Bodhi Bubbles: Taste Bliss with Bodhi Bubbles™. Alcohol-Free Beverages, for an enlightened life.
- KLS
- May 6
- 8 min read
For the 180th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with Bodhi Bubbles and Founder, David Buchanan.
Bodhi; noun /bo • dhi/
:a state of enlightenment, awakening, nirvana, bliss.
Bodhi Bubbles™ is an alcohol free beverage crafted with intention to elevate consciousness and imbue a sense of calm and relaxation, allowing you to flow with peace through the demands of life. Each activating & refreshing sip will deeply nourish your being while grounding you in the present moment.
Naturally active adaptogens, empathogens and nootropics combine powers for a tantalizing and refreshing Taste of Bliss.
"Together Talks" feature # 180: Bodhi Bubbles presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business? What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
Story of how it was created?
After years of being in the craft beer world, even winning medals. I had actually recently won a silver medal for an amber ale, when I decided that I was going to try dry January 2021. I found myself uncomfortable with how hard that month was for me. From that experience, I started to really think more mindfully about my alcohol consumption. In that process, I started really deep diving into my “why?”
Why was I turning to alcohol in the first place?
For me it was anxiety, primarily social anxiety, stress relief, and that “taking the edge off” feeling.
I started going into the science of what the alcohol was doing in the brain. Understanding the science behind stress, and anxiety. What I found were herbal based ingredients called ‘adaptogens,’ and ‘nootropic substances that can help with a lot of these things, naturally impacting stress relief, their potential to boost mood, and decrease anxiety, all without the harmful side-effects that come from consuming alcohol.
This is a new and burgeoning market, there is a fair bit of competition in this space of drinks. There are many out there that have these and similar claims. However, I found a lot of them didn't have a great flavor, or they might have too simple or the inverse abrasive flavor, or utilize ingredients that I don’t prefer.
Leveraging my understanding of how to craft beverages that are palatable, flavorful, and refreshing. I challenged myself, “Could I take one of these adaptogen ingredients and craft a beverage that I could enjoy that could give me the effects that I was looking for?”
What separates you from your competition?
We have a really unique blend of adaptogens. The primary adaptogen in our blend is Kanna, Kanna is not Cannabis, it's a newer ingredient to the functional space. There has been a write-up from Vice a handful of years ago that called Kanna, Nature's MDMA.
So there has to be a bit of education. Due to the article, it has a bit of a party drug stigma, but that isn’t what this product is. We use a clinically studied and regulated plant extract product called Zembrin. The name actually comes from the primary alkaloid, ‘mesembrine’ that naturally occurs in Kanna. Kanna is a succulent native to South Africa. Indigenous Khoisan tribes used it for centuries to uplift, relax, and connect with their spirit. It is a plant-based gentle and natural serotonin boost, giving these kinds of feelings that can help with socializing, brightening mood, and can help sharpen cognitive function. Zembrin says, it gives you a feeling of an ‘alert serenity.’ We say it gives that same feeling as post-meditative glow, or a taste of bliss.
What have been the biggest challenges?
Truthfully, I come from a SaaS software startup background. Up until now, I have been really treating this whole business as a proof of concept. Is their a market for these products? The “minimum viable product” is a common term If you're in the tech world. What is the minimum cost, highest value that I can test this product to market? Can I reach the market that I was trying to get to and for the least amount of cost?
Until now, we have flown under the radar a bit, We haven't done any marketing. I haven't done any publicity. It has been poking my toe out into the market, going to local wellness festivals, working with some local retailers, and gauging the product-market-fit and customer feedback before I dove-in headfirst.
So awareness, is our biggest challenge at this point, We need to share the message of Bodhi Bliss.
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business?
I would say that this experience of stepping out and on this entrepreneurial endeavor has been spiritually massive in the realm of just finding myself and finding the things that I was capable of. The product name is “Bodhi Bubbles” - a name that derives from the Bodhi Tree, the tree Buddha was said to have sat under to reach enlightenment. This entrepreneurial journey, because so much of this is now riding on my shoulders. It is having to be self-motivated. Understanding the why? But keeping it balanced enough to know when to push, and when to pull back before - burn-out.
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
Just take the step. Honestly, you don't always have to have it figured out.
