You're in control of Paradise Kava's Next Kava Extract Product, what would you bring out next?

[Paradise Kava]

For 2014 you are the decision maker on which Kava Extract to introduce into the lineup.
Will it be a new flavor? A Limited Edition? A Stronger version of the existing lineup?

To make sure it's covering as many markets and possible customers in the small world of those who are aware of kava, you'd need to work up a winner since it's your company on the line here.

What will be the next best seller, how will you package it, what will you create?

Over to you...(smiley: happy)

A.G

 

[endwatcher]

I have a few suggestions.


I love the Island honey, but I think you should introduce a Manuka honey blend in one of your extracts, simply for the health benefits.


I know that would greatly increase pricing, but I was thinking of focusing on a health, both mental and physical. I personally love the taste compared to normal honey "I know all honeys have there taste"

Magnolia bark, But I'm not sure on interaction between the two.

I think adding mint, ginger, lavender, would be great for taste.


I also think you should focus on different blends for different effects.

Maybe something for people recovering from alcohol

Or a blend for people with Anxiety

blend for depression.


I think your company could clean house if you marketed different varieties for different issues.

Then marketed them through places such as Amazon, because those are the places where these/those people go to on a broad search.


Just remember...I take payment of Pure Fiji kava in return for my advice. Haha



As for taste, I like them clean. I dont care for chocolate and intrusive tastes alike.

I think clean tastes, like the ones I mentioned would be great. "I love the Lemon honey"


Hope it helps.


BULA!

 

[kl.jj28west]

I guess the challenge would be to follow the road of continuous improvement with a 6th generation that is even more powerful and therapeutic but at the same time still be cost effective without disturbing the integrity of the product.
I love the idea of maybe increasing the concentration of the active ingredients of the kava extract.

 

[krunkedout]

I think cost effectiveness would be good. And I agree with end watchers idea of different extracts for different things like anxiety and depression, it's quite a stretch an would call for lots of research but I think it would benefit you guys in the long run.

 

[Vekta]

I don't think creating different extracts for different things like anxiety and depression would be a good idea. Adil and kava in general might get into dangerous waters by putting that on his product label.


A better approach might be something like "Kava Kalm" as an intermediate strength for general stressful days. Then something like...I donno..."Midas Touch"...you know...to turn your horrible days into pure gold.


Oh man, that was horrendously corny but you get what I mean right?
As far as flavors go. My idea would be kava with peppermint and menthol. I wanna feel happy and summon the wrath of Jack Frost when I exhale.(smiley: grin)

 

[krunkedout]

The changing of the names for different extracts for different things sounds like a good idea, just to make the FDA happy.

 

[endwatcher]

Totally agree....and I like Midas touch. haha


I dido the Jack Frost comment. I love cool mintyness

 

[Paradise Kava]

Good input guys! and also in the same line of what we're working towards.


We're been developing our Extracts for various markets, from the hippie new age communities who prefer a "Goddess Elixir" to the Japanese who prefer wood coffins around their jars. There are many more demographics and preferences to consider.


I have always liked the Peppermint and Menthol idea (remember our limited edition Double strength Mint?) and we'll try a new version of this coming up shortly. Right now, it's in between chai tea (cardamom, cinnamon with a hint of giner) and Double Mint.

I'm not happy with either version this entire last year. So it's back to the drawing board.


Right, No claims can be made, such is the nature of the industry and we must abide by it. Yes, the names will tell the customer what it is, but no claims.

I think "Kava Kalm" is a registered trademark owned by someone right now. Great idea, if not.


Obviously, the name "Kava" is a hard sell to those in the US. Either it's liked with liver damage or people have no idea what it is.


Creative and correct awareness of what kava is, remain the corner stone of any Kava business in the US today.


Keep the ideas coming gentlemen!


A.G

 

[The Kap'n]

I may speak for more than one person when I say this is what the next extract product should be. I may not be the biggest consumer, and I know you'll cringe making it, Adil, but there's definitely a market. 

 

[Paradise Kava]

lol! lol! well done Jimmy!


Seriously, ISA MINT?


We're going to try the mint again, that's a given.



