from w
Here's a funny one, from a Labasa journalist in the Fiji Times. What were they thinking when they named this new soporific drink to be marketed in Fiji. Mary Jane is an euphemism for marijuana isn't it?
Mary Jane kava soda set for tourist market
Theresa Ralogaivau
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
MARY Jane's relaxing soda, an American drink that reportedly has a calming effect on stressed minds, is expected to penetrate the tourist market soon with an agreement sealed with Windward Apparel in Savusavu to be sole distributors.
Company owner Sean Cody confirmed he recently signed a deal with drink makers Relaxing Sales and Distributions Inc to be the sole distributor in the South Pacific.
"We have a five-year agreement that is open to extension," he said.
About 15 new jobs will be created for distribution purposes.
Matt Moody of Relaxing Sales and Distributions Inc said the deal with Windward covered all territories of the South Pacific.
"That excludes Hawaii with an option on Australia and New Zealand upon success in the rest of the territory," he said.
"Our plan is to first distribute in Fiji, and then expand after the base is established."
Mary Jane's, a syrupy concoction of herbal extracts of kava, passionflower and cane sugar, is advertised by the creator company's website as "an all-natural soft drink that delivers euphoric relaxation and focus to a stress filled life within minutes".
The website further touted Mary Jane's as the perfect drink for stressful situations for people who need to relax but also need to function like first dates, job interviews, long trips and public speaking.
The kava used in the drink is sourced out of Vanuatu.
Mr Cody said two 40-foot containers of Mary Jane's, each container containing 28,800 bottles, were expected to arrive in the country by next Tuesday.
"My main target markets are the resorts because this is a trial," he said.
"Once we are able to grasp the tourist market then we will move to the mainstream local markets like supermarkets and so forth.
"We are anticipating a big market in New Zealand."
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It's for yuppies I guess. And mainly in California.
Soothing Soda
1/5/2010
As he dealt with losing his job last year, Matt Moody decided to calm down and maybe earn a living helping others do the same.
The native Salinan and founder of The Relaxing Company in Riverside, Calif., developed Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda, a product he says is a natural opposite to energy drinks.
Moody's first in a line of products made with a secret kava-based formula is meant to soothe but not make you sleepy.
"It's an alternative to alcohol that you might be able to drink in the middle of the day," he said.
Mary Jane -- slang for marijuana -- contains nothing illegal, Moody said, but the "quick calming sensation" achieved by drinking the soda, which is made with kava root from the South Pacific islands, is comparable.
"If there is something that makes you all worked up, you can calm down," Moody said.
Moody was working for a supplement company in Colorado. He was laid off Jan. 9, 2009, and not long after, he decided to produce an antithesis to energy drinks, rather than compete with them.
The formula for Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda was developed in his kitchen in Denver. Having worked at the GNC store at Central Mall in Salina, Moody knew of kava's effects.
"I used to mix it up and drink it on long flights. It tastes really bitter," he said.
To make it taste better, Moody began mixing kava in soda. He tested it with friends, who compared the results to the effects of pot, aka Mary Jane.
Kava is a natural herb, Moody said -- perfectly legal and safe.
"It stuck, and I figured if it stuck with a small group of people, it would work," Moody said.
Moody began bottling Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda. He began marketing it in July, investing $10,000. It was all he had at the time and was considered a very bold move by his father, Steve Moody, of Stafford, a former deputy Salina fire chief.
etc. etc.
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