ORAC to the Rescue…

February 26th, 2010 • 1 comment Uncategorized

ORAC may sound like the name of a collegiate athletic conference or a villainous computer in a cheesy ’80s movie, but it’s actually a key component of a healthy lifestyle.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity, a scoring method used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to measure the total antioxidant power of foods and beverages. You’ll hear me talk often about antioxidants, as the high ORAC value of the coffee fruit used in Bai is what drives its unique health benefits.

But we’re not the only ones talking about ORAC. A new book getting a lot of attention right now is “The O2 Diet” by Keri Glassman, a well-known New York nutritionist who has taken aim directly at ORAC in devising her new health regimen.

According to Glassman, as you accumulate more ORAC in your diet, you will boost your energy, shed weight and even enhance your brain power. In a recent article on the MSG Health & Fitness website,  she wrote, “It’s those mega ORAC points that scoop up free radicals, the damaging rogue elements in our bodies that contribute to everything from wrinkles and brain fog to cancer and heart disease.” If you want to learn more about the nutritional benefits of antioxidant-rich foods and beverages — and the power of ORAC — check out her website www.nutritiouslife.com.

Coping With the Snow…

February 22nd, 2010 • Uncategorized

Some tips for fellow parents of young children here in the Northeast, where the never-ending snowfall is expected to return again this week …

5 Things to Do With Bai in a Snowstorm:

•    Enjoy a nice antioxidant infusion to prepare for dragging your kids up that sledding hill for the 897th time this month …

•    Leave the kids alone on the hill and drizzle a bottle of Jamaica Blue Berry behind you while walking home to give them a trail to follow on their way back …

•    Order six cases of Bai and prop them up against your front door to keep the kids outside as payback for dragging them up that hill 897 times in one month …

•    Take two sips of a Tanzania Strawberry Frozen Bai-garita every time the kids bang on the door begging to be let back inside …

•    Stare really hard at the Mango Kauai label and keep repeating, “I am in Hawaii. I am in Hawaii. I AM IN HAWAII!!!!” The power of positive thinking goes a long way …

Coming Soon: Bai 5 Costa Rica Clementine…

February 22nd, 2010 • Uncategorized

I’m pleased to announce that we have put the finishing touches on our newest flavor, Bai5 Costa Rica Clementine, which should be in stores within the next month.

Costa Rica Clementine joins Sumatra Dragonfruit and Panama Peach in our Bai5 line, which offers all of the same antioxidant-rich benefits and great taste with fewer calories. Bai5 is made with organic Stevia, a natural sweetener, and doesn’t carry the aftertaste that is common among a lot of “diet” drinks made with artificial sweeteners.

With this new drink, I see the splash of Costa Rica’s beautiful, vibrant colors and taste its tropical sweetness. The slogan for the Costa Rica’s tourism board is “No Artificial Ingredients” — just a perfect match for Bai.

I always feel a rush when a new product makes it to the final stages and we start to get feedback about what people like and hear their ideas for what we can do next. So much work goes into each bottle — from conception to testing to naming to packaging to distributing, and so on — that I can’t help but feel personally invested in every new flavor. For me, it’s always a thrill to know that we hit the right notes in creating a product that people truly enjoy. I’d love to know what you think about our newest addition to the Bai family!

“Supermarket Guru” Gives Bai a “HIT!”…

February 22nd, 2010 • Uncategorized

Bai received a very positive review this week from Phil Lempert — better known as the “Supermarket Guru.” You may recognize Phil from NBC’s “Today Show,” where he reports on consumer trends, or from his many appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The View” and other popular programs.

Phil included Bai Jamaica Blue Berry in his “new product hits and misses” and declared, “This product is a HIT!”

You can see a video of the review on Phil’s website

It also was posted on FoodBizDaily, a leading industry publication. Click here to read the review.

We’re excited about this response from one of America’s top consumer trend-watchers and analysts. Some say Phil can predict the future in the food/beverage industry. Let’s hope so!

An Amazing Day…

February 8th, 2010 • Uncategorized

As the parents settled into our too-small classroom seats one afternoon last week, the students in my son’s second grade class gave autobiographical presentations they had been working on for a few weeks. All of the presentations were great. Accompanied by PowerPoint slides, the kids talked about their favorite things, their families, their heroes and who they want to be when they grow up. (For the record, every single girl in the class wants to be Taylor Swift.)

Going in alphabetical order, my son was up last. He talked about the family, mentioning that his dad runs a beverage company and, of course, making his usual plug for Bai (in fact, three of the kids in the class mentioned Bai in the “things I like” section of their talks, a testament to his salesmanship!). When he got to the part about his heroes, I figured he would mention some combination of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Big Papi or Dustin Pedroia (he doesn’t yet understand that liking both the Yankees and Red Sox is simply not allowed). I wasn’t expecting what came next.

