Alcohol Alternatives That Actually Help You Relax | Osia

Most people don’t actually crave alcohol… they crave a shift in how they feel.

After a long day, it’s about unwinding, quieting the mind, and feeling more relaxed, present, and connected. But more and more people are starting to realize that alcohol comes with tradeoffs that just aren't worth it anymore.

So what are we really looking for when we reach for a drink?
And is there a better way to get there?

In this episode, I’m joined by Gabriel and Isabella, co-founders of Osia, a modern non-alcoholic mood beverage brand. We dive into the idea of “state shifts” and how certain plants, herbs, and compounds can actually support relaxation and mood—without the negative side effects of alcohol.

If you’ve been looking for a way to truly unwind without compromising your health, this episode will challenge how you think about what you’re reaching for—and why.

Learn more about Osia ~ drinkosia.com 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Humans are actually pretty simple. We do things based on how we want to feel. We wake up and reach for something to give us energy. We go through our day trying to keep it together. And then at night, or in social settings, we reach for something that helps us finally let go, to quiet the noise, to feel a little more like ourselves again. There's something really human about that. This desire to shift our state. And even more than that, to share that feeling with other people. But I think a lot of us are starting to notice something. The things we've been using to get there don't always feel the same anymore. The drink that used to help you relax now comes with a cost the next day. And there's a subtle moment where you pause and think, why am I still reaching for something that doesn't actually make me feel good? So maybe it's not just about cutting things out. Maybe it's about understanding what we're actually craving in the first place. Because we're not craving alcohol, we're craving a feeling. And what if we could access that feeling in a way that actually supports us instead of slowly working against us? That's what we're diving into today. Joining me today are Gabriel and Isabella, co-founders of OSIA, a non-alcoholic modern mood beverage brand, to break down what these compounds, plants, and herbs are that can relax the nervous system and alter our mood. Thank you so much for joining me today. Yeah, thank you so much for having us.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Regard.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Of course. So before we dive into the ingredients, was there anything in the non-alcoholic space that you didn't like or felt needed to change?

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Yeah, I think that's kind of the reason that we started going out and you know, socializing with friends, but not always having that non-alcoholic option that felt mature or sophisticated or just elevated. And so there just was that kind of gap in the market, especially just you know, going out. You want to connect with your friends and you want to have a good time where you want to relax. And so it kind of started this thigh of like there has to be something more, and there has to be something that's also good for you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

Wonderful. Yeah, I've also felt that pain, even though there's even some options out there. It's like, what do you actually choose? What's actually going to give me that relaxed feeling? Because I'm not a person that just wants juice. And there's so many options that are like just non-alcoholic beer. That's boring. I don't know. I I want something that's going to really give me that state of shift. I want to feel relaxed, but I also want to be healthy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

And I think a really big part of it too is we shouldn't have to think about what we're putting into our potties. It it should just be good for us. I think now a lot of the drinks that we consume, not even just drinks, but food as well. Our first thought is, is it clean? instead of is this bad in a sense? Or even just having that thought in general. We shouldn't have to think it shouldn't be a thought, you know, with all these artificial or natural flavors or fillers and additives and just I mean, junk at the end of the day, it's honestly really sad. And so I think as the consumer, that was something that I really struggled with. It's just finding something that was good, good for me. Not even just a drink, just food in general, and something that was really accessible too. And that was a really big thought in creating OCOs. It just has to be super, super clean. No, no additives, no crazy fake sweeteners or natural or artificial flavors. And now, especially being so immersed into this business and in the CPG world, seeing how many people use it. Just so it's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, that's the whole business of better, right? The better for you products are just continuing to rise because there's more conscious awareness that a lot of the things we are consuming are hurting us. And yeah, it's really hidden in the ingredients, too. Some of these better for you products also try to hook us in, but then they have certain ingredients that are still hurting you. So it's this constant battle in a consumer's mind. Is my better for you choice actually improving my health, or is it also still contributing? It's really hard to know what brand to trust these days.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

