in touch. In the meantime, please stay in touch with us.

45:33Drink H2O:Reach out anytime. And I'd love to see how we can support you guys on your journey. But thank you so much again for joining us on Elevator Talk today. Really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thanks for having us. All right. Up next on Elevator Talk, we have Spencer McManus, who is the owner of Kaviva. Spencer, it's great to see you. Great to see you too, Ray. Zar, same to you. How are you all doing? Doing well, doing well. Excited to talk about another beverage that's all about that chill, that sort of moment of sort of end of the day, perhaps. And yeah, yeah. Yeah, tell us all about Kaviva.

46:11Ray Latif:Yeah, it's not too dissimilar to the Silly Goose beverage. So it's good that we float right into it. Zara, you even mentioned kava. That's the hero ingredient in Kaviva. So it's a non-alcoholic kava seltzer. It's functional. It's an alcohol replacement. It's a relaxer at the end of the day. In 2022, I made a list of all the good things in my life on one sheet of paper and all the bad things on the other side. And every single thing on the bad list directed or was directly linked with alcohol, whether it was weight, exercise, money, girls, whatever it was. And I was like, there's got to be a better solution.

46:48Ray Latif:Like humankind has to have something better. I'm sure Steph and Jake had the same thought. And I found Kava. I was playing rugby here in Austin and my Fijian teammates. Yeah, we were mixing in like a Home Depot bucket after a match. and I was like, I want y 'all to really give me the real experience here. And so had a quite a few shells. And then I stood up and was like, all right, that's, that is what I want to feel, um, on a Saturday afternoon or on a Friday evening. And so started mixing into my kitchen and here we are two and a half years later.

47:23Drink H2O:Outstanding. And, uh, in my notes, uh, you're going to be in a bunch of stores and a pretty big retailer. Are you already in those stores?

47:30Ray Latif:That's right. We're not in those stores yet, but I figured today would be the day that I share that. So we'll be going into about a hundred Albertsons, Albertsons, Randall's, Tom Thumbs across the state of Texas in March, and it'll roll out throughout the spring and summer, but yeah, really excited. This is our first national retailer. So it's going to be a perfect opportunity for us to learn how to roll it out successfully. You know, there are multiple sales that happen, right in this game you have to sell it to Albertsons and then you have to sell it to the customer through Albertsons so we're really excited for that we've done samplings hundreds of times across over the years at different small markets here in Austin and LA wherever we've been Tampa and so yeah we're ready to you know do the nitty-gritty things and chop wood carry water as we say and get it done chop wood carry water block and tackle liquid to lips it's all it's all those things it's all it's all the same yeah yeah uh before we get to zara i just want to ask you

48:33Drink H2O:know in those albertson stores do you know where you're going to be merchandised and for what price

48:36Ray Latif:point i'm going to be in the alcohol section so they're going to create a non-alcoholic shelf basically next to like non-alcoholic wines and probably some other functionals as well we're going to be sold as a four pack just like this but it will be single flavor four packs at

48:53Drink H2O:$19.99 so all right yeah yep you know kava is an interesting ingredient because we've seen kava over the years and there i know you you have as well like i remember i saw kava shots probably like 15 years ago and there was some concern around the ingredient and it seems like it's a bit more of an accepted ingredient, certainly not mainstream yet, but people in the know, particularly in the natural industry, are seemingly more interested in kava. And a kava and soda, kind of an interesting concept.

49:26Ray Latif:Yeah. Yeah. I just, I basically made what I wanted to drink. So it's sparkling. We use real fruit juice, which truly comes out in the flavor. I think if I had experience in the industry, I wouldn't have done that for margin reasons and pasteurization reasons. So I'm, I'm the only one that I know of that uses real fruit juice. Um, and like I said, I think you can really tell, um, you know, the blueberry lemonade, you can tell there's blueberry juice in there. Um, yeah. And then six grams of sugar, just honestly copied what Poppy was doing at the time two years ago. And I was like, they probably paid millions of dollars to figure that out.

