Zevia Stevia Supplement - Nature's Answer to Diet Soda

ZEVIA Touches People

2008-08-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

I have never been so satisfied professionally as I am here at Zevia. We receive several email messages and telephone calls each day from people across the country thanking us for bringing them ZEVIA. It never gets old, and is always gratifying, when I open my email each day to messages with subject lines like “I LOVE ZEVIA!!”.

Yesterday afternoon, we were sitting in our office on the tenth floor of an old building in downtown Seattle when two ZEVIA customers walked in. Chris is a Seattle resident, and Richard is his father from Arizona (see their photo above with Jeff Taylor and me). Chris discovered ZEVIA at the West Seattle Thriftway a while ago, and he’s been loving it ever since. Richard is visiting his son and tried it for the first time this week.

Why did Richard and Chris take the time to look up our address, come downtown, and pay us a visit? Well, Richard now loves ZEVIA and there isn’t a store near his home that sells it. Richard so much wants ZEVIA in Arizona that he felt it was important to meet the ZEVIA team, thank us for creating ZEVIA, and get us focused on the stores in his neighborhood. He thought an email or phone call wouldn’t be sufficient. He has a lot of friends he cares about who drink diet sodas with artificial ingredients, and he intends to tell them all about ZEVIA.

We were excited to meet Richard and Chris, and they left with some ZEVIA and coupons. But, they didn’t have to come all the way up here. We answer every email and phone call, and we appreciate hearing from you. We are grateful that you’re spreading the word about ZEVIA, and sharing it with your family and friends.

Richard, we’re working hard to get ZEVIA to a store near you and to every neighborhood in America. Please help us by printing the Help Me Get My Zevia sheet and bringing it to the supermarket or natural food store where you shop. Check out the Zevia Store Locator regularly, as we add new stores every day. Thank you for your support!

-Derek

ZEVIA Starts Strong at Whole Foods Southeast

2008-07-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

We are very excited that ZEVIA is now available in the Southeast region of Whole Foods Market. The stores just began putting ZEVIA on shelves last week, and all the Whole Foods stores in the area will have ZEVIA by the end of this month.

On Friday, a member of our sales team spoke with a buyer from the Whole Foods in Winston Salem, North Carolina. She said the store is having difficulty keeping ZEVIA stocked because Whole Foods shoppers are grabbing ZEVIA faster than they can fill shelves. To the left is a photo of the shelf there on Thursday afternoon right after stocking.

Thank you to the many ZEVIA enthusiasts who requested ZEVIA at Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods listened, and we are grateful for your support. Continue to Chill and Enjoy ZEVIA . . . at Whole Foods!

-Derek

ZEVIA at Seattle's SeaFair Triathalon - a PCC's Kids Pick!

2008-07-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Two of our favorite things in Seattle are: 1) SeaFair, (Seattle's summer festival celebration with hydroplane races on the water, Blue Angels airshows, Milk Carton Derbys, the Torchlight Run, the Torchlight Parade, Triathlon and more!) and 2) PCC Natural Markets (a certified organic grocery store & Seattle Washington co-op, specializing in natural food, organic produce & natural meat).

We are so excited to be a PCC's kids pick . The PCC Kids Pick program is a unique product sampling program that allows kids to taste and discover for themselves that natural and organic foods taste great. To be a PCC Kids Pick two-thirds of any group of kids trying the products must say they like it. Of course ZEVIA made the cut!

The Kids Pick Mobile travels to different events bringing these kids pick products for people to sample. This morning, Derek did the SeaFair Triathalon and after the event we were very excited to see the PCC Kids Pick Mobile handing out ZEVIA Natural Orange!

Here are some of our great SeaFair Tri-athletes, Sean, Pam and Megan of Seattle who enjoyed a refreshing ZEVIA Natural Orange after completing the Tri.

Good Job on the Tri Derek, Sean, Pam and Megan! Continue to Chill & Enjoy your ZEVIA!

- Jessica

ZEVIA in Southern California

2008-07-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

This week, brand Ambassador Abigail was busy in Irving, Laguna Woods and Huntington Beach introducing ZEVIA to new consumers, and meeting and greeting our ZEVIA fans. Here she is at Mother's Market, one of orange county's great natural food store chains, and one of our Orange County ZEVIA Natural Orange flavor fans.