People at the end of the day, they just want something that's you know really healthy and clean. They don't want to second guess like what we're putting into our bodies. Like at the end of the day, you are where you eat. We want something that's healthy, something that's real. We don't want nobody ever woke up and said they want natural flavors or you know, some kind of artificial sweetener in their food or drinks. Like it's crazy. It's really unfortunate with the Western food system, just like everything that's just like laid in into these products that are made for us.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

Yeah, I think it's all about capitalism and just creating you know more addiction and hooking people into the products with all the fake sugars and everything and prioritizing long shelf live life over actual lives. So I I love the shift that is currently happening, and I hope that the better for you products actually take over all these brands that have been around forever that have gotten away with all the harm that they've been doing. So I hope that's the way we're headed.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Yeah, no, I mean, I even see the next generation of CBG products, food and beverage. So many of them are starting to not add those fillers, not add those flavors or those little like sneaky things where you can get away with it by saying it's all natural because a natural flavor is the same concept of an artificial flavor. It's like a lemon is a natural flavor because it exists versus an artificial flavor is like something that you know you can't find, but it's all made in a lab. So there's lots of ways you can go around it with marketing.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

I think there's a huge consumer shift now. Like people are starting to finally wake up and realize like just you know, the quality of the food, what's in it. Um, before getting into CPG myself, I thought natural flavors were a good thing. I was like, oh, this is like you know, made from like a lemon peel or something like that, but it's not. They're like they're chemicals, they produce fumes. Like when you open it, you can smell it, you can breathe it in. Uh, and it's not good for you. And I'm really glad to see this like consumer shift here in the US, especially of like people being really self-aware about what they're putting into their bodies, that clean air, that clean food, that clean water. And it's really important to us. That's why we made OS here the way we did, we made it for ourselves, because we're really set on our health, fitness. Um, I think like ever since COVID, people sat at home, they were really intrinsic thinking about their lives, what they were putting into their bodies, among other things. So I think like health and fitness became popular again, had this huge surge in popularity. Uh, and along with that was that clean thinking, that clean eating. So I think we're seeing now a lot of these new CPG brands that are arising are on the same train of thought where they're making something that's like a real product without these additives that have been so traditionally used over the past 50 plus years. That's the thing.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Yeah, I completely agree. And we never know how these fake sugars and artificial flavorings are actually impacting our nervous system, too. So even if it's like a better-for-you product, but they still have those other chemicals in it, it's we just don't know how that's actually doing the opposite effect of what we're going for. And since you guys prioritize those natural ingredients, I'd love to dive into what was your goal in developing these certain ingredients for each mood state that you were going for.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

