If you look at many food trend lists over the past few years, you have probably seen adaptogenic herbs mentioned. And for very good reason.
Adaptogens are herbs or compounds that help mitigate the effects of stress on the body while also assisting the immune system and generating an overall sense of well-being.
While many people like to predict what is going to be hot, these trend forecasts are often ahead of the curve and do not necessarily translate into what we see in grocery stores on a daily basis.
Known as one of the most revered ancient herbs in Ayurveda and referred to as the “Indian ginseng”, ashwagandha is really starting to take hold, and it has become quite noticeable how often brands are using it in their products.
Wanting to get more insight into this herb, particularly from a marketing standpoint, I spoke with Palo Hawken, founder of the super-hot brand REBBL and one of the earliest people to bring an organic ashwagandha drink to a wide audience.
When did you launch your ashwagandha chai into the market? Were you concerned that many people would not be familiar with this ingredient and would resist buying your drink?
We launched Ashwagandha Chai in June of 2014. I was quite concerned that ashwagandha, being a major part of the flavor name, would be a deterrent to trial. It was a risk for sure.
Why did you want to use this specific herb?
Ashwagandha was getting a lot of investment and attention from an Indian pharmaceutical company conducting high quality, double-blind, human clinical trials at the UCLA Medical Center. The results were fascinating and clearly demonstrated a range of benefits that scientifically corroborated 2,000+ years of traditional Ayurvedic wisdom.
Although the lore and respect this herb has had for centuries would have been enough to confidently develop a beverage around, the emerging supportive science really excited our small team.
Did you know that it would only be a matter of time before it became much more widely embraced by the marketplace?
I did not know for sure, but my thesis at the founding of REBBL was that the hero herbs that we had fallen in love with would one day be household words. The question that I could not answer for myself or my investors was exactly when that would start to happen.
I told them in early 2012 that it would take 5 years to either prove this thesis or prove that we were on the right track. Here we are exactly 5 years later, and it is the #1 beverage in our category.
We are still a long way from ashwagandha becoming a household word, but the speed at which that awareness is growing is spectacularly fast. I think of it generationally: the kids of today will be the adults of the future, for which ashwagandha will be a common word. That makes it a roughly 20-year project to achieve the kind of awareness that I feel is possible.
Where do you see ashwagandha going in the future? Do you see it becoming much more mainstream?
I see ashwagandha going much more mainstream in a broader array of supplement formulas and in functional foods (nutritional shake powders, etc.). I see it becoming a ubiquitous ingredient in any supplement that promises increased athletic performance or natural testosterone enhancement. It will also be a key ingredient in the ‘anti-energy’ category – the products that promise improved sleep and relaxation.
Thanks, Palo!
From my perspective, I see ashwagandha being used in many more drinks, teas and protein powders.
In terms of food, this is where there is a real opportunity because so few food companies are currently incorporating ashwagandha into their offerings. Energy bars, cereal, flax crackers, chia seed puddings, and granola (as Sakara Life is doing) are products where I can envision this herb being used.
The other thing I see happening is that companies who use adaptogens, such as ashwagandha, will start disclosing on the packaging or on their website that these ingredients have been tested for heavy metals. Brands that are proactive in doing this will have a competitive advantage.
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Have a great day! 
Max Goldberg, Founder |
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