A background in marketing for food & beverage brands prepared this founder to branch out on his own and create the perfect soda.
Brain-boosting soda sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but Vasa Martinez, founder of upstart soda brand Perfy, wants you to rethink this. After tireless days grinding away at his other two endeavors (which he still runs!), Vasa was looking for a supplement that fit his dietary needs (low sugar) while supporting cognitive function and reducing stress. The solution may just be the perfect soda.
Perfy is made using only natural ingredients like pure strawberry and pineapple juice, and sweetened with a unique blend of monk fruit and allulose. Currently it is available in three flavors (stay tuned for a fourth dropping soon): Fruit Punch, Tropical Citrus and Blood Orange. Each can is low carb, with just 3-4 grams of sugar, and has nootropics and adaptogens for brain health.
Vasa spoke with Foodboro about his entrepreneurial journey, the inspiration behind the brand, his advice for other founders, his current faves, and what’s next for the company.
I continue to run a marketing agency called Growthbuster and I also serve as the CMO for Outer Aisle. I definitely stay busy.
Where did the inspiration for a brain-boosting soda come from?
After losing over a dozen friends and family members over the past few years, I developed pre-diabetes (which I’ve now reversed after dropping 50lbs) and needed to cut carbs and sugar from my diet. Not only that, I needed to supplement my diet with nootropics and adaptogens to help provide a sense of calm throughout the grief. What I quickly found was that the traditional sodas and diet sodas I loved so much did nothing for me nutritionally (and were part of the reason I ended up pre-diabetic), and all of the healthier sodas were for gut health. Nothing was out there that was not only delicious but also good for my brain. THIS WAS MY A-HA MOMENT.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
I look at B2B SaaS companies for inspo (you can see some of this in Perfy’s trial pack offering, which turns into a subscription in 14 days), as well as beauty. I’m very into beautiful, simple, and clean photography. In beauty, the brand must make people want to apply their product on to their skin. In beverages, my job is to make people want to drink their phone.
What have been the challenges of navigating the CPG industry?
Honestly. I’ve been very fortunate so far. I’ve hired some amazing outsourced teams for R&D, Ops, and Sales. I have a wonderful set of investors who have been very supportive. And I have a network of friends and peers who have lent a hand here and there. The biggest challenge for me personally has been on the sales side where my network of buyers is probably the thinnest.
As a founder, what do you do to take care of your health - both physical and mental?
This is kind of a funny question for me because I’m the poster boy for WHAT NOT TO DO to your health. But, since I went through all of that loss, put on a bunch of weight, and since reversed the pre-diabetes and lost 50lbs, I would say the biggest changes I’ve made have been 1. Don’t stress eat when shit gets tough. 1a. Don’t eat bread or sugar 2. Work out every morning before checking emails 3. Get to bed by 11pm at the very latest, but shoot for 9-10pm.
If what you are creating isn’t solving a problem or something you can dedicate your life to…maybe hold off until it is.
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
If what you are creating isn’t solving a problem or something you can dedicate your life to…maybe hold off until it is. And when you do have that burning desire to put everything you have into it. When you’re down to literally put all of your chips on the table. Go fucking HARD. Don’t worry about perfection. Just worry about progress. A lot of dope brands didn’t look the best out of the gates. But work hard to get there as fast as possible. Get after it. You got this.
What foods do you always have in your cupboards/fridge?
This is 100% biased because a lot of these are clients on the agency side and one of them I own! But it is truth:
Perfy - I drink like 3 a day and I sleep like a baby at night
Butcher Box - I have steaks in the freezer at all times. A big reason I dropped some of the record-setting covid weight gain is eating more grass-fed, grass-finished meats.
Trifecta Meals - gotta have a few back up plans for when I’m short on time and need a meal. The a la carte meat options are my go to.
Outer Aisle - switched all my bread consumption to OA
Gigantic! - when I’m feeling real sweet tooth-y I have to nosh on a couple of these. Salted Peanut is ridiculously good.
Magic Spoon - I don’t even use a bowl anymore. I pour some cereal in my mouth and then wash it down with almond milk or a protein shake. Don’t judge until you try.