So it kind of all came down to like this thought of why do we do the things that we do? Like, why do we drink alcohol? Why do we drink caffeine? Why do we whatever it is, like why do we do it? Like, what's the actual purpose? And so when I was in the development process, kind of boiling it down to these four different moods that we want to feel as individuals, because that's why we do anything, we want to feel something. I mean, that's like such a such a big part of the human experience, and it's such a lovely thing to experience. And so being able to choose, like in that moment, which mood you want to feel, it's like it just makes sense. And so we kind of already do it in a sense. You know, we grab an energy drink or a coffee because we want to feel boosted or energized, or we we drink alcohol, or we drink these certain things because we want to feel relaxed. And so I broke it down into ease, passion, boost, and bliss. And it really is like those core four moods that we want to feel. And so after solidifying on that, I also started to think about these moods and what were the fruits that I felt, you know, like for boost, for example, energized and citrus, and it's alive, but it's like but it's approachable and it's like a little sweet, but not really. And so I also wanted it to be all non-capconated, and obviously no alcohol. And so finding the right, the right herbs to put into all of them and just making it so there weren't this giant stack of herbs, it was just two or three, you know, because that's all you need at the end of the day. You just need a couple things that they work really well, and they don't interfere with other parts of you, you know? And so for each different mood, choosing two or three different herbs. Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that it made sense for the mood. And really also, I mean, making sure that we didn't choose anything that would interfere with just daily life. So, for example, for the ease, for a while when testing it in the market, we were using kava, but kava can't be mixed with alcohol, it's not great for your liver, and sometimes people can overuse it. And so after a while of abusing that and testing it, realizing maybe, maybe let's not use that, let's find something else. And so in the ease, we use tart cherry. That's kind of like where a lot of this stemmed from was me making it's like called the sleepy girl mocktail and not feeling like tart cherry juice and sparkling water was enough for me. And so going to the store and like getting lychee juice and passion fruit and like all these different things, and adding it in, um, just making it interesting. But tart cherry is so amazing because it helps produce melatonin in your body, it's so great for detoxing, like muscle recovery, um, and just relaxing you at the end of the day. So that's like a core for our ease. Like having this cherry drink. I love cherry, but all the cherry drinks are so bad because a lot of them are fake. And so it's one of our top sellers. People love it because it's just like it's a really amazing cherry drink that has so much body and it's so multidimensional, and so again, like sophisticated. And uh in that as well, we use lemon balm, which is obviously you find in all of your sleepy time teas or your relaxing teas. It's just like it's a great herb, uh, as well as juniper berry, which is again great for detoxing, just relaxing. It's what gin is made out of too. So it kind of like gives that nice spice and like pininess.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Uh wonderful. Yeah. I mean, I definitely felt relaxed with the ease and the bliss. So we're talking about that, but so I noticed a more of like a relaxing buzz, you know, it definitely reduced my stress. I was having a stressful week when I got those drinks, and I definitely felt the state shift. I was calmed out. I was honestly kind of ready to go to bed. Like it just relaxed me a lot.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yeah, it's so relaxing.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

Yeah, and the tart cherry increasing the melatonin production. I definitely felt that.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

Yeah, incredible. And we're we're glad you liked it.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

Yes. Uh, and I loved how like unique the flavor was too. I feel like it was it definitely tasted like a luxurious cocktail that you get somewhere. It wasn't very like overpoweringly sweet and tons of sugar. So I liked the simplicity of it, even though you do have some uh spearmint, hibiscus white pear. I was like, wow, this is very unique.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

Yeah, we we wanted to make it super unique, use all sorts of like different and sometimes exotic ingredients. Isabella formulated everything herself, like in-house, which was awesome. Like, not many brands can say to that. Um, I was just a guinea pig, I got to test it out a little bit here and there. But um, she did an incredible job. And a big thing for us was not being like a lot of these copy-paste brands where they're just doing essentially a different slightly different version that everybody else is doing, like a strawberry lemonade. That's so boring. Like, I've had a thousand of those. Like, let's try something different, you know. So made something that we thought would be really cool that would really work together. Um, intention is like a big part of our brand. So it's like really intentional that all of the ingredients they tasted well together, they worked well together. Um, and Isabella just did an incredible job with that.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Thank you. Yeah, and another part was for it to be lightly functional. Um, that's one thing that we we see even today. You know, we like to try all the products out there. Um, and there's some we love, but majority of them, they're we don't, unfortunately. Like we want to as consumers, like we love fun drinks and like fun food. So um, but the biggest thing was the functionality of it, keeping it super, super light. That way it's buildable. So anyone could have one can and they're just enjoying a nice drink. Because at the end of the day, OC is just it's a great drink that like happens to have functional benefits and it happens to be caffeine-free in it and alcohol free. And so that's kind of what we like need to get back into is just drinking something because you know you like it, and it's good for you, you know, it's not like harming you.

SPEAKER_02 15:30

Yes, exactly. And I have to say, the one that surprised me the most was the passion spritz. Uh, I just felt like kind of out of body out of it. Like I've never had like Damiana or Maca Roots and the stuff that's in it, but it was a very like interesting combo. Um, I just felt more like sensitive to my surroundings. Like, I you I see it's like an Afrodisiac blend. So I was like, I can see this. Like I can see this working. Um, yeah, yeah, it surprised me. I just haven't felt that like effect before. Like I felt relaxed from the other drinks too that I've had, but this one felt a bit different. Can you dive into that?