50:01Ray Latif:So sounds good to me. Um, and, uh, yeah, we've gotten great feedback, consistently across different channels, different store types, different cities. People come back for Kaviva typically because they actually feel the buzz. They feel that mouth tingle that's very well known for fans of Kava. And then they feel the relaxation by the end of the first can. And last thing I'll say, that was really important to me when I was formulating this was, if someone doesn't get a buzz by the end of the first can, they're not going to have a second. It's not alcohol where you're going to keep drinking. And so I had tried a bunch of non-alcoholics, didn't feel anything, and it's like pretty frustrating.

50:43Ray Latif:And so we're the strongest on the market that I know of. And that's pretty consistent feedback, whether it's on Amazon or from the clerk at the market down the street.

50:57Drink H2O:Well, Zar, I mentioned this is a concept that interests me. And again, you did mention Kava earlier. Is this a product that you'd reach for personally? And is this something where, you know, an ingredient that you believe in as a potential, you know, trend, or at least as a potential part of functional ingredients in the future?

51:18Pink Palm:Yes. Yes, on both, right? I mean, I'm Pacific Islander, so I'm well aware of it. And I think it's a beautiful plant. And, you know, I think it has some definite health attributes to it. I think there are some challenges around it, as we've seen, right? I think retailers are still, certain retailers are uncomfortable with it. And I think, you know, the more brands doing the work that you're doing, Spencer, the more education that gets out there, I think that they will eventually get comfortable with it. I mean, it says a lot that Albertsons is taking a chance on this, I think, right? Right. And so that's a huge bet.

51:59Pink Palm:And the Albertsons guys are definitely trying to be cutting edge. And I think by making moves like this, they're demonstrating that they are willing to take some chances. And it's good to see. It's good to hear that, actually. Because I know some retailers here in LA that won't touch it still. And I won't say a name, but they're the retailers that people would go looking for Cava drink at. so we've seen some frustration around that along with other ingredients that are great right I think that we are battling companies dollars too right there's the you know who do some of this education and and so it's it's a tough game but I think we're leading with taste and efficacy the two things that are really important Spencer in this space that's right and we actually got

52:52Ray Latif:in with a distributor in Los Angeles earlier this year, and we're already moving a pallet a week and with, and seeing reorders. So we expect that to increase and I'm not even boots on the ground there. So, um, it's actually something I wanted to talk to you all about the balance of like moving too fast or moving too slow. You know, Kava hasn't had its moment necessarily like THC maybe has, but the whole functional industry, like each ingredient is going to have their moment at some point. Like I want to make sure that Kaviva and Kava are ready for that when it happens. And so, yeah, I'm bootstrapped.

53:31Ray Latif:So I've, I've raised about a little under 200 ,000 from friends and family over the last two and a half years. And you know, it's a, it's a daily internal struggle on, should I go raise a seed round or should I just drive, drive, drive at Albertsons and then raise after that. And like, you know, balancing that's an interesting challenge to be transparent. Dar, want to weigh in?

53:54Pink Palm:Yeah. You see it. It's a hard balance. I think you have the authorization with Albertsons. If it was me, I would probably look to that test to help maybe raise some capital around that. I think you're going to get some trial. You're going to get some awareness. It is one of the biggest retailers in the country, although you're not going into all the banners, it's a big test for you and for the brand and for Kava. So I think it may lead to, you know, you raising some capital or may help you raise some capital with that activation, with that approval.

54:34Drink H2O:You know, you talked about LA and Texas or us more specifically. Are there any other parts of the country where you feel like there's a thirst for Kava, that there's enough awareness and interest in the ingredient where Kaviva could be a brand that people are interested in.

54:50Ray Latif:Yeah, absolutely. So Tampa, Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, that area is just a huge just Kava centric city. It's fairly saturated. I was there in January and checking out the market. There are other Kava brands down there. So I don't want that to be a city where I enter the market without my full force and full effort behind it. There are other markets that I'm more willing to step into without making a huge investment. Those might be Miami, Colorado, Denver, Salt Lake City, Utah, and then Brooklyn, New York, back to what you were saying, does have a little bit of a hippie connotation to it.

