Peloton Cascara Tea was founded by brothers David and Adam Jones, who decided to share the smooth cherry-like beverage with the world. The West Chester, Penn.-based company produces a refreshing, convenient ready-to-drink USDA certified organic cascara tea while providing additional income for coffee farmers.
Cascara, which means “husk” in Spanish, is made from thepeel or cherry that surrounds coffee beans. It is often viewed as waste anddiscarded. Historically, it has also been made into tea in Yemen and Ethiopia.It has recently surfaced in the United States in whole fruit, ready-to-drinkand sparkling varieties.
Adam moved into the beverage industry from a career incommercial photography. David worked in real estate and insurance. “We had alot of hustle, and a little bit of a dream,” said Adam. Initially, Adam andDavid produced cold brew coffee for four years. They knew the coffee peel wasbeing wasted at the farms, so began researching the health benefits of cascaraand went to Honduras to study different ways of drying it. “We wanted to dosomething new, innovative and different,” he said. They have since transitionedinto exclusively selling cascara, launching Peloton Cascara Tea in June 2018.
They source their cascara from a small co-op farm inHonduras and process it in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Adam raved about cascara’s health benefits, sharing that cascara is the fourth highest antioxidant-rich superfood in the world, according to the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) chart, with 78 times the antioxidants of blueberries and pomegranates. It has also been clinically proven to boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports brain health, memory and focus, and in repairing synapses, added Adam. He wants more people to be aware of cascara’s healthy properties so they will be inspired to try it.
Peloton Cascara Tea has conducted in-store demonstrations almost daily to introduce customers to their products and grow the awareness of cascara.
They offer four flavors: Original Lightly Sweetened, PeachGinger, Cranberry Lime, and Apple Pomegranate. They plan to introduce asparkling cascara collection.
One bottle of Peloton Cascara Tea contains 38 milligrams ofcaffeine, providing focused energy without jitters, and only 60 calories.
It is currently distributed up and down the East Coast andas far west as Chicago in stores such as Whole Foods, Giant, Mom’s Organic, 300Wal Mart outlets, and Dave’s Market, to name a few.
The company donates 1% of proceeds from every bottle sold toCharity: Water, a non-profit organization that brings clean water to developingcountries.
Adam offered advice for those who want start their ownbusiness, “If they have an idea and a passion and a dream, stop askingquestions and just start. We knew nothing, we just knew how to grind. We’relearning every day.”