changing the world one sip at a time

By Simon Solis-Cohen, Founder

We’re going to launch a product in 99 days that does not exist yet. We’ve booked a booth at the industry’s leading trade show to debut a drink that right now is only an idea. We might be crazy. We for sure are naive. But as Steve Jobs perfectly said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

After years in the corporate grind, helping others bring their business ideas to life, I’m finally stepping out on my own to realize my dreams. At 32, it might sound odd to be so consumed by the thought of a legacy, but it's a driving force for me. I want to make a difference and leave the world a better place than I found it.

Together with my former coworkers and friends Halle and Bethany, we’ve launched Huxley, a beverage company inspired by the outdoor adventure community. Our mission is to fuel your adventure and inspire joy one sip at a time. 

We’ve set our sights on the most consumed types of beverage in the world after water: caffeine drinks. We are taking a holistic approach to the category, having already launched a line of specialty coffee earlier this year, and are setting our sights on a $62 billion giant we want to disrupt.

The energy drink industry has grown remarkably in recent years, but not without controversy. Our team passionately believes that it’s time for the next generation of energy drinks and we want to lead the revolution.

Market trends and consumer insights data show growing demand in the “better for you” segment of beverages. We've heard from consumers that they want more options in the energy drink aisle. They're looking for reprieve from the sugar-laden, highly-caffeinated, and artificially fueled options.

We believe it is the perfect moment to seize the momentum and offer a lower sugar, lower calorie energy drink made with only natural ingredients, no artificial colors, real fruit juice for great flavor, and most importantly plant based natural caffeine from a unique source. 

Embracing transparency, we’re happy to lift the curtain on our secret ingredient called Cascara Superfruit. Translating to "husk" from Spanish, Cascara is the outer red shell protecting the coffee bean on the coffee fruit. It has a light fruity flavor and tastes nothing like coffee. It's packed full of beneficial nutrients including natural caffeine, antioxidants, polyphenols, biotin, and vitamin E, making it a Superfruit. 

 

58 billion pounds of Cascara Superfruit are created as a by-product of coffee farming each year. However, only 5% of it is utilized, leaving the rest to be wasted. As it rots, it generates 14.2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year. This is the “equivalent to 15.6 billion pounds of coal burned or the emissions from 3 million passenger cars from an entire year” according to a 2020 paper from Oregon State University. These are truly mind-blowing statistics that we need to grapple with.

Ready to make an impact, we're upcycling Cascara Superfruit, saving it from a landfill and harnessing its power into a truly sustainable and eco-crafted beverage. We’re certainly not the first to make a beverage with Cascara Superfruit and it will take many like minded innovators banding together to impact the change we need in this world. Our approach will be different and we hope to lead this emerging category. 

99 days from now on March 13, 2024, we will debut our new energy drink at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California. We will be busy bringing this vision to life, working with a renowned beverage developer to help us with the formulation and production. 

Halle serves as our Creative Director, using her immense artistic talents to design the packaging. Bethany is charged as our Marketing Manager, crafting our messaging and creating awareness for our launch. 

As for me, Huxley feels like the perfect culmination of my experiences and education. As a teenager I dreamed of being a chef, working in restaurants throughout high school, going to culinary school, and eventually landing dream jobs at some of the finest three-star Michelin restaurants in the country. From there I pivoted into the wine industry, developing my palate, and immersed myself in sales and marketing. I’ll be harnessing my background in food and beverage to oversee the development of this new energy drink and experience in sales and marketing to lead our company as we fight to disrupt an entire industry. 

Over the next 99 days, our team will be documenting every step of the development and launch of our energy drink. We will be publishing daily videos on our social channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn) and invite you to follow our journey. Our goal is to build this new product in public, showing you the triumphs and setbacks along the way. 

As a lifelong entrepreneur, I am forever an optimist. Some might call what we are embarking on as “risky,” but it feels like one of the most sure things I’ve ever done in my life. 

Bootstrapped and caffeinated, we are determined to climb this mountain. Not just to prove we can reach the top, but to bring all of you along with us, showing that three creative “misfits,” as Steve Jobs coined, can indeed change the world.