— Before Alpha Leonis Drip came about I had already carved out a few names for an LLC as recommended by a MLM group I was following at the time. I wanted to choose a name that would turn heads and one that no other business would have. It had to represent both me as the individual and my business because there would be no Alpha Leonis Drip without Cris the powerlifting plant loving vegan. Alpha is actually one of my great grandmothers first name, I had no idea until my grandmother brought it up. Alpha Leonis is the brightest star in the Leo constellation and is located in the Heart of the Lion, that was all I needed, and the Drip.. it just rolled off the tongue with ease.

— After my weight loss journey, tearing my ACL while coaching and switching to a plant-based lifestyle I was introduced to powerlifting and fell in love with the deadlift. I wanted to keep my new found adventure as natural and as healthy as my vegan journey has been. I knew fresh juice was a good route to go, I already had some tasty smoothie recipes and seamoss was also brought into my world about that same time. After an extensive amount of research and experimenting I started consistently making my own beverages and storing them in mason jars. I always have a mason jar with me, from the gym to pretty much anywhere. After a bit of a push from a little birdie I decided to start sharing my creations while riding on the success of my 1st Powerlifting competition at the end of 2019, where I deadlifted 2 times my weight. Alpha Leonis Drip’s official start date is Jan 10, 2020, just about a month before covid egregiously halted life as we knew it.

— As we were all navigating through the pandemic, I used this opportunity to hone in and perfect my craft. I made bunches of messes, created an accident that is now the favorite of all the spicy lovers, I worked hard to mask the aquatic flavor of the seamoss which led to the I’m MOSSY category — a play on the Kelis – Bossy lyrics because of the bossy flavor. As I updated the recipes I started to not just like but enjoy the taste and notice the benefits! JUICIES are an option to consume additional nutrients in a simple and resealable manner with names like Secret Beast Sauce (my famous pre-workout and shockingly the 2nd favorite), Mean Green Lioness (all the green stuff and the tummy reset option), Shark-Mmunity (the favorite), Oxen-Gin (the accident) and Salt Water Croc (the sports drink). BLENDIES are a concoction for when you can’t get to or can’t wait for your meal, it’s jam packed with fiber, protein and a conglomerate of various other nutrients to hold you over until you can get to that next meal. These include Brefus of Champions (the healthy twist of an unhealthy dessert), Texas BadAss Greens (all the greens, all the fiber and all the iron),Poseidon’s Angel (this was the 1st Drip infused with C-MOSS) and Amphitrites Potion (A berry mixture with a little C-MOSS). C-MOSS is the most nutritious option, feeling a bit under the weather or low on energy, grab some Seamoss or some I’m MOSSY; which is a little less potent on flavor as it is C-MOSS mixed with fresh fruit. In addition, your immune system will thank you whether you’re trying to fight off a virus or aid your body in recovering from a savage workout when you add Syrup of the Elders to your regimen (anti-viral & immune booster). In the world of hydration, theres nothing like fresh coconut water with a bit of coconut meat to fill your body with naturally occurring electrolytes; Agua De COCO, but if you aren’t ready for straight up coconut water, thats where Salt Water Croc makes its debut. As an athlete, when its ‘game time’, I always want a little extra, the newly released Elite line is for just that, before a competition, a race or a game; Alpha Elite and Blissful Sunrise were designed specifically to unleash the beast. My mom and I run 5Ks together and we use Alpha Elite as our pre-run Drip, I prefer Blissful Sunrise before a brutal gym session with my trainer is feeling a little crazy.

— For the folks that I meet that are tired of the tedious task of prepping, washing, cutting and juicing or blending, I remove all the hard work from their shoulders and provide fresh, natural and tasty options that their body can’t get enough of. To those that I meet that are new to the game of healthy beverages I introduce them to a world they never knew existed, healthy, tasty and beneficial.

— I originally created these option for myself, whether i’m at an event, hosting an event, at the gym or riding around Houston, you can probably catch me with a mason jar filled with my Drip of choice, the option depends on what’s needed for the day. For example I start my day with some C-MOSS & Syrup of the Elders, I start my workout with Secret Beast Sauce. If I feel like my throat is scratchy, not feeling 100% or just feeling bit sluggish in that moment I’ll have a Shark-Mmunity or Oxen-Gin as a pick me up. If my stomach is acting a little funny Mean Green Lioness is THE CHOICE for the tummy reset.

— Out of everything I think mostly I’m proud that I continue to stand tall in adversity and working best under pressure, im glad I didn’t give into those negative thoughts or people and just proud to see me following my passion in a manner I didn’t expect. I have my B.S in Kinesiology so I knew the field I wanted to go into was health related, dealing with sports but I thought I’d stick to coaching and now i‘m whipping it in the kitchen and slanging goodness it in the gym, its funny, I used to to slang candy in the hallways of my high school!

— Being plant based I wanted to go the eco-friendly route from the reusable glass mason jars to the compostable sampler cups and spoons, I wanted to have a minimal amount of impact on the environment. Swing by one of my events, lets have a chat, you can taste some Drips and I’m sure you’ll find a new favorite flavor or a get little inspiration whether it be in the gym, in the world or in your business.

— I didn’t want to start my business on social media, I wanted word of mouth to do its job and see how far it would reach; see if clients enjoyed the Drips enough to share my info with a potential client, likes are nice but they don’t always translate to a new sale. I also wanted to go about it my way, I didn’t care that everyone else was conducting their business via social media sites, I could hear my moms voice in my head “If everyone else jumped off a bridge…….”. — My current 9-5 job is in the Information Technology industry, so the 1st thing I wanted was my very own website, something that was mine and wasn’t affected by social media platforms whether there was too much traffic and instagram goes down for a few hours or some other issue that would indirectly affect my businesses outreach. It’s somewhere I can put Alpha Leonis Drip in its entirety on display with options to go into details. After I felt like my website was receiving a consistent amount of traffic I decided to add Instagram and Facebook accounts as links from my site and on my social sites I link back to my website.

— For those that are just starting, create your profile and use it your way, it’s your business! Make your personal account a business personal blog account so that you can have access to “insight” as well as from your business account collaborate with your ‘business personal blog’ page so that you can reach a larger audience.

— Being genuine, honest, a product of my product and WORD OF MOUTH. If someone is willing to share my business with someone else their is a trust factor that plays a role, a potential client may be more inclined to make contact because someone suggested they reach out vs scrolling on social media or goggle search to find a healthy beverage company thats worthy of their patronage. I think when people see me enjoying my Drips outside of an event setting, they get a look into my daily regimen. As a power athlete who’s also vegan, I don’t use any commercial supplements outside of one plant-based protein shake. I think after a conversation no matter where the chat leads every individual leaves with something new, whether it’s their new favorite Drip or new knowledge to get them motivated on their next journey.