Toodaloo - I have the bbq flavor on rations. Have to have my gf hide if after each snack sesh. SOOOO GOOD.
Zevia - If I’m not drinking Perfy, I’m drinking Zevia. It scratches the itch for certain flavors Perfy doesn’t have available…yet. ;-)
1st Phorm - their Apple Crisp flavor is the closest thing to old school Apple Pie Quest Bars (before the fiber change).
Quest Chips - the Taco flavored chips come in clutch when I’m craving a crunch.
What’s next for Perfy?
A lot!
Focusing heavily on our retail execution. Brought on some brokers for different channels.
Perfy 2.0 launches in August. We made our label much clearer and simple. And we put our value prop front and center and now it’s quite easy to understand.
We’re pretty close on a celebrity deal that we’ve been working on for months. (fingers crossed).
Launching the Anti Soda Soda Club. Our loyalty program is gated by loyalty card NFTs. It will give our current customers access to a lot of cool things like lifetime discounts, free-shipping, merch, new products, and eventually first dibbs to our full-on NFT/Web3 project. There will be several different tiers that are unlockable. Each tier will have access to different things. I wanted the loyalty program to be fun, and much different than the standard SMS or Email exclusivity. And it’s a fun way to build a deeper relationship with some of our most valuable customers.
And pretty soon, it’ll unlock pre-orders to our 4th flavor that I’M SO PUMPED TO LAUNCH! It has its own Web3 hook to it with one of the most popular projects out there. That’s all I can say for now haha.
Brain-boosting soda sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but Vasa Martinez, founder of upstart soda brand Perfy, wants you to rethink this. After tireless days grinding away at his other two endeavors (which he still runs!), Vasa was looking for a supplement that fit his dietary needs (low sugar) while supporting cognitive function and reducing stress. The solution may just be the perfect soda.
Perfy is made using only natural ingredients like pure strawberry and pineapple juice, and sweetened with a unique blend of monk fruit and allulose. Currently it is available in three flavors (stay tuned for a fourth dropping soon): Fruit Punch, Tropical Citrus and Blood Orange. Each can is low carb, with just 3-4 grams of sugar, and has nootropics and adaptogens for brain health.
Vasa spoke with Foodboro about his entrepreneurial journey, the inspiration behind the brand, his advice for other founders, his current faves, and what’s next for the company.
I continue to run a marketing agency called Growthbuster and I also serve as the CMO for Outer Aisle. I definitely stay busy.
Where did the inspiration for a brain-boosting soda come from?
After losing over a dozen friends and family members over the past few years, I developed pre-diabetes (which I’ve now reversed after dropping 50lbs) and needed to cut carbs and sugar from my diet. Not only that, I needed to supplement my diet with nootropics and adaptogens to help provide a sense of calm throughout the grief. What I quickly found was that the traditional sodas and diet sodas I loved so much did nothing for me nutritionally (and were part of the reason I ended up pre-diabetic), and all of the healthier sodas were for gut health. Nothing was out there that was not only delicious but also good for my brain. THIS WAS MY A-HA MOMENT.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
I look at B2B SaaS companies for inspo (you can see some of this in Perfy’s trial pack offering, which turns into a subscription in 14 days), as well as beauty. I’m very into beautiful, simple, and clean photography. In beauty, the brand must make people want to apply their product on to their skin. In beverages, my job is to make people want to drink their phone.
What have been the challenges of navigating the CPG industry?
Honestly. I’ve been very fortunate so far. I’ve hired some amazing outsourced teams for R&D, Ops, and Sales. I have a wonderful set of investors who have been very supportive. And I have a network of friends and peers who have lent a hand here and there. The biggest challenge for me personally has been on the sales side where my network of buyers is probably the thinnest.
As a founder, what do you do to take care of your health - both physical and mental?
This is kind of a funny question for me because I’m the poster boy for WHAT NOT TO DO to your health. But, since I went through all of that loss, put on a bunch of weight, and since reversed the pre-diabetes and lost 50lbs, I would say the biggest changes I’ve made have been 1. Don’t stress eat when shit gets tough. 1a. Don’t eat bread or sugar 2. Work out every morning before checking emails 3. Get to bed by 11pm at the very latest, but shoot for 9-10pm.