Now, for the ISA word on that label. I have a lot to say on that matter, as always. (^_^)



Ok, let's assume we did an extraction with ISA specifically for high DHK/DHM results.


However, to me, the effort seems futile because the Di-hidro kavalactone count would be


unbearably high, and if were to offer the general kava consumer a quarter spoon of this


product in theory, they'd get nausea and would be lethargic for a few days till the double


bonded Kavalactones exit their blood stream and intestinal tract. Remember, our Extracts are almost 20 % Kavain and DHK.


In addition, to extract double bonded kavalactones is the very antithesis of 3000 years of


selective farming and the evolutionary refinement of Kava. To a farmer and product developer, it makes no sense whatsoever.


'Why' you ask?


Look at the Kavain count of Hawaiian Kava, the last stop the plant species makes on it's way from Vanuatu roughly 1400 years ago when the Marquesans first came to Hawaii with their canoe plants, 'awa, taro, etc...


Notice how refined Hawaiian kava.... nay, FEEL it's desirable euphoric feeling and fast exit


thru the human system A huge plus for the modern age.


Experience it's generally lighter tasting beverage (even where extracts are not concerned) in contrast to ISA for example etc. Kavain is The Champ of all Kavalactones. I'm in love as you can tell, any views presented are biased in favor of Kavain


Yes, there is a market for ISA, a growing one as our sales graph shows. Obscene amounts,


given it's kavalactone profile, if you ask me.


But our vision at Paradise Kava turns our gaze to a greater purpose and representation for Kava across the globe.


We all know what happened to our beloved Kava plant just a decade ago, and it's simply not worth presenting anything less than Kava's Best Potential to the world. Something most people, whether they know about kava or not, will want to experience.


Greed, shortcuts, inferior, nauseating & chemically unstable Kava products, all these only give the many hawks with deep pockets a chance to ruin the entire industry once again. It's been done once, and it's much easier to repeat, if you ask me.


So, personally, I cannot see Paradise Kava ever producing such an extract, even though we


have the supply of kava, the means and ingenuity to produce such a product; our will to


direct the World to the purest feeling a Fine Kava Product can give, over rules all other motivations.


Even profit, believe it or not.


A.G

 

[Paradise Kava]

To reiterate the point of this post: what would you produce for most of America, our Primary market at this point?


What is this product called? (go wild, tell me everything your krunked brains desire)

How many sizes does it come in?


Does it have a little spoon like the tiny Baskin Robbins pink sample spoon?


How would you get people to try some at a health food store in the mainland US, for example?


You have to win over someone who has no clue as what kava is, or what to make of that crazy mouth numbing effect once someone DOES try a gram of Kava Extract.


such barriers to entry, along with the FDA warning in tow, require our sharpest minds to come up with an effective solution to allow the US to give Kava a fair try.


Let your imagination run wild Ladies and Gents.

 

[The Kap'n]

I really couldn't see you guys making that either....but it was fun making the mock jar label
I've been reading "The Pacific Elixir" and I totally agree. If we go back to ISA we're reverse engineering thousands of years of careful attribute selection. I love kavain, and I'll never drink tudei again. Maybe we could have a......

 

[endwatcher]

YES!

LOVE IT!

 

[jkw]

To reiterate the point of this post: what would you produce for most of America, our Primary market at this point?



What is this product called? (go wild, tell me everything your krunked brains desire)

How many sizes does it come in?

=1emDoes it have a little spoon like the tiny Baskin Robbins pink sample spoon?

=1emHow would you get people to try some at a health food store in the mainland US, for example?

=1emYou have to win over someone who has no clue as what kava is, or what to make of that crazy mouth numbing effect once someone DOES try a gram of Kava Extract.

=1emsuch barriers to entry, along with the FDA warning in tow, require our sharpest minds to come up with an effective solution to allow the US to give Kava a fair try.

=1emLet your imagination run wild Ladies and Gents.


