Last week, Life Cider made the finals round at BevNet's New Beverage Showdown, the beverage industry's top business pitch competition.
, the beverage industry's top business pitch competition. He was one of 12 new brands invited to compete and ended up in the top six, garnering attention from companies like Coca-Cola, Whole Foods and Sprouts.
In regard to his fast-growing success, Francia said, "I'm kind of freaking out a little bit! I thought this was going to start off very mom-and-pop, and it's anything but that, now."In 2008 and 2010, Francia had two bouts of pneumonia involving severe secondary infections. On top of that, he was suffering from severe acid reflux, bad back issues, heartburn, obesity, swollen joints and aspirating fluids in his lungs at night.
But 2015 was Francia's real wake-up call. He watched his grandmother and grandfather die at 96 and 98, respectively. He realized that, genetically, he had the potential to live a long life, but only if he did something about his health. "Having created almost every recipe at Sweeto Burrito, every rub sauce, marinade — I knew how to go play with flavors," Francia told KSL.com.
Prior to his own health issues, Francia grew up watching his stepdad, who raised him from the age of 6, struggle with unmanaged diabetes. Most diseases start in your stomach and in your intestines. So if you want to be healthy, start with your gut.Francia thought Life Cider would only be popular among the health-conscious crowd, but he has seen it be well-received across a wide age range and many demographics. He noted that Utah is full of influencers, "mommy bloggers," and food lovers who share products they love, making it a great place to launch the product.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Carl Fisher: Utah environmentalists need a seat at the table“Utah isn’t listening to its people, it isn’t listening to local governments closest to these people, and only listens to the industries who stand to benefit at the expense of our communities and our environment.”
Read more »
Utah County community saves shelter dogs from going hungryThe South Utah Valley Animal Shelter wasn’t going to be able to feed its influx of furry residents. Then they posted a photo of their empty shelves to Facebook, and the community stepped up to help.
Read more »
Utah attorney general urges Biden to stop 'reckless' opioid mail-back programUtah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes signed a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday urging him to stop the U.S. Postal Service opioid mail-back program, calling it 'reckless' and offering an in-home alternative.
Read more »