If what you are creating isn’t solving a problem or something you can dedicate your life to…maybe hold off until it is.
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
If what you are creating isn’t solving a problem or something you can dedicate your life to…maybe hold off until it is. And when you do have that burning desire to put everything you have into it. When you’re down to literally put all of your chips on the table. Go fucking HARD. Don’t worry about perfection. Just worry about progress. A lot of dope brands didn’t look the best out of the gates. But work hard to get there as fast as possible. Get after it. You got this.
What foods do you always have in your cupboards/fridge?
This is 100% biased because a lot of these are clients on the agency side and one of them I own! But it is truth:
Perfy - I drink like 3 a day and I sleep like a baby at night
Butcher Box - I have steaks in the freezer at all times. A big reason I dropped some of the record-setting covid weight gain is eating more grass-fed, grass-finished meats.
Trifecta Meals - gotta have a few back up plans for when I’m short on time and need a meal. The a la carte meat options are my go to.
Outer Aisle - switched all my bread consumption to OA
Gigantic! - when I’m feeling real sweet tooth-y I have to nosh on a couple of these. Salted Peanut is ridiculously good.
Magic Spoon - I don’t even use a bowl anymore. I pour some cereal in my mouth and then wash it down with almond milk or a protein shake. Don’t judge until you try.
Toodaloo - I have the bbq flavor on rations. Have to have my gf hide if after each snack sesh. SOOOO GOOD.
Zevia - If I’m not drinking Perfy, I’m drinking Zevia. It scratches the itch for certain flavors Perfy doesn’t have available…yet. ;-)
1st Phorm - their Apple Crisp flavor is the closest thing to old school Apple Pie Quest Bars (before the fiber change).
Quest Chips - the Taco flavored chips come in clutch when I’m craving a crunch.
What’s next for Perfy?
A lot!
Focusing heavily on our retail execution. Brought on some brokers for different channels.
Perfy 2.0 launches in August. We made our label much clearer and simple. And we put our value prop front and center and now it’s quite easy to understand.
We’re pretty close on a celebrity deal that we’ve been working on for months. (fingers crossed).
Launching the Anti Soda Soda Club. Our loyalty program is gated by loyalty card NFTs. It will give our current customers access to a lot of cool things like lifetime discounts, free-shipping, merch, new products, and eventually first dibbs to our full-on NFT/Web3 project. There will be several different tiers that are unlockable. Each tier will have access to different things. I wanted the loyalty program to be fun, and much different than the standard SMS or Email exclusivity. And it’s a fun way to build a deeper relationship with some of our most valuable customers.
And pretty soon, it’ll unlock pre-orders to our 4th flavor that I’M SO PUMPED TO LAUNCH! It has its own Web3 hook to it with one of the most popular projects out there. That’s all I can say for now haha.
Brain-boosting soda sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but Vasa Martinez, founder of upstart soda brand Perfy, wants you to rethink this. After tireless days grinding away at his other two endeavors (which he still runs!), Vasa was looking for a supplement that fit his dietary needs (low sugar) while supporting cognitive function and reducing stress. The solution may just be the perfect soda.
Perfy is made using only natural ingredients like pure strawberry and pineapple juice, and sweetened with a unique blend of monk fruit and allulose. Currently it is available in three flavors (stay tuned for a fourth dropping soon): Fruit Punch, Tropical Citrus and Blood Orange. Each can is low carb, with just 3-4 grams of sugar, and has nootropics and adaptogens for brain health.
Vasa spoke with Foodboro about his entrepreneurial journey, the inspiration behind the brand, his advice for other founders, his current faves, and what’s next for the company.
I continue to run a marketing agency called Growthbuster and I also serve as the CMO for Outer Aisle. I definitely stay busy.
Where did the inspiration for a brain-boosting soda come from?
