Once upon a time it was the Berlin summer of 2019...
We were sitting by the Spree in late summer and my friends were getting beer from the kiosk. I don't like beer and try to stay away from alcohol during the week. Of course, there are many non-alcoholic alternatives to beer. But most of them contain a lot of sugar or consist mainly of chemical ingredients. I don't like that. Neither do completely unsweetened teas.
I was missing that "certain something" with these drinks, I wanted to reward myself at the end of the day.
"What if there was a drink that wasn't so sweet and gave me that relaxed, cosy feeling at the end of the day that a glass of wine or a beer does without making me dizzy?
This laid the foundation for my idea.
It was obvious for me to start with CBD as an ingredient, as I have already had great success with it against my sleep problems.
The first attempt: in my kitchen! To get CBD, or cannabidiol, out of the shelf in the health food shop as a novel ingredient and make it more "presentable" by adding more ingredients, I was missing a good tasting, healthy drink.
So I got into the kitchen, where I often and happily cook for myself and friends, and started mixing my favourite ingredients. At the top of the list was tea made from verbena - it's a popular home remedy used mainly for nervousness and sleep problems, and it tastes delicious to boot. To this I mixed the extract from the elderflower and a little lemon and there was the perfect mix for our first flavour for me.
"For me, it's about incorporating an attitude to life into my business: the great importance of taking time for yourself, creating moments of relaxation, doing something good for yourself!"
Then everything happened very quickly - I got a lot of invaluable advice and help from clever entrepreneurs. An innovative recipe manufacturer helped me transform my kitchen recipe into a great-tasting, professional beverage concept and source the right, organic ingredients.
A vision became reality and we launched Fira Soda GmbH from the kitchen table in the middle of the Corona crisis. The lightly fizzy drink is an alternative to alcohol and sweet lemonades or fruit juices - for the time after work, to come down and enjoy.
For our end of the day.
All the best,