UNION COUNTY, NJ — Two-time NCAA fencing champion and Advanced Fencing & Fitness Academy founder Aleksander Ochocki, former collegiate athlete and former Milwaukee Brewers strength conditioning coach Anthony Flask, and former collegiate athlete and conditioning coach JC Bird have joined together as founders of a new company, DrinkAlchemy, with a simple goal: to create and successfully market a cognition-enhancing drink they created.
“Our founding team consists of three founders from all over the country,” Ochocki said on Friday, May 21. “Anthony Flask grew up in Kansas and now lives in Jersey City. He has a master’s degree in kinesiology and previously served as a strength and conditioning coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, before moving east to work privately with professional athletes and the U.S. Olympic team.
“JC Bird resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he serves as a human performance coach and was a student under Flask. JC is a former collegiate baseball player who transitioned professionally into the coaching profession to help his athletes perform higher,” he continued. “Lastly, there’s me, the Clark native who was a member of the U.S. National Fencing Team, winning four NCAA championships at Penn State as an athlete before coaching at the University of Notre Dame, where we won back-to-back championships.
“We were introduced through our work with the U.S. Olympic team preparing for the Tokyo Olympics and our mutual passion with human performance in all aspects of life,” he added.
Ochoski said the new company hopes to make a lasting impact by targeting people’s ability to achieve more and do more through cerebral performance instead of physical performance.
“Our aim is to provide a powerful tool for people to achieve more,” Ochocki said. “The unique aspect of being human is the complexity of our minds. Other brands and products target the body, eliciting physical output in customers with high doses of stimulants. DrinkAlchemy is designed to enhance the mind, the genesis of all things we do and create.”
Bird described the drink and explained what sets DrinkAlchemy aside from other drinks marketed as performance enhancers.
“Well, for starters, what makes an energy drink an energy drink is the high amounts of stimulants,” Bird said on Friday, May 21. “The high amounts of sugar, caffeine and B vitamins ‘shock’ the mind into a state of fight-or-flight. DrinkAlchemy has very little sugar and caffeine, and instead uses ingredients like L-theanine that inhibit the jitters and anxiety energy drinks promote.
“By calming the mind, we promote a flow of state, or state of being in the zone,” he continued. “The ingredients we’ve combined all work together to achieve this and promote more effective and efficient efforts, no matter what task is in front of you.”
DrinkAlchemy’s product falls in the category of nootropics, which are drugs, supplements, and other substances that claim to improve cognitive function. The DrinkAlchemy product came from extensive market research, Ochocki said. He described it as a blend of tropical fruits, including pineapple and mango, designed to appeal to most palettes. He said they have plans to expand their flavor line as the company grows and highlight more mind-enhancing ingredients in the near future.
According to a press release introducing DrinkAlchemy, the idea is to refuel the mind and body without inhibiting them; the drink has a unique combination of nootropic ingredients that include lion’s mane mushroom, the rhodiola rosea plant, huperzine A, selenium, magnesium, L-threonate and L-theanine, and a precise amount of sugar — 5 grams — and caffeine — 75 milligrams. The founders credit science, research and collaboration with a food chemist for helping create the recipe.
“The nootropic ingredients in DrinkAlchemy have been used for thousands of years, so the research is thorough in that department,” Bird said. “The toughest challenge was actually combining the natural ingredients in a pH balance that didn’t destroy the benefits of the compounds. By closely working with food scientists, we found a way to achieve this and why we’re the only company in the drink market providing nootropics in this method.
“The effects of this drink are very subtle. You will notice that focusing on tasks feels effortless, and you’ll experience less distractions,” he continued. “Our customers have also reported an increased mental state; calmer, improved mood and temperament; and better mental clarity, to name a few. We recommend starting your day off with DrinkAlchemy and preparing your mind for the tasks ahead. Some of our Olympic athletes prefer to drink it before practice or competition, to enhance their focus and calm their nerves. We also have our particularly busy customers who not only start their day by drinking a can, but again before a big creative meeting or task.”
The drink also helps children and teenagers, he said, adding that anyone can consume DrinkAlchemy, even if they’re not athletes.
“Yes, the all-natural nootropics are safe and effective for any age. However, caffeine consumption should be monitored,” Bird said. “The FDA currently recommends up to 300 mg of caffeine per day, which is four cans of DrinkAlchemy. Children should always follow a stricter guideline, consuming no more than 2.5 grams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.
“Our drink was designed for everyone, because all things start in the mind,” he continued. “We are for anyone who is looking to boost their creative nature, increase their focus, calm anxiety or reach a flow state in their performances.”
The product was created in 2020. Flask, DrinkAlchemy’s chief executive officer, said the COVID-19 pandemic was an obstacle the newly formed company had to overcome.
“The pandemic was a stressful period for all of us. It was here that JC and I really started exploring the powers of nootropics,” Flask said on Friday, May 21. “At the time, there were only pills, powders and tiny concoctions that provided any spectrum of what we were looking for. We often talked about a better way it could be done. So, with the extra time we were given while the world was closing down due to COVID, we got to work on creating DrinkAlchemy.
“We started telling our athletes about the benefits and worked closely with Aleks to determine what qualities would be necessary for high-level athletes,” he continued. “It was through this research that we found our product could help anyone wanting to achieve more, not just athletes.”
Since the company’s launch, Flask said their path to success thus far has been paved by the people who have tried it.
“Hearing about the amazing things that they have accomplished or overcome will always be at the top of our list,” said Flask. “From Olympians to engineers at SpaceX and busy working moms, we are extremely proud of the product we have created and the people we have helped.
“The first question we always get is, ‘Are you an energy drink?’ Because of our can, people automatically assume we are, and this is by design,” he continued. “The truth is, we aren’t competing with them. We aren’t competing with anyone. What we provide is the complete opposite of energy drinks. But if someone picks up our can and experiences true mental clarity without the side effects of energy drinks, we’ve done our job. We want people to perform and feel their best all of the time, not just the hour after, like energy drinks provide.”
Flask said he hopes their beverage will be able to help everyone achieve whatever it is they aim to do.
“Our mission has always been providing a resource people can use to achieve their dreams,” Flask said. “Not everyone has the dream to be an Olympian, an inventor or a business magnate. But we all share a mind that is full of possibilities. If we can help you get more from your time here on Earth, we’re successful.”
To learn more about DrinkAlchemy, visit www.drinkalchemy.co.
Photos Courtesy of Alissa Laurie