55:37Ray Latif:I've heard that Kava brands can do quite well there. So those are the places that I'm looking. But at the same time, if I can dominate Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, we're going to be just fine, right? There's a ton of TAM there. Of course, San Diego is close to LA, similar customer, and San Francisco as well. So those are the big cities on my mind. It's just about doing it smartly and responsibly, yet not slowing down my my product like it's just it's selling off the shelves wherever it goes so um yeah

56:16Drink H2O:let's use another overused line in the beverage industry inch wide mile deep right you know that's it you want to be go deep where you are currently are for sure exactly not be distracted by all the other cities out there but it seems like there is a real desire for and uh excitement for kava in multiple parts of the US. I would love to try your product. I can't recall if you've sent samples to our office. Have you, Spencer?

56:40Ray Latif:I don't think so, but you can consider them on the way.

56:44Drink H2O:Okay, thank you very much. And maybe Zar would like to sip on a can or two. It certainly sounds like he'd love to try the product. Would love to, Spencer, if you could send me some. Absolutely, let's do it. Fantastic. Well, Spencer, thank you so much for taking the time. I'm really excited for your brand. And I'm really excited that Zar is excited because he's definitely more influential than I am. And so I think you're onto something here, my friend.

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58:23Drink H2O:All right, on to our final guest for this episode of Elevator Talk. We have Corey Davis, who's the founder of Pink Palm. Corey, it's great to see you. Thank you. Great to be here. Thanks so much for your patience. But you know what they say, you save the best for less. And Pink Palm, I'm excited to hear about your brand. Tell us all about what you do.

58:41Psilly Goose:So Pink Palm is a tequila brand out of the Midwest. The goal was to actually have a tequila brand without the harsh burn of when you have tequila or when you have a mixed cocktail that it doesn't overpower the mix that you actually have. So that was the goal in making Pink Pong.

59:02Drink H2O:In terms of what you sell, I'm seeing it's the note in my notes is it's not just tequila. It's a destination in a glass designed to pair through spirits, mixers and bold cocktail finishes. So, you know, exactly what is Pink Palm? Is it a mixer? Is it a brand platform or a product platform?

59:23Psilly Goose:Don't know. We are a tequila brand. We have Blanco, Reposado, Rosado, and Anejo. We will be launching cocktail mixes later on down the line, but right now our goal is focused on strictly the tequila itself. Gotcha.

59:41Drink H2O:You know, it's interesting when you talk about tequila brands and, you know, just alcohol in general. It feels like the opportunity is at least based on what we're hearing from, you know, mainstream media that less people are consuming this, these types of products. So you really have to stand out in a differentiated way. How do you feel like, you know, you're able to get the word out or how do you want to get the word out about ping pong, you know, and how it's different from other brands out there?

1:00:10Psilly Goose:Well, it really boils down to the taste exactly. You know, some people want to have it strictly over ice, but, you know, having that harsh burn behind it may deter some people with it. And then again, having it with the cocktail mix where it's too strong and it's so strong that you can't even enjoy the cocktail, even if it's mixed. So that's the goal of Pink Palm, to be able to have it either way, but to still be able to enjoy it to the fullest, whether it's a celebration, whether it's you're on vacation, but you can still go back to Pink Palm and think about that great drink that you had during that time frame.

1:00:51Drink H2O:And you just launched, is that right?

1:00:53Psilly Goose:So we are in active conversations with retailers. We're trying to figure out what's going to be the best retailer for us. We don't want to just jump out and be so national and oversaturated where we're lost amongst all the tequilas. So the goal is to kind of be the little engine that could, as you would say.

1:01:14Drink H2O:Zara, I know, you know, obviously your focus and specialty is in non-alc. But since we talked about, you know, a lot of non-alcohol, excuse me, alcohol alternatives, I feel like, you know, the advice for up and coming and emerging alcohol brands is kind of similar in that you got to figure out a way to reach that consumer, that legal drinking age consumer, where they are in terms of their life and lifestyles. You know, with Pink Palm, I feel like it's sort of a beachy kind of vibe, sort of like that Caribbean kind of feel. But going back to how to market a brand and how really to get interest and excitement from that end consumer, is it about the marketing?

1:01:54Drink H2O:And in your experiences in general, for a brand like this, how much do you lean on the marketing versus this just tastes better or tastes different than what you've already experienced?