ZEVIA in Chicago - the UNFI Midwest Tabletop Show

2008-07-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Stacey represented ZEVIA at the UNFI Midwest Tabletop Show in Rosemont IL, outside Chicago. Stores in Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana will have ZEVIA on their shelves this summer! There were 350 exhibitors and about 400 attendees at this show which distributor UNFI puts on to present new products to stores. ZEVIA was one of the only beverages at this show which features natural products. Many people were anxious to try the ZEVIA since stevia is becoming a very popular ingredient in natural foods.

As a side note, when visiting Chicago, check out Pier 5736 on North Elston. Jeff and Stacey, along with Norman one of our Zevia sales team members, stumbled upon this very inviting casual seafood restaurant which was voted as a top 50 Chicago restaurant by the Chicago Reader. Not only did they have an excellent meal, the owner and executive chef Peter McCarthy was such an amazing host that he personally delivered Stacey, Jeff and Norman back home to their hotel in his classic Cadillac convertible (pictured here). Peter - a case of ZEVIA for you is on the way, thanks for taking care of our ZEVIA peeps!

Chill & Enjoy!

- Jessica

Keeping up with demand, another ZEVIA production run!

2008-07-16T08:27:00.001-07:00

Is there anything more exciting than a ZEVIA production?? I guess it's all relative, but here at ZEVIA, there are few things as exciting as making more ZEVIA. In our ever present efforts to keep up with demand, we were at it again yesterday. This summer's production schedule is moving along much faster than we anticipated, as we continue to appear on more store shelves, and sell out in stores across the country (that is 40 states across the country as I speak - and Mexico and Guam to boot!).

As summer HEATS up, continue to Chill & Enjoy your Zevia, and drink all you want - we'll make more!

- Jessica

Moving on UP in DOWNtown Seattle!

2008-07-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

Hail hail, the gang's all here! This marks our first full week in our new office in downtown Seattle. For a formal introduction, from left, circling around to right, that is Derek (founder/principal, great on the bullhorn), Michael (Director of Business/Legal Affairs, you've got questions, he's got answers), Jeff (National Sales Manager, most popular guy at the trade shows, traveling to a store near you soon!), Ian (founder/principal, former diet coke addict - here to change the way you drink), Stacey (Account Executive, most positive attitude, sells in her sleep) and me, Jessica (founder/principal, former diet coke addict on a crusade, and currently blogging). We are so excited to be together in downtown Seattle and this was our first "weekly" team meeting with the number one topic on the agenda being how to get YOU to Kick the Diet Soda Habit with ZEVIA!

Chill & Enjoy!

- Jessica

ZEVIA on Parade!

2008-07-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yee Haw! We had an amazing time at the Mercer Island Summer Celebration "Happy Trails" Parade. That's Michael in his ZEVIA branded FJ Cruiser, Derek with his bullhorn, and me and my team of amazing girls - BIG Thanks to Glen who pulled our "float", Michele my dear friend and long time ZEVIA fan who helped me manage our amazing ZEVIA girls - Sophia, Bailey, Flora, Ava and Anya - who passed out hundreds of cans of chilled ZEVIA, coupons and flyers. This is one of the funnest events on Mercer Island, and ZEVIA's first appearance in the parade. Derek led the way with the bullhorn, Glen safely toted our rig of Macy the Pig, ice and lots of ZEVIA. Our FIRST Parade ever!

Chill & Enjoy!

- Jessica

ZEVIA on TV -- Evening Magazine!

2008-07-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

Most people in the Pacific Northwest are familiar with our local NBC affiliate King 5's program "Evening Magazine"; "Seattle's only TV magazine show" bringing unique stories about people, places and events around the Northwest.

Tonight, ZEVIA was featured on the program as "NW Innovators". The piece details how, "Seattle, the city known for coffee, might be turning its attention to a different beverage: soda."

With the hot days we're having in Seattle, and the big July 4th weekend coming up, we hope this piece will get people to run out and get their ZEVIA!

Chill & Enjoy!

- Jessica

Hollywood Stars Choose ZEVIA

2008-06-25T14:43:00.001-07:00

Today, we received two tips about how television and movie stars are enjoying ZEVIA. This week’s Star Magazine reports in its “Hot Sheet” that a hot young celebrity has been spotted drinking ZEVIA. Then, we received a link to a video of Dr. Drew drinking ZEVIA (see screen capture at bottom left). Dr. Drew is the real deal medical doctor who hosts VH1's smash hit television show Celebrity Rehab. He also hosts the nationally syndicated Loveline radio program, where the video of him with ZEVIA was taken.

-Derek

Bienvendio a Mexico, ZEVIA

2008-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

ZEVIA is now available south of the border. While traveling in Baja, you can get your ZEVIA fix in Mexicali, about 120 miles south of San Diego at Salud Total (which means “total health”). It is a healthy grocery store that also offers nutrition classes.