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Yeah, for sure. It's actually, I'm glad you brought that up. It's so interesting. So again, the moods, there's kind of these two sides. There's relaxed and uplifted. Okay. And then in them, there's kind of two parts of that. So for the relaxed, it's something that we feel the most. It's like a lot a lot of people gravitate towards it, especially in this crazy world that we live in. There's, you know, the ease, which is a lot more relaxing, like really like, you know, unwinding. And then bliss is a little bit more like relaxing, euphoric. Um, and then for the uplifting side, we have passion and boost. And boost is gonna be more for mental clarity, focus, and like this nice like uplift. And then passion is gonna be more of that like stimulating buzz uplift, like you're ready to go do whatever you want. We like to say, like, yes, it's an aphrodisiac, but it's more just like unlocking your passions, whatever you want to do. If you know, if you're doing a sport, I can drink a passion before, and it just like it like helps you just feel it so much more. Or maybe before you're going out for a night, go dancing, or in the morning before you work out, whatever it is, you can kind of use it to like get that momentum going, which is really cool. Um, but it's really fun to be able to break down those classic moods that we we feel into just like these other categories that we all we all love the passion. It's so good. We all need a little passion in our life.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

We do. And I was curious, you know, I know you were talking about there's these four different moods that people like to be in. Um, but what was like your strategy behind aiming at these four different moods instead of just focusing on like relaxation in another way without alcohol? Because I feel like that's what everyone's doing.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yeah. Well, so for OSIA, we really wanted to well kind of back it up. So originally, um, when we launched, we were like, this is an alcohol alternative, you know, this is a non-alcoholic drink. And very quickly realized that our consumers were drinking it throughout the day. And that was my my thought process before is like you can weave it throughout your day, you know, it's like mood isn't an occasional thing, you know, it's so buildable and and moldable throughout anyone's day, you know, like maybe I want to start my day with ease, but you want to start it with boost, you know? And so it's really cool because OSEA really can be incorporated into the customer experience, unlike a lot of other drinks. Um, and so kind of again, the throttle thought process of having you know, this this alcohol alternative or like these energy drink alternatives or whatever it may be, is again, it's the customer can choose. You know, the the AI's is a great alcohol alternative, but again, you can drink it in the morning and it's not like alcohol, you know, but there's like similar similarities and like paths across.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

And we wanted to be really innovative without being like so one-dimensional. A lot of other people or brands they'll they'll do, like as Mill said, like one channel of like that relaxation, or it'll be an energy drink. And we really wanted to bring that intention and that consumer choice back into consumption. So we have those four different moods you can choose from because sometimes I don't want to be relaxed, I need that energy, you know, I need that uplift, or you know, maybe something in the screen and I'll have like a bliss. It's really great to really be able to take a step back, think about how I want to feel in that moment or like going into the next moment and uh be able to choose a drink that supports that.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

I love that. You can really customize your day around the drinks because I've noticed there are some non-alcoholic drinks that are more relaxation focused, but sometimes I don't want to fall asleep. Like, you know, sometimes you want to go out with your friends, but this drink might make you a little too tired because a lot of these herbs can do that. So you're like, what do I do? And then sometimes you end up avoiding it completely. But if you have four different moves to choose from, hey, maybe I need a little more energy today. I'm gonna go with the boost. And I've noticed all of them did something to my nervous system. They all calmed me down, even though I noticed boost like it did give me energy with it, has rhodiola and ginseng in it. Um, it did boost me up, it did make me alert, but it didn't like make me jittery or overstimulated or anything like that. That caffeine does. So I was just like impressed with how these were able to really unlock these different moods.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Thank you. Yeah, that's like I guess the biggest part of it is a lot of things bring you out of your body and OC is trying to bring you back in because it all does start with yourself and like how you show up with yourself, and it's how you connect with yourself and others because again, it needs to start with you before you can go outwards. Um, so I love that it that your body responded that way.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

Yes, it's great that I have like a more sensitive nervous system and I'm able to like pick up on shifts more easily. Um, but I also wanted to ask a lot of people try non alcoholic options and then don't come back. How do you build trust in a category where people often feel skeptical or potentially disappointed?