1:02:05Pink Palm:I think you start with the taste because it seems like that's what Corey is. That's their main differentiation is a smoother tequila, right? Right. And I'm curious how you make that smoother, Corey. That was one of my questions. But I think to answer Ray's question, I think you lean on taste and you start where you have the most captivated audience. I think, Corey, like whether that's your hometown, your backyard or like the other brand that was on earlier, you know, in the library, he's a student. Right. So kind of start with your community, I guess. and then, you know, and sort of turn the marketing on there.

1:02:45Pink Palm:One, I think it's a little bit more tangible, Ray, than like I think alcohol is, you know, the alcohol brands are, most of them are very, you know, well-established and well-funded, right? So a new entrant into the tequila space is definitely a huge undertaking and a huge challenge. It sounds like Corey's up for the challenge, but yeah, I would lean into what community you have, Corey, and lean really into the taste and try to use that crowd, that audience as the sounding board for your marketing.

1:03:27Drink H2O:In terms of your social presence, I see so many new brands come to market every day and a lot of new alcoholic beverage brands come to market. And a lot of times it's really flash over substance and you can kind of see through some of the marketing that is just about the party or good looking people at a bar or what have you. But when it comes to your social marketing strategy, how do you want to communicate what you're all about to that audience and to that target consumer? And I guess I should ask, who is your target consumer?

1:04:05Psilly Goose:So when it comes to putting the word out in a message, it's definitely going to be heavily relied on the partnerships that we have. So with us working with retailers, it'll be the in-store activations as far as the tastings and getting that feedback and, you know, making sure that people really understand why we're actually there as well as in the bars, you know, with the bartenders. We want to make sure that they actually have a good story to tell. And then it's a true story as far as the actual drink itself. We don't want it to just be like a one hit wonder. We don't want it to just be a one drink and go.

1:04:41Psilly Goose:We want it to be something very lasting as far as memories. We don't want it to just be a one and done. We want someone to continue to come back and say, hey, do you have that on your shelves? You know, that's the goal, longevity.

1:04:56Drink H2O:And going back to your target consumer, is it folks who are, I assume, already familiar with tequila, but, you know, are they sort of on the younger side of legal drinking age or a bit older?

1:05:09Psilly Goose:I definitely would say someone is a bit older, but it could still, you know, refer to those that are just turning 21 and they're on spring break. And so they're having that drink by the pool or what have you. So it's I think it's kind of all across the board. Anyone that loves tequila, that's the major part of it. If you're a tequila drinker, you're definitely going to enjoy it. Maybe if you're a different type of connoisseur as far as alcohol, maybe not so much.

1:05:39Drink H2O:one of my favorite times in the Boston area is not necessarily the time I'm in right now which is mid-February when there's a blizzard outside but you know in June or July when you were able to get out on the water and everyone's having a good time and you have a can in your hand because canned cocktails tequilas and sodas things like that they're really portable they're really easy to you know to drink you don't necessarily need to pay as much perhaps as a mixed drink I feel like they're a really big opportunity for emerging brands, but you know, Zara, you think it might be sort of taking your eye off the ball at this stage of Pink Palm if Corey were to say, hey, let's, you know, test out a canned cocktail, a tequila and soda.

1:06:23Drink H2O:Do you think it's too early for that?

1:06:25Pink Palm:No, I don't. I think that, I think, Corey, you may, since your whole premise is a smoother tequila, I think there may be another product line that Ray's kind of hinting to an RTP potentially. I think what it does is it throws a bigger net, Corey. And that's usually not a bad idea, Ray. A lot of times you don't know where the consumer is really looking, right? And we have seen a lot of people like go to non-alb, but the people that are continuing to consume alcohol, we're seeing a lot of that cocktail hour, that cocktail occasion being made more portable and ready to drink, especially at venues and outdoor events and places where you can't have glass.

1:07:26Pink Palm:and places where, quite frankly, you can't put a full bar and start mixing stuff. So I think it's not a bad idea, Ray. And I don't know if Corey's considered that, but I think it's something to, you know, in the never give up world, Corey, if you hit roadblocks with straight tequila and, you know, the aged and, you know, the regular forms of tequila people are used to, I think it's not a bad idea actually to consider an RTD because you may be able to get that smooth experience that you're wanting to put out there in an RTD. Maybe how you would enjoy it or how people around you are enjoying the tequila.