After losing over a dozen friends and family members over the past few years, I developed pre-diabetes (which I’ve now reversed after dropping 50lbs) and needed to cut carbs and sugar from my diet. Not only that, I needed to supplement my diet with nootropics and adaptogens to help provide a sense of calm throughout the grief. What I quickly found was that the traditional sodas and diet sodas I loved so much did nothing for me nutritionally (and were part of the reason I ended up pre-diabetic), and all of the healthier sodas were for gut health. Nothing was out there that was not only delicious but also good for my brain. THIS WAS MY A-HA MOMENT.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
I look at B2B SaaS companies for inspo (you can see some of this in Perfy’s trial pack offering, which turns into a subscription in 14 days), as well as beauty. I’m very into beautiful, simple, and clean photography. In beauty, the brand must make people want to apply their product on to their skin. In beverages, my job is to make people want to drink their phone.
What have been the challenges of navigating the CPG industry?
Honestly. I’ve been very fortunate so far. I’ve hired some amazing outsourced teams for R&D, Ops, and Sales. I have a wonderful set of investors who have been very supportive. And I have a network of friends and peers who have lent a hand here and there. The biggest challenge for me personally has been on the sales side where my network of buyers is probably the thinnest.
As a founder, what do you do to take care of your health - both physical and mental?
This is kind of a funny question for me because I’m the poster boy for WHAT NOT TO DO to your health. But, since I went through all of that loss, put on a bunch of weight, and since reversed the pre-diabetes and lost 50lbs, I would say the biggest changes I’ve made have been 1. Don’t stress eat when shit gets tough. 1a. Don’t eat bread or sugar 2. Work out every morning before checking emails 3. Get to bed by 11pm at the very latest, but shoot for 9-10pm.
If what you are creating isn’t solving a problem or something you can dedicate your life to…maybe hold off until it is.
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
If what you are creating isn’t solving a problem or something you can dedicate your life to…maybe hold off until it is. And when you do have that burning desire to put everything you have into it. When you’re down to literally put all of your chips on the table. Go fucking HARD. Don’t worry about perfection. Just worry about progress. A lot of dope brands didn’t look the best out of the gates. But work hard to get there as fast as possible. Get after it. You got this.
What foods do you always have in your cupboards/fridge?
This is 100% biased because a lot of these are clients on the agency side and one of them I own! But it is truth:
Perfy - I drink like 3 a day and I sleep like a baby at night
Butcher Box - I have steaks in the freezer at all times. A big reason I dropped some of the record-setting covid weight gain is eating more grass-fed, grass-finished meats.
Trifecta Meals - gotta have a few back up plans for when I’m short on time and need a meal. The a la carte meat options are my go to.
Outer Aisle - switched all my bread consumption to OA
Gigantic! - when I’m feeling real sweet tooth-y I have to nosh on a couple of these. Salted Peanut is ridiculously good.
Magic Spoon - I don’t even use a bowl anymore. I pour some cereal in my mouth and then wash it down with almond milk or a protein shake. Don’t judge until you try.
Toodaloo - I have the bbq flavor on rations. Have to have my gf hide if after each snack sesh. SOOOO GOOD.
Zevia - If I’m not drinking Perfy, I’m drinking Zevia. It scratches the itch for certain flavors Perfy doesn’t have available…yet. ;-)
1st Phorm - their Apple Crisp flavor is the closest thing to old school Apple Pie Quest Bars (before the fiber change).
Quest Chips - the Taco flavored chips come in clutch when I’m craving a crunch.
What’s next for Perfy?
A lot!
Focusing heavily on our retail execution. Brought on some brokers for different channels.
Perfy 2.0 launches in August. We made our label much clearer and simple. And we put our value prop front and center and now it’s quite easy to understand.
We’re pretty close on a celebrity deal that we’ve been working on for months. (fingers crossed).
Launching the Anti Soda Soda Club. Our loyalty program is gated by loyalty card NFTs. It will give our current customers access to a lot of cool things like lifetime discounts, free-shipping, merch, new products, and eventually first dibbs to our full-on NFT/Web3 project. There will be several different tiers that are unlockable. Each tier will have access to different things. I wanted the loyalty program to be fun, and much different than the standard SMS or Email exclusivity. And it’s a fun way to build a deeper relationship with some of our most valuable customers.
And pretty soon, it’ll unlock pre-orders to our 4th flavor that I’M SO PUMPED TO LAUNCH! It has its own Web3 hook to it with one of the most popular projects out there. That’s all I can say for now haha.
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