SPEAKER_01 21:58

Yeah. No, that's a great point. I I'll touch on it in a little bit and then I I know Gabriel has some some things on this too. Um, but I think the biggest, maybe not the biggest reason, but a really big aspect of non-drinkers or people that are sober curious or just, you know, they want a different alternative. Um, they try it and it ends up being way too sweet or again, way too functional, or they can't really envision it through in their day or in their experience. Um, and so they tend to like fall, fall back. You're like, oh, I might as well just have water. Like, I don't like this. I think like the product comes first, like the taste of it. And everyone has different tastes, you know? And some people want something that's lighter, and some people want something that's like, you know, has more body to it. Some people like sweeter, some people like non. So it's like it's great to have like lots of options. And I love how the category is rising, and there's so many, you know, different options coming out there. Um, but I think that customers at the end of the day, they just they want to feel connection with the product, they want to be able to, you know, like love a product and stop their frigged with it and just feel like what is that? It's like the emotional support beverage, you know, like emotional support, whatever water bottle. And um, so I feel like people are just like trying to find that and maybe they just haven't found it yet. And once they they find something they love, they're like locked in.

SPEAKER_02 23:35

100%. I mean, it is all about emotional connection with products. You have to be able to integrate it into your lifestyle, into your routine. So consumers are constantly trying to figure out where does this fit? And you give them four different options to figure that out. Uh, but yeah, it's definitely like everyone has different, you know, things that they love. Some people are really more sweet people, other people like refreshing. I'm more of the refreshing kind. I can't stand drinks that are super sweet or don't have much uh room to breathe. I don't even know how to describe it, but yeah, like it needs that like thirst-quenching feeling when I pop that can open and I would just want to like exhale. Like I want to feel my nervous system go, ah, all right.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

It really comes down to honestly, taste or functionality. This is a new category, and I don't want to try something that you know tastes terrible. I'm not gonna keep drinking it if it's not good. Um, what's the point? Um, even if it is so-called healthy, that's why so many people get away from like health supplements or you know, like like I would say like one of those green shots, essentially. Um yeah, sure, they're technically good for you, but they don't taste great. So it's hard to continue that tradition every single day. Uh, the other part of that is the functionality. It's like a lot of brands they'll either overpromise and underperform, or they're so functional that it's just unpleasant. Um, I've seen a lot of products popping up recently that are throwing like every single like ingredient that they can into it to make it functional. And it's just too much, honestly. It we don't know how it's gonna affect the body. Um, and there's no long-term studies on it, and uh we don't need it at the end of the day. We're we're relatively simple people, we need a couple ingredients that work well and we can go from there. But when you throw like 10 different functional herbs and active ingredients in there, like it just it's a recipe for disaster. So we wanted to keep it really simple, straightforward, clean. Um, I think we did a pretty good job with it, if I say so myself, and we're really happy with our product. But that's why people keep coming back to OSIA. They like how it tastes and they trust it because it's so simple and straightforward.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

