Today we’d like to introduce you to Sage Dammers.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I really started getting into health and nutrition in my late teens, looking for ways to have more energy so I could stay out in the ocean surfing for longer. A local friend turned me onto my first “superfood,” which was a mix of hemp protein, spirulina, chlorella, and some western herbs like milk thistle. I would just blend it with some juice and frozen fruit and after a few days, I started realizing I was feeling incredible! I thought to myself, “If this was out there all this time and I didn’t know about it, what else have I been missing out on?” This leads me to dive down the rabbit hole of learning as much as I could about nutrition, superfoods, traditional herbal systems of indigenous cultures, and anything else I could find that could enhance the way I felt every day.
For me, I didn’t care how anything tasted, as long as it was healthy, but I knew I was definitely in the minority there. I realized that the only way to use my knowledge to help others would be to create things that people could really enjoy! Chocolate is one of the rare foods that is both super healthy (if done right) and also something that people love and crave, making it a perfect gateway health food. I really wanted to be able to have a chocolate that was raw, sugar-free, and incorporated the highest quality extracts of Taoist and Ayurvedic herbs, but it simply didn’t exist! So I set out to make it myself, continuing to adjust and refine the recipe over many years. Finally, it got to the point where it felt like it was ready for the world! My girlfriend, AnnaBlanca, and I launched Addictive Wellness just over 3 years ago and it has been an amazing and wild ride!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Roads to wonderful places are rarely ever smooth! There’s always going to be new challenges, I think the key is to accept that and just focus on becoming more adaptable. Once you realize that there’s always going to be something sub-optimal happening that you’ll have to deal with, it helps you to not lose your cool so much with each problem. The original name we had planned for our business was actually Decadent Wellness, but there was a dentist who sold a sugar-free chocolate called “DecaDents” and threatened to come after us for trademark infringement…
We consulted with a trademark lawyer who said we could probably fight it and have a good shot at winning, but as we hadn’t yet put too much work into putting that name out into the world, it could just be best to change the name. We hadn’t yet launched our products, so we had a big brainstorming session and came up with Addictive Wellness, which we like so much more! It has several layers of meaning to it. We like people to realize that you can get hooked on things that are really good for you and have “beneficial addictions.”
But also on another level, the Latin root of addictive actually meant to be devoted to one’s loved ones or one’s god. It wasn’t until opium became present in Europe that people developed a devotion to the drug and the common meaning of the word changed. So we love having healthy addictions and love being devoted to wellness! We’ve also consciously taken a different route than many startup companies in our industry. The common route is to take on a large amount of investment, outsource production to a big company, and partner up with a distribution company.
Instead, we’ve chosen not to take on investment, make our own chocolate, and handle our own distribution. This is a path that definitely doesn’t allow us to grow as quickly as others, but it allows us to maintain the integrity of our products, deliver the ultimate experience to every customer and grow in a way that is really sustainable in the long term. It’s not the easiest route, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Addictive Wellness – what should we know?
Addictive Wellness is a health food company making Raw Chocolates and Elixir Blends (hot & cold drink mixes in the flavors of caramel, cacao, and chai) that are all sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, paleo, and vegan. We also love sharing educational videos and recipe videos on our YouTube channel.
I love having products that everyone can enjoy, no matter what their dietary limitations. When people are cleaning up their diets, it’s really important for them not to feel like they are being deprived and can never enjoy their favorite kinds of food ever again.
I’m also really proud of our ingredient quality. We are always committed to using the highest quality ingredients possible, regardless of the cost. For example, about six months ago I found an even higher quality source for the ashwagandha, one of the herbs we use in several of our chocolates. It cost nearly twice as much as our previous source, but we went for it without a second thought.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My girlfriend and partner AnnaBlanca deserves tremendous credit! She and I are so fortunate to be enjoying life and creating this business together. Our skill sets are incredibly complimentary- if I struggle with something, it usually comes naturally to her and vice versa. Working together is such a joy. Whereas most couples might be able to spend a few hours together in the evenings, we get to spend the whole day working together on something that we’re both deeply passionate about. She is kind, caring, loving, powerful, supportive, sweet, intelligent, highly functional and a great communicator.
Pricing:
- All of our chocolates $7.75/Box
- Our Elixir Blends are $3.50/packet or $23.33/box
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AddictiveWellness.com
- Phone: 424-235-8895
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/AddictiveWellness
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AddictiveWellness
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/addictivewllnss
- Other: www.YouTube.com/AddictiveWellness
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