 

=1emFrom my experience, the biggest barriers are taste and cost, probably in that order, though I'm not certain.  I think people are generally open to trying kava, particularly in this extract form.  I don't think most people are aware of the kava->liver damage misconception anyway.  Most people have never even heard of kava.  It is easy to sell the idea of kava to anyone... it's natural, relaxes you, lowers anxiety, no hangover, no problems with long term use, etc.  The problem comes then when faced with how to ingest it.  Most people would prefer pills, tincture or maybe a tea, but the extract doesn't sound too bad to them.  The available flavors sound pretty darn good.  But the truth is that kavalactones taste terrible to most.  And the downside of the extract (vs the traditional prep) is that the bitter taste lingers.  Keeping it sublingual helps, but requires some practice as it is generally not natural to the average person.  So you give someone a little bit and they find it briefly to taste nice followed by the awful lingering bitterness.  However, most find the numbing to be a pleasant effect, not a negative.  But the taste would prevent them from getting too excited about it.  Even for those who don't mind the taste, the next thing they are faced with is the price tag.  I think most people would expect to consume a little bit every day or maybe every other day.  Most monthly supplies of natural medicines at the health food stores tend to cost in the low tens of dollars.  If a 60g jar was $20 or even $30 I'm sure they would consider it.  But $100 (including shipping) is miles away from what most people would be expecting, and is more then they want to spend to try to get accustomed to the taste.  Sure you can get a 10g jar but it is so tiny as to seem like you would use it up in a couple of days (in fact it would obviously be 5 at the recommended dosage of 2g).  It also is so expensive that it seems risky to try different flavors due to the higher cost in the lower sizes.  I know last time I ordered, I wanted to try different flavors but didn't want to make a mistake and buy a lot of a flavor I did not like, but also felt bad about "overspending" on a 10g jar of a different flavor.


I guess I was rambling there, but the only way to win over the average person would be to improve the taste and/or reduce the cost.  I don't mean to be negative, in fact I love the extracts and plan to keep buying on an ongoing basis because I can afford to.  But to appeal to the masses, the cost would have to be severely reduced.  I'm sure even plenty of the forum members don't buy it because of the price.


But as far as actually helpful suggestions, I would say:


1. Don't discount as sizes increase.  It makes the buying decision much harder, and will stall the person who is mildly interested.  Instead of just thinking, "Hey, I've got some $$ I want to spend on extract, I'll get what I can for that price", or "I kinda like the chocolate, but I'll try the honey lemon to see if I like it better", I end up thinking "I'd like to buy some now, but I'll wait so I can save up a little more money to get a large jar" or "I'd love to try another flavor, but I don't want to waste money per gram on a sample" or "I don't want to commit to a large jar, because I'm not sure I'll like it, but you get so much less for your money at the smaller sizes, so I'll just pass" or "How can I explain spending $100 on this tiny jar to my wife.  I'd rather get a smaller amount, but it's so much more per gram" and so on.  I bought a 10g sample of the chocolate orange last time I ordered because I wanted to try it, and actually felt bad about it.  That shouldn't be the case.

2. Or, at a minimum provide some sort of sampler which has a little bit of each flavor so you can try them all with out having to spend $60 for 3 jars.  Even if it was just 3 grams, 1 of each kind in some sort of individual plastic squeezy containers like tiny ketchup packets.  That would not make any sense to order from the website due to shipping, but at a brick and mortar store, it would be convenient.

3. I don't think a spoon is necessary, but instead of suggesting 2g, suggest 1/4 tsp as your dosage, because most of America has a measuring spoon set, but not a scale for weighing things in grams.

4. To get people to try some at a health food store, I'm sure just giving out single dose samples would work the best.  Or offering the little 3-gram variety packs for $5. 

5. Possibly don't mention that it is kava in the name.  Things like Monster, Red Bull, 5-hour energy, Jack 3D etc, sound cool to people.  Something that brought a sense of the islands and relaxation would be nice.  The fact that is made with kava does not have to be highlighted.

 

[Vekta]

I may be really bias but I'd put out a kava product that is at least close to a balanced ideal. I've given kava to over a dozen individuals and couples and there have been times when the strength of the kava sample I gave them was far too much and it came very close to turning them off kava. (don't worry, I always have a tame variety on hand to cater to such preferences)
I think you might find a wider consumer base if the product was well balanced and respectably potent even among the more experienced drinkers rather than mind-blowing potent as some of us might prefer here. 
An interesting and easy way to introduce your extact, Adil, and possibly more convenient to boot would be to make kava extract filled honey sticks. Remember those?