Yeah, simple is the key. And we were just talking about it before we recorded the podcast, but there's certain ingredients you decided not to include in your drinks. I love to break that down a little more so that consumers know. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Although there's some out uh like Tudander, CBD, THC, uh mushrooms. We want to make sure we weren't excluding anybody from being able to try our products. Um, we've got professional athletes, pilots who were you know drinking OSIA, and a lot of them have really strict diets or they get drug tested, for instance, and they just can't have it. So we want to make sure that it was really inclusive to anybody that wanted to have it and it wouldn't, you know, put their career in jeopardy or potentially have a bad reaction with medication or you know, like alcohol if they were drinking later in the day, the gives about shit.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Yeah, and that's like a big one for THC. I mean, there's so many THC beverages, which is great, and like people people love them, but not everyone can have them. And so there needs to be, again, like a great NA option that isn't and kind of going into that all day consumption since we're not just targeting like the nighttime or you know, a specific occasion. We wanted something that people can drink throughout the day. Um, and so kind of like not choosing certain certain ingredients that maybe feel heavy, like a lot of mushroom ingredients, um, like the functional mushrooms, they're great for like a certain instance, but I wouldn't say like for multiple, multiple drinks all day, every single day. Like there's just kind of like this threshold. Um, and it is something too where it like you need to work your way up to it. It's like taking a multivitamin. If you take one, it's not gonna work if you take multiple, like it starts to go into your body. Um, ashwagandha also, like you see a lot of drinks with ashwagandha, it's great for some people, but like women that are wanting to get pregnant or the breastfeeding, or like it kind of just can mess with your hormones. And so we just wanted to, it also makes me sick. So, like I obviously didn't want to put something in the drink that didn't make me feel good. And I'm a super, I like I have a super sensitive body also, and I just I didn't want to put something in there that like made me feel bad. Um, but again, kind of like everything like you wanna, if you have medication or whatever, like you always want to talk to your doctor and make sure that it that it works um and flows well with you. But yeah, it's kind of like a big reason that we didn't choose lots of things. Um we just wanted it to be light and not have like the little sediment at the bottom. You see that with mushrooms or like certain like thicker herbs.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Yeah, I mean, I love that you're being as inclusive as possible. It is hard to find certain uh non-alcoholic drinks that have the right mix of things that you're looking for. Cause I know some just pop ashragandha in there or you know, have a lot of different types of mushrooms. So the fact that you're being very inclusive is great for a lot of people who also are like sensitive to certain things. I literally just had a conversation with my friend the other day who said ashwagandha makes them tweak out. So um, yeah, so it's it's also hard to appeal to everyone. You never know what affects people differently, but it's great that your ingredients are, you know, hopefully want to affect the most people, um, the best.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

Yeah. And there's so many people out there where they all, you know, it's it's you can't you can't make something for everyone, but we can definitely try our hardest to again make it as approachable as possible, um, be really intentional about everything we put in. I mean, even when it came to the fruits too, you know, just making sure that it all made sense and we were kind of not only as you consume it, like you're feeling these things, but kind of like creating this this world that you can step into, you know, and it's like it's very immersive and it kind of like takes you into whichever path you're wanting to go down, and that they can interact together, you know. So that was that was very important for us.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Yeah, the the entourage effect, right? Like this herbs just support each other to really get that feeling in. I mean, I was surprised at how powerful it felt for me, but just some simple ingredients. Um but yeah, what we were talking about in the beginning, where do you think our human desire to unwind or shift our state comes from? And why do so many people keep turning back to alcohol even when they know it's not serving them?

SPEAKER_01 30:47

No, it's a great, great question. I mean, again, we're so simple as humans. Like we're all we're all the same, okay? We all want to feel loved, we all want to feel, you know, whenever it is, we just there's that innate human desire of like connection. And if you take everything out of it, it's just it is, it's all about the connection at the end of the day. And that's again where OSIA like stems everything from. It's like connecting with yourself and others. Um, and I would say that sometimes, I mean, especially in society today, it's I mean, alcohol has been around forever, so I guess not just today, but forever, it's easy to turn to something that kind of helps you disassociate or like disconnect, disconnect from your body instead of like connecting, because it takes a lot of emotion and self-reflection, I would say, to be like fully connected with yourself. And sometimes, I mean, that can be draining to like work up to that, and it it can be hard too, with like a very I mean crazy life. There's there's so many things going on, and I think that people want to find like the easy, quick way um to maybe feel connected, you know, and it it like breaks that barrier of like okay, now I don't have anxiety, so I can like connect with these people, or I can, you know, I feel like a little bit better, I feel more relaxed. Like it's just like an easy way out instead of if you take remove like alcohol, it's a little bit more work, but then you get to this point of pure bliss and like and that true self-care and like that self-connection that you can't get if you constantly disassociate and disconnect yourself. Um, so I think that's like a really, at least in my opinion, like a big reason why people always turn back to alcohol or turn back to these substances that are easy.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