You can take the next step, which will open up the next three or four.
That's what most people suffer from, they start thinking about four steps ahead. Really, they just need to take THE next step.
What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most?
I've been in the ‘business world’ for a long time. I've been in management positions, and product development positions. In the business world we talk a lot about ‘autonomy’ in that setting.
I think the best part about this kind of entrepreneurial journey, taking on my own endeavor,is true autonomy.
But like I said, it's all riding on me. When you're in a corporate business, you can rely on others to make the decisions. To wait for consensus.
When you're first starting out in any entrepreneurial situation, it's you. You have to find that thing inside you that's pushing you to go and do these things. There isn't a boss there saying, “I need this on my desk by Friday.” It's, You!
There's something else that's pushing you that says, “I need this by Friday.”
I recently saw a post on social media that said,
"It's stress when it's something out of your control, and it's passion when it's something in your control."
That's a good perspective I think.
What is your why?
It truly is, I wish I had a product like this 5-10 years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have had those problems with alcohol. I think that my life has been so much better since I have cut out alcohol, I have been much better without it.
Why? Can I introduce the power of these plant-based, adaptogen ingredients to our modern world? Will people see how they can really make a difference?
I think we often rely on the old standbys, but people still need to take the edge off. One way to do that is - going out to a bar to have a cocktail, or going to grab a beer at the pub, and catch a game with some friends.
But, I think that it's shifting. We still like to gather around beverages, but there's all of this research coming out about alcohol, and now you've got cannabis that's exploding all over the place. There's new research coming out about all these new things and new substances, along with this drive to be healthier. I am a bit of a philosophy nerd, in Ancient Greek, it's called ‘Kairos’. It's THE moment where it comes to a head, and now it's the moment to take action.
I think that is the point now.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
Every day, there's something new to be happy about, to be honest. I'm a fairly optimistic person. I try to ground that in realism. But I think that there's always something optimistic to find or something to be grateful for. Each and every day in this experience. Even the mistakes, or maybe calling it a misstep. I try to find the gratitude in it, and now I know better for next time.
Favorite experience of a consumer trying your product?
I love to just watch their faces. My favorite thing is when they light up and say, “that tastes really good!” Because I think often in this space, it's overly artificially sweet, or there's some bitterness, or earthiness or something. Trying to balance that can be difficult. That is my favorite, just kind of that delight, then it's at an event when someone comes back to us 10-15 minutes later, and they say, “you know, I do feel pretty good?!”
I get to see the light bulb go off.
Breakdown of products?
We piloted last year with two flavors. We had Mango Metta and Blueberry Bliss. 12oz cans.
In the last month, we produced two new flavors as well. We now have four flavors total:
Mango Meta, Blueberry Bliss, Orange Vanilla Om, and Pineapple Paradise.
They all have the same functional ingredient profile. We have the six key ingredients. Zembrin or Kanna is the main one. But we also have Gotu Kola and Tulsi or Holy Basil, which are two Ayurvedic adaptogens that are known to help balance and regulate your mood through supporting your nervous system and balancing a lot of different places in your body holistically. Damiana, which is an ancient Mayan shrub, known for its calming, yet uplifting effects, and has been used for hundreds of years as tea and to flavor beverages. We also have lion's mane mushrooms, and then we have Magnesium L-Threonate. That's a special form of magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier. These help to give you that subtle mood boost as well and both of which contribute to neuroplasticity, which is ‘science speak’ for helping build new ideas, and new neural pathways.
Piece of Advice
If you have the desire to better yourself, or take that step for that ‘thing’ that you've always wanted to do. Just take one step toward it. I don't care if it's to write a book, or go to Paris, if it is something that you have this deep desire to do, take one step toward it. Then see what happens. Because I bet you once you start taking the step, you will see the path open up.
Motivation follows action. Once you take an action, then the motivation follows.
Promo Code
Purchase on their website here, using the promo code below!
KLSFAM and get 25% off!
Community Callout
I would say my closest friends and family have really stood by me throughout this entire process. They have been extremely supportive. I have a really close friend group that we call the Framily. We spend a lot of time together. I would not be here without them.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Bodhi Bubbles and Founder, David Buchanan, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
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