with Vega and Pulp Culture founder Brendan Brazier
For Brendan Brazier, Pulp Culture all started with a question:
Why are there so many health-obsessed people who are absolutely unwilling to compromise on what they eat, yet so ready to compromise when it comes to alcohol? Why don’t we hold alcohol to the same high standards as food?
The answer, he realized, was that Pulp Culture didn’t exist yet.
Brendan is a former pro triathlete and a two-time Canadian 50km ultra marathon champion. He’s also the founder of the hugely successful Vega Protein Powder line, which he successfully sold to Danone. And of course, he was one of those people who are so adamant about healthy eating, yet constantly forced to compromise when it came to having the occasional beer or cocktail with friends.
His latest venture, Pulp Culture, solves this dilemma by taking 100% raw, fresh juice and allowing it to naturally ferment over three months through a process called “wild fermentation.” That means that there are no starters like yeast or sugar. All the fermentation comes from naturally occurring ambient bacteria. The result is a zero-additive, zero-sugar alcoholic beverage with 6 billion naturally-occurring probiotics, and B vitamins. In other words, an adult beverage that’s actually good for you.
In this interview, Brendan breaks down how he built the Vega brand, the parallels between building a business and rising in the sport of triathlon, the philosophy behind his successful Thrive book series, and why he’s so excited about the opportunity that lies ahead for Pulp Culture.
