Archive for May, 2010
Team Bai Spotlight: Robert Vitalis
May 24th, 2010 • Uncategorized, antioxidants, coffee fruit
Name: Robert Vitalis
Position: Sales representative, Queens and Brooklyn
Background: I owned a restaurant in the Caribbean and spent 20 years in the luxury automobile industry prior to joining Bai.
Favorite things to do outside of work: I am very family-oriented and devoted to my children. I also love sports — especially the Yankees and the Knicks. I am looking forward to LeBron James coming to the big city!
Why Bai? I have a real passion for Bai. I am focused on life and on healthy, natural foods — Bai represents that same focus. I also have a very personal connection to Bai. When I was introduced to this drink made from the fruit of the coffee bean, it brought me back to my experience growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, where my family had coffee estates. Sampling Bai awakened my memories from years ago of harvesting coffee beans and tasting their fruit. I understand and appreciate the value of the antioxidants in the coffee fruit, so I’m very excited about bringing the health benefits of Bai to others through my work with the company.
One Man’s Trash …
May 17th, 2010 • Uncategorized
I came across news of an interesting study out of the University of Melbourne in Australia, where scientists examined the nutritional benefits of food waste and found a high level of antioxidants in parts of fruits that often go unused.
“Fruit has long been known for its health benefits, partly as a good source of antioxidants, the chemical compounds, including some vitamins, that protect body cells from damage,” said Dr. Said Ajlouni of the Melbourne School of Land and Environment, whose study was reported in Science Alert. “So we decided to investigate if fruit waste also had these properties.”
The Melbourne team’s analysis of tomato, apple, plum, peach, pear, grape and apricot waste showed that they all are good sources of antioxidants.
If this concept sounds familiar, that’s because it’s at the very core of how we came up with Bai. The antioxidant boost in Bai is derived from the fruit of the coffee bean, which is normally discarded during the coffee harvesting process. When we learned about the rich antioxidant properties of the “coffee superfruit” — particularly how it stacked up against more well-known “superfoods” such as blueberries and pomegranates — we worked to find a way to rescue it from the scrap heap and create the drink that became Bai.
As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
A Great Reminder
May 14th, 2010 • 1 comment Uncategorized
I received a fantastic e-mail from a customer named Tommy Juliano, a pastry chef who was kind enough to let me know about how much he enjoys Bai. Tommy’s feedback represents exactly what I had hoped people would get from their Bai experience. In addition to his thoughts as a consumer, I liked that he appreciates how we produce Bai and that he was able to relate it to his own line of work. I shared the note with my team, with a simple reminder: “This is why we are in business!” And now I’d like to share Tommy’s note here, to share his kind words with others who are interested in Bai.
Dear Bai,
My name is Tommy Juliano and I am a Pastry Chef from New Haven CT. I drink Bai everyday and I love how it keeps me energized throughout my hectic day in the restaurant. I feel great when I drink Bai and I never feel that “sugar-high” feel or “crash” at the end of the day as with other energy drinks. Being a Pastry chef, I love the flavors and the health benefits of the drink. More importantly I love the idea of using food that gets thrown away, and discovering the benefits of it. In my line of work I find uses for apple peel, crystalized sugar, scraped vanilla beans, and any other item that would just get thrown away. The use of the coffee superfruit is innovative and I couldn’t be happier with its use as a anti-oxidant packed beverage. I am very happy with this product and would love to see new flavors or another use of the coffee fruit (maybe in a dessert!).
Thank you, Tommy Juliano
Yer OUT!
May 10th, 2010 • Uncategorized
On the first real blazing-hot weekend of this spring, my son’s Little League team — which I manage — was battling in a tight game, trying to break a three-game losing streak. For a team that we have nicknamed the Red Hot Chili Peppers, it was an appropriately scorching day.
We finished our turn at bat, and I called the players together before they went back out on the field. I reminded the kids about the drills we had worked on in practice — making sure they knew the number of outs and base runners, and where they would throw the ball if it came to them. At their age, it’s generally a 50-50 proposition whether any of it is getting through to them.
As the players ran back onto the field, my fellow coach and I noticed that the umpires were looking particularly beat under the early-afternoon sun. We had a cooler of Bai (naturally) in our dugout, so we grabbed the last two bottles out of the ice and tossed them to the umps. They emptied the bottles on the spot.
After the first batter reached on a walk, the next hitter stroked a grounder to short, where my son was playing. He scooped up the ball and tossed it to the second baseman just as the runner hit the bag — a great play by both kids. The umpire, who only minutes before seemed to be tiring in the heat, was right on top of the play and put a little mustard on his “OUT!” call by leaping in the air.
Was it the thrill of a bang-bang play that gave the ump some extra hop in his step? Could be. Or was he feeling infused with a little extra energy in the form of a Tanzania Strawberry surprise? All I know is, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will take the help wherever we can get it …
Team Bai Spotlight: Ray Schlaefer
May 1st, 2010 • Uncategorized
Name: Ray Schlaefer
Position: Sales representative for the central New Jersey region
Background: I worked in real estate marketing and sales, specializing in new construction, for more than 30 years before joining Bai.
Favorite things to do outside of work: I love spending time with my family, particularly with my grandkids. I’m a big sports fan, but I won’t say who my favorite teams are (there are too many people out there who I interact with and who may be fans of other teams …).
Why Bai? First of all, it’s a great product that people really enjoy — they like the idea of an all-natural, pure drink with lots of antioxidants. And it’s really taking off — people are looking for it in their own neighborhoods and asking where they can find it. But for me, working for Bai is about more than selling a product. I have met some really great people through this business and made some new friends. It’s a very satisfying experience. It’s great watching this company growing to the point where it’s really about to explode!