At the end of the day, we're we're just like curious creatures, like exploring our environment, like learning and growing. If you go back through human history, we have always used some kind of supportive substances in one form or another. Um, and especially nowadays in Western society, there's so much monotony in our schedule. Every single day you're doing the same thing. You wake up, you go to work, you come home to make dinner. And people are just looking for that shift change to get out of that, to get out of that daily routine. It's totally natural for us to reach for something that helps with that if we can't do it ourselves. And it, you know, alcohol just seems to be the most popular one at this time in history. So we're just, you know, continuing that trend, but in a different way that we think is a little bit better, a little bit healthier for us.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Yeah, and it's interesting how ingrained it is in society, how easily accessible it is, because we're acausly looking to shift our state, and it's just right there. So it is the easy way to get out of that normal routine or to feel a little different about your life, make more connections with people, and you know, just being able to have another option is not even on a lot of people's minds. Some people are just okay with alcohol, they have a good experience with it, they don't feel the need to expand out of that. But I believe as more options are going to be available that actually give that state change that people are looking for, that nervous system relaxation a lot of people crave, then we're going to see this like shift towards more people going after the alcohol alternatives. I mean, I'm seeing it across bars, across restaurants. You know, there's way more interest in the other side of still shifting your state, just without all the side effects.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Consumer trends are crazy right now. So many people are shifting away from alcohol, they're looking for those alternatives. It's roughly over 70% of people currently are not drinking or they're looking for alternatives, or zebra striping, which is you rotate between an alcoholic drink and a non-alcoholic drink. Um, it's really incredible to see this huge shift in the market. And we see it every single day when we're talking to distributors of different drinks, we're talking to retailers who actually sell them. They're like, hey, we need something here uh to provide to people who are coming in and asking for these alternatives because alcohol sales are down. And again, this is a trend and it fluctuates, but currently, like people are looking for that different thing, that different experience, a different shift. So I think we're staged right now at a perfect point in history, and we created something right when people were looking for it. So we're happy for that.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

Yeah, 100%. I wish all the continued success and growth because we we really need it out here. Thank you. So, what is the experience you want someone to have and why should they actually care about that?

SPEAKER_01 35:55

I want our consumer to intentionally choose like what they want to feel next, and you know, just take that second of self-reflection and hopefully it it snowballs and compounds into something a lot bigger, and they start to ask themselves why they do everything. Because I think it's an important thing to to do in in your life and for yourself. And you know, why do you show up in certain relationships the way you do, or why do you show up in your environment or like in your society in the way you do? Like, how how can you kind of step into this next version of yourself? So I just want them to enjoy and have a good time and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:37

I feel like just finding these alternatives is how I have stepped into like this next level of my life, and it just helps so much to be able to have more control over yourself and like how you want to feel. And I feel like alcohol really takes that control away from you and it decides for you how are we gonna feel right now? And it just also increases the anxiety that people want to get away from. So I'm just super excited for the future of these functional herbs in the drinks because I found that it's been the best alternative to alcohol. I've been off of it since October and I don't even feel FOMO. So thank you, thank you. I hope I keep it going. But honestly, like nothing really uh makes me want to even drink alcohol again. I feel like I've made it this far. I've damn I've done great alternatives. What is the point? It just wrecks your immune system, and you know, you make stupid decisions.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

It's just like being sober is superior, I feel like I can only speak for myself, but like I'm I'm sleeping better, I feel better.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

You know, I I don't have wasted days on the weekend and recovering during the week just uh do it all over again the next weekend. So it's just like a better quality of life for me, and I accomplish so much more, whether that's like personal or work goals. So it's pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_02 38:07

Yeah, yeah. And like what's some of the feedback that your customers have shared with you?