These are pretty familiar to most Americans and would most likely be less intimidating  and foreign to those unfamiliar with kava. Psychologically, we are more comfortable with things that look familiar to us and I think this would be a great way to tap into that. Honey sticks are a classic that has appeared at mom'n' pop candy stories, county fairs, festivals and fruits stands.

 

[Paradise Kava]

Kapm, you were kidding?? You got me there! I wasted a lot of time on that post. So let's refer everyone who ever asks why we don't make an ISA extract to this post Also....by referring Lebot's book, you inspired me to send an invite to him, see the main forum page for that.


JKW, that is some inspired critical thinking there brother. Well done there! Those little jars are expensive to produce and Yes, we're working on the ketchup packet idea right now. Exactly the format I've been considering for some time and I'm meeting an Industrial manufacturer for these shortly. OR, we'll try Vekta's idea of honey sticks.

Good one there as well. Are you telling me that "I've given kava to over a dozen individuals and couples and there have been times when the strength of the kava sample I gave them was far too much..." is referring to our Kava Extract? Or Kava in general?


Well done guys! I'm going to reread this thread a few times to really get an idea of what to put on the drawing board for the company next.


Aloha!

A.G

 

[mos3z]

Hey Adil,

i saw you previous post talking about ISA extracts, i cant remember if I was the one who was initially asking about this, but I'm not really interested in the double bonded lactones of an ISA, I'm more interested in the muscle relaxing qualities of kava. I think an extract that would give muscle relaxation and pain similar to bkh boroguru or kbr fiji waka (i havent tried your fiji yet) would be desirable from a lot of people. It could open up a new market for you guys too if you have a natural product that was a strong muscle relaxer, there doesnt really exist anything anywhere like that out there, ive tried every natural herb available at the health store for muscle relaxation and nothing compares to kava

 

[Vekta]

Kapm, you were kidding?? You got me there! I wasted a lot of time on that post. So let's refer everyone who ever asks why we don't make an ISA extract to this post Also....by referring Lebot's book, you inspired me to send an invite to him, see the main forum page for that.


JKW, that is some inspired critical thinking there brother. Well done there! Those little jars are expensive to produce and Yes, we're working on the ketchup packet idea right now. Exactly the format I've been considering for some time and I'm meeting an Industrial manufacturer for these shortly. OR, we'll try Vekta's idea of honey sticks.

Good one there as well. Are you telling me that "I've given kava to over a dozen individuals and couples and there have been times when the strength of the kava sample I gave them was far too much..." is referring to our Kava Extract? Or Kava in general?


Well done guys! I'm going to reread this thread a few times to really get an idea of what to put on the drawing board for the company next.


Aloha!

A.G

I'm referring to kava in general but your extract was among them. Take that with a grain of salt thought because the person(s) I was referring to have a rather low threshold. They were among the lucky few of us that really get hit like a truck when drinking kava of any reasonable strength.

 

[The Kap'n]

Adil, I wasn't kidding. I just kinda knew the answer to that before I asked. I've heard quite a few people request a product like that. Also you've wasted no time. We need to see things like that so we know the reason as to why kava producers make the decisions they do. I don't think kona kava would have the balls to come in here and say "Heck, we just love the money". You're doing it for the love of kava, and that's what we look for.

 

[Paradise Kava]

Jon, I'm really interested in the muscle relaxing qualities of kava too which is what led to the Weary Warrior Muscle Salve.
I believe it's better delivery to rub it in AND ingest it simultaneously thru beverage or extract.

Is there a post which discusses this unique aspect of kava (and specific kavalactones), to relax muscles internally and thru the capacity of vaso dilation as a topical analgesic? If not, I think it's time to bring our the research on it.

Got it Vekta. I have always wondered what the minimum should be in the range, 70mg per gram? 250mg as a max is a good number, and 500mg seems too high?  Questions which intrigue.

Jimmy! thanks, you know I'll give my best...or get close

This post is a cornerstone for my years long defense of high Kavain products and the need to stop planting ISA in Hawaii.

A.G