1:08:12Pink Palm:Maybe take a look around that and see if you can't come up with a recipe for an RTD.

1:08:19Drink H2O:Yeah, is something like that in the works, Corey?

1:08:22Psilly Goose:Down the line, it is. I'm not sure how further down the line, but that is something that I have taken into consideration.

1:08:30Drink H2O:Well, Corey, I'm excited to try your tequila and would love to try some whenever you're available to share it with us. Consider it in the mail. Oh, okay. Good. Good. Just make sure you spell Ray correctly. Otherwise, you know, somebody else is going to be like, no, that actually says David on it. You know, this stuff gets stolen all the time in the office by my colleagues. So yes, just please remember, you know, R-A-Y-L-A-T-I-F. That's all you need to know. Sounds good. Corey, thank you so much for joining us today. Really appreciate you taking the time. Really appreciate you sending samples. And if there's anything we can help with, just let us know.

1:09:06Psilly Goose:Thank you so much for your time today.

1:09:09Drink H2O:Thank you. Zahar, another action-packed episode of Elevator Talk. I just love the breadth of diversity in every which way in this episode. You know, we're seeing a lot of different products that are using interesting ingredients, a lot of different approaches to, you know, categories that are big and established. And, you know, a lot of different excitement or ways that, you know, these brands and these founders are exciting the community. I'm, you know, it's so fun to be part of this industry. And I know it's really, really tough, but, you know, the enthusiasm is what keeps it going, what keeps us coming back, I think.

1:09:52Pink Palm:Right. That's right, Ray. No, I feel the same way. And I would just say this never gets old, man. I mean, you know, even if the ingredients have been done, even if categories have, you know, have had success, I think we continue to see people challenge status quo. We continue to see new variations, new iterations. Like we said earlier, you know, categories and ingredients coming together to create new categories is something that keeps me waking up and keeps me excited and keeps, you know, keeps us on these calls. And I guess it gives us something to do, right? But I really appreciate you having me on this.

1:10:33Pink Palm:This was fun. And again, I'm sure like you, this is kind of the funnest part of my job. So anytime, glad to be on.

1:10:41Drink H2O:Thank you so much. It absolutely is. You're going to be at Expo West, right? Absolutely. We'll be there. Okay. Terrific. Well, for folks listening or watching and for obviously everyone who's joining us as an entrepreneur on this episode, what's the best way to get in contact with you and the team at High Touch Libations?

1:11:00Pink Palm:I would say LinkedIn. Hit me on LinkedIn. Just my name, Zarr, Zarr Danielko on LinkedIn, or our website, hightouchdsd.com. Perfect, perfect.

1:11:11Drink H2O:Well, Zara, I'm going to bug you again really soon to join us again for another episode of Elevator Talk because you're just the best. And I really appreciate you offering as much feedback and advice as you have today. So thank you again for that. Anytime, Ray. It was fun. Thank you. And thanks so much to all the founders who joined us today. Thanks to everyone watching or listening. And thanks to our amazing team at BevNet, Nosh, and Taste Radio, the best in the business. Signing off for everyone, I'm Ray Latif. and we'll talk to you next time.

1:11:48Drink H2O:Hey folks, it's Ray with Taste Radio. Right now, I'm honored to be sitting down with Jessica Wellnitz, who is the Business Development Director for Bay State Milling. Jessica, it's great to see you.

1:11:59Shyft Energy:Nice to see you as well.

1:12:01Drink H2O:So just to start off, could you just give us a quick overview of Bay State Milling and your role at the company?

1:12:07Shyft Energy:You bet. But Baystate Milling is nearly a 127-year-old family-owned company with active involvement from its fifth-generation owners, and I actually have the pleasure of working with one every day. Over the past decade, we've been on a purposeful journey to help build a better food system through next-generation plant-based ingredients like HealthSense high-fiber wheat flour. In my role as business development director, I focus on identifying and unlocking opportunities with legacy and emerging brands as well as manufacturers, helping bring better for you, higher fiber wheat-based products to market, and ultimately helping consumers rediscover wheat in a more meaningful way.

