From beauty to beer.
Adam Klausner and Mads Hansen, the team behind skin care brand Symbiome, and business partner Rob Hoppenheim, are gearing up to launch Hopkind, a functional non-alcoholic beer.
It was developed alongside microbiome scientists Dr. Larry Weiss and Dr. Julia Durack. Weiss also helped develop Symbiome.
Hopkind was created around a simple idea: consumers should not have to choose between feeling great and social connection. “For years, beverages have fallen into two camps: products that prioritize wellness and products that preserve ritual,” said Klausner. “We saw an opportunity to create something that delivers both, and tastes delicious.”
The company’s inaugural product, launching Aug. 2, combines traditional brewing and fermentation with functional ingredients more commonly found in performance supplements, including Senactiv and L-citrulline, for cellular and vascular health. The first two brews, an IPA and a lager, are proprietarily formulated to improve muscle recovery and hydration.
“Hopkind is less inspired by traditional beer culture than by the evolution of modern wellness,” said Hoppenheim. “Consumers increasingly expect thoughtful formulations, functional benefits, and products that contribute positively to how they feel and perform.”
While the products will initially be available on its own website, the brand is in talks with distributors for its retail strategy.
“It’s going to be a very tri-state area focused. We’ll have a Connecticut distributor, New Jersey distributor, New York distributor. And we’re also looking at like all sorts of non-traditional doors,” said Klausner.
“So I think non-traditional retail, where people actually have the time to understand the story, is going to be critical for us. Because if you’re in a bar, especially if it’s loud and crowded, they’re not going to be like, ‘here’s a functional NA beverage.’”