We’ve shipped ZEVIA to several customers outside the United States who purchased ZEVIA online at zevia.com, but I think this is the first retail store to offer ZEVIA internationally. Muy Bien!

-Derek

ZEVIA in Hollywood

2008-06-24T13:10:00.001-07:00

Last week, ZEVIA took Hollywood by storm, with everybody from Superman to tourists, to cartoon characters enjoying ZEVIA on the Hollywood walk of fame. If you have some fun photos of ZEVIA out and about, please email them to us at zevia@zevia.com.

-Derek

ZEVIA at Pasadena Summer Solctice Celebration

2008-06-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

ZEVIA is now available in the Los Angeles area, and it was especially thirst quenching this past weekend with hot summer temperatures.

Justine and Abigail handed out ZEVIA at a music festival called Ecole Du Soleil in Pasadena. With five music stages set up all over Old Pasadena, many Southland residents were experiencing ZEVIA for the first time and loving it.

For the people who emailed from L.A. asking where to find ZEVIA, please go to your Bristol Farms, Mother’s Markets in Orange County, Lassens (mostly in Ventura County), Co-Opportunity in Santa Monica, and several independent grocery stores. In a few weeks, ZEVIA will also be available in about 60 Southern California Albertsons locations.

-Derek

Behind the Scenes at the 37th Annual Fremont Fair in Seattle

2008-06-23T17:07:00.001-07:00

Our Seattle ZEVIA team had a great weekend at the 37th Annual Fremont Fair -located in the funky and friendly Fremont neighborhood, the Fremont Fair is a celebration of the Summer Solstice. We met people from all walks of life and lots of people who use stevia and were excited to try ZEVIA on a hot Seattle weekend.

We had a GREAT enthusiastic team of Scott, the lovely Angel, and more "A's" of Arielle, Andrea, and Alyse. Jamie, Jeff, Stacey, Jeff, Derek, Ian and myself were all part of the demo team, giving away lots of cool refreshing ZEVIA to the Fremont Fair attendees.

While we had several enthusiastic ZEVIA team members (thanks guys!!), by FAR the CUTEST team members were our kids, who were busy "transporting ice" from cooler to cooler, keeping each flavor nice and cool, and recycling cans (a lot of can stomping, and putting in the right trash bag). So enjoy this picture of our youngest ZEVIA team members (from left to right) Tad, Noah, Kats, Ava and Anderson.

- Jessica

University of Michigan Solar Car Team Drinks Zevia!

2008-06-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

It is always neat to run across blog posts that include Zevia. This one was especially cool. Organic By The Case is a terrific company that delivers healthy, organic and eco-friendly products directly to your home! They sponsor the University of Michigan Solar Car Team. Included in their blog, is a post that they provided the Solar Team with Zevia and a great picture of the team enjoying a Twist.

At Zevia we are very excited about the prospects of alternative and renewable energy (I drive a prius). We wish the team the best of luck in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge!

Ian

ZEVIA in Minnesota

2008-06-04T12:16:00.001-07:00

We received this email:

From: Brian P.
To: zevia@zevia.com
Subject: Root beer and Minnesota

"Hi!

First, I want to say that I love the new Ginger Root Beer! It is my new favorite.

Also, I was happy to see that Lakewinds in Chanhassen, Minnesota is now carrying all four flavors of Zevia. Welcome to Minnesota! :-)

- Brian"

The next day, Brian wrote us again:

“I don't know how long they have had it on the shelves or how much stock they started with, but I noticed that the root beer was gone already!”

Sure enough, the ZEVIA is moving in Minnesota. We contacted the Lakewinds stores and learned that their customers are loving ZEVIA, and the stores are selling out even though ZEVIA has only been on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

Here are some photos from two Lakewinds locations, one in Minnetonka and one in Chanhassen.

Thank you for enjoying ZEVIA in Minnesota, and please share ZEVIA with everybody you know.