“My dad is my hero, because he created a business and he loves what he does,” he said. “I’m really proud of him.”

As I heard the “awwwwwws” coming from the other parents, a huge smile stretched across my face, matched by the smile on my son’s. It really was an amazing experience, because I felt that the lessons I have tried to impart to him truly have made an impression. As I’ve said before, my family is an integral part of the experience of running Bai. I have involved my wife and children from the beginning, hoping to show my kids what it takes to make an idea grow into something significant — time, hard work, persistence, creativity and, most importantly, passion. What he said in that classroom made me feel that he really understands. For all of the times that I feel like pulling my hair out because a certain plan didn’t come to fruition or there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day, I can remember that moment. Yes, I love what I do — and I love the fact that he can see and appreciate that.

For me, “Autobiography Day” is a day I will never forget. And, at the very least, it appears I’m more popular than Taylor Swift in at least one household.

The Spirit of the Journey…

February 6th, 2010 • Uncategorized

Recently, we were having dinner with good friends when the conversation turned to Bai. (Hmmm, how does that keep happening?) The husband — a scientist for a major pharmaceutical company — has always been someone whom I could bounce ideas off of when conceiving this business. On this night we talked about the new flavor of Bai and some of the people I have been encountering.

A couple of days later, he sent me an e-mail telling me that he had been doing some research into antioxidants and their power to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. While explaining that he had done only some preliminary calculations, he hit upon some interesting connections between the levels of antioxidants available in a bottle of Bai (3,000 ORAC) and their real potential to neutralize toxic effects from some common medications, which is a significant problem that is not widely known. “As a scientist/disease researcher, I think this could really help people!” he told me.

What was just as striking to me as the connections he had made was the fact that, on his own time, he was inspired to dig into these issues and excited to report back what he had found. What I saw in that message was the entrepreneurial spirit in its purest form. In this case, it was someone who harnessed his innate curiosity and scientific training to explore new avenues toward creating something special. That same level of inspiration guides my work and I’ve also come to recognize it in many of the friends, neighbors and others with whom I talk about Bai.  I’m consistently amazed at how others seem to take a real interest and feel a genuine stake in this journey, whether or not they have a business connection to Bai.  That “buzz” is what keeps me motivated — and seeing other people get inspired to join in is why I love what I do.

visit our SECRET tab at www.drinkbai.com to learn more about antioxidants…

High Fashion? Bai Fashion!

February 4th, 2010 • 1 comment Uncategorized

I have always envisioned Bai as a fashionable beverage. The packaging is sharp and sleek. We aim to appeal to energetic, healthy people as a complement to their lifestyle. We have a catchy, recognizable one-word name — just like Iman or Twiggy.

So I am excited to report that Bai will make its runway debut next week at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. We will be on hand as Irina Shabayeva, the Season 6 winner from the popular reality design show “Project Runway,” debuts her Fall 2010 collection on Saturday, Feb. 13. Check out more details on the event and Irina’s work.

I’m looking forward to this event for a few reasons (none of which have anything to do with the models, of course). We will gain more visibility in New York City, which is a core market and where we already have been enjoying strong demand. Fashion Week also attracts people from around the world who set the newest, hottest trends. And we will have an opportunity to show another side of Bai by serving a menu of cocktails — including Baitinis, Bai Tais and Baijitos — created by fans who have been inspired to develop fun new ways of enjoying our beverages.

Healthy, vibrant, fashionable and sometimes a little decadent — Bai will take the catwalk by storm!

Come back soon to see photos from our Fashion Week debut.

Getting Bai in the “Frozen Tundra”…

February 1st, 2010 • Uncategorized

Like many diehard football fans (go Jets!), I’ve always loved the NFL Films highlight shows — particularly the sonorous voice of John Facenda, famous for his description of “the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field” in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I think of that voice often these days when I’m in touch with our Wisconsin distributor, Coulee Coffee, which is making fantastic progress in introducing Bai in that area. Coulee’s traditional business is coffee roasting and distribution, but the folks there jumped at the opportunity with Bai to bring something special to their market. There is an attitude in some corners of the beverage business that innovative products are only received well on the East and West coasts. With our friends in the “heartland” we’re setting out to debunk that myth. As I mentioned in my previous post, Bai is proving to be quite popular on college campuses, and I’m excited that the Coulee crew has been lining up tastings at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the University of Minnesota-Mankato and Marquette University and other schools.

Coulee says on its website that the company was “founded on the radical notion that the most important thing in this world is building relationships.” The same certainly can be said for Bai. The relationships that I am building through Bai — both on our team and through our partnerships — make all the hard work so worthwhile. And hopefully the combination of two businesses with a shared mission can make some serious inroads for Bai in the “Frozen Tundra”!