(Co-Founders Jarrett McGovern and Grant Gyesky accepting their award at BevNET Live. Photo courtesy of Nathan Brescia/BevNET)

In all honesty, I am not a huge coffee drinker. So, when it comes to the up-and-coming trends in the coffee world, I am definitely not ahead of the curve.

Yet, when I was at BevNET Live recently and watched RISE Brewing Co. win the 13th Annual Beverage Showdown, it was clear that I was missing something. And I knew that I had to take a closer look.

After I did, I thought to myself that this could very well be the next big organic beverage success story to come out of New York City. Read more »

Are you a fan of organic cold-brew coffee, the healthiest coffee that you can be drinking?

If so, I have something great for you.

I have teamed up with my friends at Chameleon Cold-Brew, and we are going to be doing a giveaway this Wednesday, June 1st, where one lucky winner will win a month’s supply of this fantastic organic beverage.

How to enter?

You must follow me on Snapchat (maxorganic) and watch my snaps this Wednesday for instructions on how to win.

Please Note: Instructions will only be given on Snapchat, and Chameleon will get in touch with the winning person. Also, the winner must reside in the U.S. Read more »

Despite the fact that it has become a burgeoning trend in the beverage world, cold-brew coffee is still a relatively unknown quantity to the average person on the street.

In a very unscientific poll that I conducted, the majority of people that I talked to had heard of cold-brew coffee but couldn’t give me a good answer as to what it is and why people should be drinking it. And to be perfectly honest, I was pretty in the dark about cold-brew as well.

While I know that choosing organic coffee is a must, because coffee is one of the most chemically-treated crops in the world, I, too, had many questions about this increasingly popular drink. Read more »

While we constantly hear about the tremendous health benefits of drinking tea, one thing that almost never gets mentioned in this message is just how critical it is to drink organic tea.

In a recently released report called Tea Steeped in Toxics, the excellent non-profit Beyond Pesticides gives us an inside look at what is going on in the tea industry. Needless to say, what they uncover is very ugly and very scary. Read more »

Last week, I attended the Whole Foods Market Holiday Bazaar here in NYC, and it was a fantastic afternoon!

The Bazaar was a preview of many of the holidays items that will be out later this year, and several of the company’s department heads were also in attendance.

I had the opportunity to interview Doug Bell, Global Wine Buyer, and Cathy Strange, Global Cheese Buyer, both of whom shared their industry insight, offered very useful advice about cheese and wine, and took questions “live” from viewers.

If you’re unfamiliar with Periscope or want to know how it works, I explain it all below.

Enjoy the video!

Read more »

While shopping at my local organic market in New York City the other day, I spotted a drink that I had never seen before called Zana Juices.

What immediately drew my attention wasn’t the large bottle size but rather its eye-popping price tag of $55 for 32 ounces.

“$55 for what?” I asked myself. Read more »

Unless you live in the New York area and are immersed in the health and wellness world, there is a decent chance that you’ve never heard of Rawpothecary or LuliTonix.

But that won’t be the case for long, as I expect both of these brands to become very recognizable, national players within a matter of time.

Having closely watched Rawpothecary and LuliTonix over the past year, I not only love what they’re putting on the shelves, but the women behind each of these NYC-based companies are two of the hardest-working entrepreneurs I’ve come across.

RAWPOTHECARY

A few years ago, founder Stephanie Walczak had a close friend that was poisoned so badly from pesticides that he was literally on his death bed.  With conventional medicine completely failing him and few alternatives left, Stephanie, a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and The Natural Gourmet Institute, got into the kitchen and worked her magic with the Vitamix, making sure he got fed super-nutritious blended drinks. Read more »