-Derek

Stacey's Report from the JDRF South Sound Walk for the Cure

2008-05-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

"We had another very successful tasting event at the JDRF's South Sound Walk for a Cure. We started off meeting at 5:30am this morning . . . car pooling to Tacoma. We had: Junior, Annie, Scott, William and Myself in the Zevia truck and one car) . . . Our sampling booth was ready to go by 7:30am. They had 2800 participants plus another 1000 friends and family members. We passed out 60 cases of samples (which was the perfect amount) and each participant received a Zevia coupon in their goodie bags. We also passed out another 300 coupons at our booth. Most participants lived in the Tacoma- South Sound area so they were very familiar with Metropolitan Markets, Marlene's Market, Thriftway and of course PCC Natural Markets. Root Beer was a favorite . . . We had nice sunny weather at Point Defiance- Owen's Beach. The beach was only 20 foot away from our booth, we were able to view the beautiful Puget Sound the entire event. The most notable quality of this event was how polite these participants were!!"

Great job team -- we are so happy to be a part of these events with the Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation!

- Jessica

ZEVIA is Hot in the Northeast

2008-05-29T15:18:00.001-07:00

We just began east coast distribution a few weeks ago, and even I can’t believe how popular ZEVIA is there. Our east coast distributor (United Natural Foods) placed a fairly large purchase order for ZEVIA to begin with, and just two weeks later placed another large order. This means ZEVIA was sold into our initial stores, and then it was immediately SOLD THROUGH! These stores, in just a couple of weeks, are re-ordering ZEVIA – and we haven’t even done east coast promotion yet.

Kings Super Markets in New Jersey just started selling ZEVIA in its 26 stores this week. Stacey called a few of them to confirm ZEVIA is on the shelf, and the Fort Lee store is already sold out! Below is a photo of an employee who just stocked Zevia and put it on sale at Kings in Bedminster.

ZEVIA is a new phenomenon that most people don’t yet know. So, new customers are always discovering ZEVIA, and then they return to get more. When ZEVIA launches in new stores, our sales grow dramatically over the following months as this cycle runs its course. I couldn’t be more excited about this start on the east. Thank you my east coast friends for your support and for kicking the diet soda habit with ZEVIA!

-Derek

Something about Ingrid ...

2008-05-23T07:51:00.001-07:00

As the saying goes, "it takes a village" . . . here at ZEVIA, we don't quite have a village, but we do have some amazing brand ambassadors and a sales force who introduce ZEVIA to new stores everyday. One of our favorites is Ingrid Thom, who has been with us since the very beginning. Ingrid works in the Southern California territory and visits the natural foods stores, giving them the low down on ZEVIA. Here are Ingrid and Stacey in Hawaii (Hawaii is part of Ingrid's territory), attending the Nature's Best Around the World in One Day Table Top Show in Waikiki. Nature's Best is one of our distributors and this show presented the best of Nature's Best's product offerings to stores from Hawaii, California and Nevada. So here's a big thank you to ALL of our sales team who hit the streets (and in this case, the beach) to make sure ZEVIA gets to the stores near YOU!

- Jessica

ZEVIA at University District Street Fair

2008-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend, ZEVIA sponsored the University District Street Fair. We try to be in the community as much as we can. This event was particularly successful. Many street fair goers were already regular ZEVIA drinkers, and several were introduced to ZEVA for the first time.

Jeff Taylor, our national sales manager, led a great team that passed out 3200 samples on Saturday, using up about 70 cases of ZEVIA (that’s 1,680 cans!) On Sunday, we passed out about 2000 samples and went through about 60 cases (1,440 cans).

Jeff and the team ran out of product about 4:30 in the afternoon because more people than we anticipated wanted to enjoy their ZEVIA during this beautiful weekend in Seattle.

-Derek

ZEVIA in Hawaii

2008-05-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

We sent Stacey Fujimura, our awesome account executive, to check on stores selling ZEVIA in Hawaii. We have events this week going on in Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Hawaii -- and poor Stacey was the one chosen to say Aloha to the islands.

Yesterday, she visited Down to Earth at Pearlridge, the very first Hawaii store to offer ZEVIA. The Pearlridge store sold out of 25 cases in 9 days after it placed its first ZEVIA order. Thanks to the quick success there, four additional Down to Earth locations ordered ZEVIA. They each sold out of their stock in less than two weeks. Hawaiians obviously love ZEVIA.

Stacey reports that “it seems that the customers of Down to Earth were looking for an alternative to Splenda and aspartame. Their number one seller is Orange. I will be introducing them to Ginger Root Beer during my visits today and hopefully within 3 weeks, Ginger Root Beer will be hitting the Islands.”

After a busy day visiting stores, Stacey and ZEVIA Natural Cola lounged on the beach at Waikiki. It must be tough being the hot ZEVIA sales rep that Stacey is.

