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How have you introduced kava to Latino, African American, and other communities that may be less familiar with it?
For me, introducing kava to Latino, African American, and other communities is about much more than introducing a drink. Kava comes from the Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Islands, and I believe that history deserves to be taught and respected. Coming from an Indigenous background myself, I understand the importance of not separating a traditional plant from the people, culture and knowledge that have carried it for generations. I never want to present kava as something we created or discovered. We are sharing a tradition that was entrusted to us, and I want our customers to understand where it comes from.
It was also important to me to bring a high quality product to communities that have historically been marginalized and too often are offered lower quality choices. We don't use artificially dyed syrups like those commonly found in many coffee shop drinks. We make our syrups with fresh fruit purées, use organic coconut milk in our sweet drinks, and sweeten our Kavaritas with agave instead of processed sugar. I’ve also taken recipes and flavors from my Mexican culture and recreated them fresh at Kava Mama.
I've found that many of our Latino and African American customers are interested in herbs, ancestral traditions, and the rituals different cultures have used to bring people together. That gives us an opportunity not only to serve kava, but to educate people about its Pacific Island origins and why community and ceremony are such important parts of its story.
Kava Mama is a place where cultures can meet without erasing where those traditions came from. For me, cultural respect means giving credit, teaching the history, honoring the people who came before us, and sharing kava with gratitude rather than treating an Indigenous tradition as simply another trendy product.
What has the response been like, and have any experiences or stories stood out to you?
The response has been incredibly meaningful because Kava Mama has become much more than a kava bar. We’ve helped many people maintain their sobriety by giving them a place to socialize and build friendships without alcohol. We’ve also had people experiencing domestic violence come through our doors looking for community, safety, and human connection.
What stands out most to me are the people who came in feeling isolated and eventually found a community. We talk openly about mental health, addiction, neurodivergence, trauma, and recovery. We’re not therapists, and we don’t pretend to be we simply create a space where these conversations are welcomed and people can be connected with resources when they need additional help.
Those experiences remind me why I started Kava Mama. Sometimes people don't need to be fixed. They need a safe place to belong, people who will listen without judging them, and a community that reminds them they aren't alone.
Why is it important for the kava industry to reach a broader and more diverse audience?
I think it’s important for the kava industry to reach a broader and more diverse audience because people are becoming more curious about herbs, spirituality, ancestral traditions, and the ways different cultures have created connection and community for generations.
At Kava Mama, we’ve seen that happen naturally. We’ve built a community that includes Haitians, Africans, Latinos, African Americans, Pacific Islanders, and people from many other backgrounds. They come together around kava, but what develops is something much bigger—people share their cultures, stories, traditions, and experiences with one another.
Expanding kava shouldn’t simply mean selling it to more people. It should mean educating people about where kava comes from and respecting the Indigenous Pacific cultures that have protected this tradition for generations.
Kava has the ability to bring people who might otherwise never meet to the same table, without alcohol, to talk, learn, connect, and build genuine community. That is what I believe makes reaching a more diverse audience so important.
Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see for growing awareness of kava and building inclusive communities around kava?
I see a huge opportunity to introduce kava to communities that still don’t know it exists. People are looking for alcohol-free places to connect, and they’re also becoming more interested in herbs, ancestral traditions, and the cultural and spiritual meaning behind them.
I would love to see more education around kava—not just about the plant, but about the Indigenous Pacific cultures it comes from. Growing awareness should never mean removing kava from its roots.
At Kava Mama, I’ve watched people from Haitian, African, Latino, African American, Pacific Islander, neurodivergent, sober, and many other communities sit together and form real friendships. That has shown me that kava can be a bridge between cultures.
For me, the future is about creating more of those bridges: welcoming people who may never have felt represented in the kava industry, educating them with cultural respect, and building spaces where people can come as they are, learn from one another, and genuinely belong
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