1:12:57Drink H2O:Well, it's really important to have a great relationship with your supplier partners, especially if you're an early stage brand. So how do you work with emerging brands when, say, they're zero to two years in? What does that relationship look like?

1:13:14Shyft Energy:Well, it's one thing I'm very passionate about. We work with emerging brands across wheat-based food applications, supporting them from early ideation all the way through formulation. product development, and scale-up. But we don't approach these relationships as ingredient sellers. We focus on providing solutions. And that means hands-on formulation guidance, problem solving, and connecting brands to the right manufacturing and supply chain partners to really help them grow. What's truly unique about Bay State Milling is that we show up. We pick up the phone when emerging brands call, even when they're small or unsure of their next step.

1:13:59Shyft Energy:Many founders struggle to get attention from large manufacturers early on, and that's where our deep, long-standing network becomes a real advantage. We can open doors, make trusted introductions, and help brands navigate scale.

1:14:16Drink H2O:Some brands grow faster than others. And in this day and age, you don't necessarily know when one brand is just going to break out or take off. For those brands that are growing really fast and scaling rapidly, how do you work with those folks when they are facing so much demand and so much potential to grow?

1:14:35Shyft Energy:Yeah, we understand the urgency that emerging brands are under. many founders are early in their journey, not yet profitable and under pressure to prove their concept quickly. So our goal is to help them move fast without cutting corners. And through our technical expertise and trusted partner network, we help brands refine products efficiently, and we help connect them with manufacturers that can support them at their current size and scale with them over time. We maintain a network of manufacturing partners who can work with brands when they're really small, as well as partners who can step in as volume grows.

1:15:22Shyft Energy:Along the way, we really support trials, we provide ingredients, and we invest our time and knowledge to help brands build products that are both scalable and sustainable.

1:15:34Drink H2O:I know you've given a lot of advice on ways that brands can enhance their relationship with Baystate Milling. But if there's one particular thing that you can isolate that would be really helpful for listeners to know about partnering with Baystate Milling, what would it be?

1:15:52Shyft Energy:Well, I actually have two. So my first piece of advice is simple. Just reach out. We want to talk to you. We are just as passionate about bringing better-for-you products to market as founders are, and whether that's to challenge an existing market that's ripe for innovation, to help build a new one, or just to help consumers eat better. At Bay State Milling, we genuinely want to see our partners succeed. That's very important to us. And just as important, let us help you. Strong partnerships are built over time and brands might start with one or two founders and grow to 100 employees. But we want to be there that entire journey, every step of the way.

1:16:42To us, partnerships aren't temporary or transactional.

1:16:46Shyft Energy:They are ongoing relationships. And we are committed to showing up, whether you are just getting started or you are scaling at full strength.

1:16:56Drink H2O:Jessica, does Baystate Milling take a stepped or phased approach to growth as brands grow?

1:17:03Shyft Energy:We take a phased approach to growth. We understand that brands may start with limited inventory just to get on shelf, and we make sure that both our solutions and our partners can accommodate that. We've been fortunate enough to work with brands that once struggled to get a call returned, and today they are category leaders in the grocery channel. That kind of journey is exactly what we are built to support.

1:17:31Drink H2O:As you mentioned, reaching out is the first step. It's probably the most important step in developing that relationship. What's the best way to get in contact with you, Jessica? What's the best way to connect with Baystate Milling as an early stage brand?

1:17:44Shyft Energy:I would recommend reaching out directly to me at jwellnitz, W-E-L-L-N-I-T-Z at bsm.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn, so feel free to reach out to me there. And you can also learn more about what we do at Bay State Milling at baystatemilling.com slash healthsense.

1:18:09Drink H2O:I love when there are multiple options to connect with a person or team. It just makes it that much easier for listeners to access the vital information and the products that you are offering to better our food and beverage system. And it's so wonderful speaking with you, Jessica. I'm really excited for folks to connect with you and I'm excited to stay in touch. So let's do both.

1:18:33Shyft Energy:Thank you for having me, Ray.