-Derek

ZEVIA Delivered To Your Arizona Home

2008-05-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Boxed Greens delivers organic fruits and vegetables to Phoenix area homes. We are thrilled that Boxed Greens has added ZEVIA to its menu. If you’re in Arizona you can get ZEVIA at the Boxed Greens headquarters or delivered to your front door. If you’re an existing Boxed Greens customer, the ZEVIA is already on its way. Boxed Greens is now running a promotion where every customer gets a sample of ZEVIA in the box. Ian Winscom, the Creative Business Development manager Boxed Greens reports that they “have had alot of people come in just for the Zevia!”

We're introducing ZEVIA at new stores across the country every day. If it's not yet where you shop, please request it. If you're in Arizona, check out Boxed Greens and get ZEVIA delivered together with the best quality organic produce.

-Derek

Blogging About The Blogs

2008-05-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

We were very excited and anxious to get this blog up and running, and everyday are excited to bring you as much news as we can about ZEVIA and things we care about. So you can imagine our excitement when we, ZEVIA, are picked up and written about on other blogs!

I attribute our recent success to you, the ZEVIA fan. We are seeing lots of blog posts touting the benefits of ZEVIA, which leads to blog readers trying ZEVIA and telling their friends, which leads to more blog entries and more people trying and loving ZEVIA.

Yesterday, Andrea, who writes the Rookie Cookery, reviewed ZEVIA Natural Ginger Root Beer. Her family performed a taste test and they were “unanimous in their positive review of the new ginger root flavor of Zevia”. Andrea’s blog covers healthy and ethical living.

We also saw blog reviews in the past few weeks by Health Nut Wannabe (“Then along came Zevia the natural alternative to diet sodas . . . I am so excited to say that I tried all 4 Zevia flavors (cola, lemon lime, orange and root beer) and am over the moon! I love it and cannot wait to get more (keep in mind that I am not affiliated with Zevia)"); That’s Fit (“I gave up regularly downing diet soda months ago. But I miss fizzy pop. Wouldn't it be great to have a natural alternative not sweetened with a chemical from a lab? Enter Zevia.”); LeafyGreen.info (“I first read about Zevia from Hungry Girl and she liked it, so maybe you will too. Don’t trust our word; pick up a can for yourself.”); FitFare (“The taste is relatively clean, with very little aftertaste. In fact, I’d have to say that this is one of the best things about [Zevia]. There is little to no aftertaste. Two minutes after taking a sip, I couldn’t tell I’d had any.”)

Jimmy Moore, author of the popular Livin' La Vida Low Carb blog, gave away ZEVIA as a prize; and Hungry Girl promoted ZEVIA on her Yahoo! blog.

Thank you for your support! We designed ZEVIA because there was no choice if you want natural without calories. We are so excited to bring ZEVIA to you, and grateful you’re spreading the word.

-Derek

ZEVIA at Bristol Farms in Los Angeles!

2008-05-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Westlake Village, California. After co-founding ZEVIA in Seattle, one of my short term goals was to see ZEVIA in the best markets in Southern California.

Bristol Farms is probably the nicest grocery store in the Los Angeles area, and there is one in my home town. It touts “extraordinary food, extraordinary service” and it delivers.

Now, Bristol Farms is even more extraordinary. It’s one of the first stores in the L.A. area to offer ZEVIA! It’s also the first store in the country where you can get the new delicious Ginger Root Beer ZEVIA. We just launched Ginger Root Beer, it's my favorite flavor, and you can find it only at Bristol Farms.

The photo above was taken by my friend, Kit, just hours after ZEVIA hit the shelf at the West Hollywood Bristol Farms. This is very exciting. ZEVIA at Bristol Farms. Wow!

-Derek

Macy's Culinary Council, Celeb Chef Tom Douglas, and ZEVIA!

2008-04-27T15:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Stacey and I had a great time at Macy's Culinary Council, a "tour de force of celebrity chefs from across America". Macy's invited ZEVIA to be a part of the event in downtown Seattle, where celebrity chef Tom Douglas (owner/chef of five amazing Seattle restaurants: Dahlia Lounge, Etta's, Palace Kitchen, Lola and the newest edition Serious Pie. He recently released his third book, I Love Crabcakes) prepared a sampling of his favorite recipes. ZEVIA was featured as the only beverage at the event, served along side Tom's Spring Chicken with Green Marinade and Crab Rolls (dungeness crab salad on bakery rolls) which he prepared for the crowd of about 100 people in Macy's beautiful demo kitchen in their housewares department. Tom enjoyed his Ginger Root Beer and everyone enjoyed the different ZEVIA flavors on the sunny day with the spring time menu!

- Jessica