SPEAKER_01 38:13

I mean, it ranges because they so many different people drink ocea. Again, like our customers don't drink alcohol, they do drink alcohol, or they don't drink caffeine, or you know, it's kind of it goes all over the board. Um, but I would say it's really cool that now in our society it's not like fully shamed on to be sober, you know, like people don't question it as much, and it's kind of like becoming a norm, which is really cool. And I think a big part of it is having those options, like on premise, like going out spaces, bars and restaurants. Like people are there to socialize and connect. Drinking is just kind of a form of that, and you don't need to drink alcohol, it's just having a drink in your hand, it's the act of celebrating and and sharing, you know.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

So, yeah, people reach out to us all the time. They're so thankful when they see that we're in a like an on-prem, like a like a bar or restaurant or like music venue type situation. They're like, Oh my god, it's just incredible! Like, we're so glad that you were there, that you provided an alternative for us, like that we actually had something that we could try and enjoy versus you know, a water. It feels really good.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

Uh yeah, I'm I'm sure it does. It just helps enhance those events and just being out and feeling like you have something for you. And it that also like creates that emotional connection to the brand. And I've gotten like different reactions to me being sober because it's like the longest time I have. I'm like, oh, I'm doing a year of like not drinking, you know, it's definitely gonna be more than that. But I've gotten reactions of like, oh my god, just have fun. Like, why did you stop drinking? And then the other is like, wow, good for you. But most of the reactions are people that are impressed because they know how easy it is to access to be like, oh, it's okay, it's not gonna do anything to me. I'm just gonna have a drink with dinner. So to have like that much control and just say, no, this is not for me. It's like goes completely against the norm and it just really shocks people and it inspires them. People are like, wow, like I also want to do that. What are you drinking? So there is a lot of interest. Just people are like looking for that inspiration too.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

No, a hundred percent. And I think also it's interesting too, because we uh I mean we don't drink, but we also like owns company, and so I think like people, I don't know if they expect us not to drink, but a lot of the times we're like, yeah, no, like I'll get a mocktail. I don't know. I think maybe maybe we're just in our own little world, and like, but I I would say too, like, I've had a lot of friends stop drinking or like take a step back. I would say the first month it can be so hard. And as soon as you like get over the first month and then the second month, and then like by the third month, if you don't drink and you find those options, or you just find those like things to gravitate towards, it's so so much easier. Yeah, and you don't you don't crave it as much, and there's there's so many things out there.

SPEAKER_00 41:30

I I think it's like really awesome just to be an example of like somebody who doesn't necessarily drink, and there's nothing wrong with alcohol at the end of the day, you know, like if that's your thing, we're all for it. But just to show people that there's alternatives to that, because it is so, like you said, ingrained in Western society of like this is the norm, like this is what you do when you have fun, this is what everybody does, and that's not true, you know. Like when I took a step back, I was like, why am I doing this? Like, I I don't want to, I'm on a hike, I don't want to drink, you know, like I think I'm just living my normal life, I don't need this right now. So it really made me question a lot of things and a lot of my habits around consumption, um, which is again a big part of why we created OCR, just to provide those alternatives so that he can be a little bit more intentional with your consumption and then you know cascade that into your daily choices, which is pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_02 42:23

I love that so much. I mean, you get to you know choose where you're at, and you can slowly, if you want to stop alcohol eventually, you can slowly do that just by replacing it with an alternative here and there. Or if you're completely off it, then there's your replacement. And yeah, I do not crave it anymore, literally because I found that what I actually wanted was my nervous system to relax and just be in the present moment, and that's what these functional herb draines do. So it definitely works. So, where can people try OSA?

SPEAKER_01 43:00

So you can buy on our website, which is drinkosia.com, and then you can also buy in select stores we're about to be launching in a lot more retailers this year, which is super exciting because we just officially launched like the end of last year. Some total wines. We also have a store tracker on our website. Um, so yeah, you can go see the closest store to you.

SPEAKER_02 43:25

Nice. I'm gonna put that all in the show notes. Uh, you guys definitely have to go out and try it. It's amazing. Uh, thank you guys so much for being here and sharing your story today. Thank you for having us so much. Thank you.