Team Bai Spotlight: Walther Gaybor
June 8th, 2010 • Uncategorized • No comments
Name: Walther Gaybor
Position: Regional sales manager, New York City
Background: I previously worked as a manager for Coca-Cola North America, overseeing the New York and New Jersey markets. I am a graduate of Stony Brook University with a degree in biochemistry. I originally thought I might go into medicine before switching to the beverage sales industry.
Favorite things to do outside of work: I’m a family-oriented person. I also love to work out, and I stay active in a lot of different ways — including golf, kickboxing and some MMA (mixed martial arts).
Why Bai? For me, joining Bai was a great opportunity to become involved with an emerging company. I tasted the product and loved it. But most of all I liked the philosophy behind Bai. I want to grow in my career, and this was an opportunity to grow along with a business from the ground floor. I like to take the long road, the hard road and the high road — and, with Bai, that’s just what we’re doing!
‘Getting Bai’ in Italy
June 1st, 2010 • Uncategorized, antioxidants, coffee fruit • No comments
What could be a more glorious vacation than springtime in Italy? A good friend of ours sent back some photos from her recent trip, making us all jealous. At least I’m happy to know that she packed wisely, as you can see from her photo and her caption below.
“At Saint Peter’s Square. Waiting in line to get in for audience with the Pope. No time for coffee this a.m. Bai to the rescue!”
Not only did she get a nice antioxidant boost before her visit, she even kept a bottle on hand when she entered Saint Peter’s Basilica. So we can now say that people are “Getting Bai” in all kinds of ways around the globe, from running their daily morning errands at home to visiting some of the world’s most famous sites!
Here are some additional scenes from her Italian “Bai-cation” …
“Jamaica Blue Berry at the Colosseum”
“Inside the Colosseum”
“Costa Rica Clementine in Rome”
“Arrivederci Roma ..”
Team Bai Spotlight: Robert Vitalis
May 24th, 2010 • Uncategorized, antioxidants, coffee fruit • No comments
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 • No comments
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 • Uncategorized • 1 comment
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 • No comments
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 • No comments
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!
Propelled by Nature!
April 14th, 2010 • Uncategorized • No comments
I love these little dudes.
While recently kicking around some ideas for future campaigns, I thought about how the essence of Bai hinges upon an ingredient that for so long has been a major but unheralded source of health-boosting antioxidants: The coffee fruit. It is the hero of the story of Bai, which is why I wanted an image to celebrate that fact.
For years, farmers in coffee-growing regions on the other side of the globe, such as Indonesia and Sumatra, knew about the power of the coffee fruit and used it to produce healthy foods and beverages. But much of the world has been unaware of the benefits of this antioxidant-rich ingredient because it typically has been discarded as part of the coffee harvesting and roasting process. Luckily, through conversations with friends and colleagues in the coffee business, I came upon this hidden gem at a time when technology made it possible to process it more easily and produce a coffee fruit-infused beverage on a larger scale.
When I took the first sip of what would become Bai, I felt an incomparable jolt of excitement — this was it! An all-natural drink that tastes great and provides real benefits to people who want more energy and a better quality of life. More and more people have come to understand that antioxidants can strengthen immune systems and fight off everything from wrinkles to heart disease to cancer. As we continue to expand the Bai brand, for me it will always trace back to the humble little coffee fruit. These little guys play a huge role in launching people into a healthier phase of their lives … one that is “Propelled by Nature”!
Rolling Out the Newest Bai5 …
April 6th, 2010 • Uncategorized • No comments
Costa Rica Clementine, the latest addition to the Bai5 family, is set to hit shelves on April 15!
We started the Bai5 line a few months ago with the Sumatra Dragonfruit and Panama Peach flavors, which have become very popular as an alternative to low-calorie drinks that are made with artificial sweeteners and a perfect compliment to our lineup of antioxidant infusions. Not only are the Bai5 drinks made with Organic Stevia (a natural sweetener and a much healthier option), they don’t have the aftertaste that you find with a lot of “diet” drinks.
On top of the antioxidant benefits in all of the Bai drinks, I think the cool, juicy taste of Costa Rica Clementine really will make it a big hit. You can take it from me: Costa Rica Clementine has become my own drink of choice lately. (But do me a favor, don’t tell that to the other flavors — I still love them all equally …)
