We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David McLaughlin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I would like to have started my business sooner!

I started Sati Soda October of 2019, but I’ve known I wanted to start a ready-to-drink company for 15 years… I just didn’t know what kind of drink it would be. Several of my friends own kombucha, yerba mate, and chai companies so I just didn’t have a sense of certainty as far as developing something different from the norm that was functional and would benefit people.

If I had started sooner, around 15 years ago or so, I would’ve learned more about what is involved in this business as far as manufacturing, sourcing, marketing, and distribution… and I would’ve been able to put in the time and energy that’s required in my 30s instead of now, in my 50s.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a father, surfer, and entrepreneur living in Boulder, which is also Sati Soda headquarters. I’ve been working in the wellness and nutrition industry for 20+ years and have also always been an avid consumer of RTDs (ready to drinks). When CBD came around and I learned the benefits of it, I knew that’s where I wanted to go with my business plan. Being sober for 30 years it was like a lightbulb went off in my mind after finding a good-for-you alternative to alcohol. I wanted to also disrupt the notion that soda is bad for you, with something low in natural sugar that’s functional with the addition of CBD which is so beneficial. We set ourselves apart by being free of artificial sweeteners and having only the simplest, clean ingredients alongside functional benefits. We hope to get into more and more bars and restaurants as a NA beverage option, with festivals and shows at venues such as REd Rocks in our sights as well. Anyone looking for a tasty, healthy, locally made drink that makes you feel good holistically should give us a try!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Paul Devlin, Sati cofounder, 20 plus years ago when we both worked as independent contractors for a nutritional company out of San Diego called Lifeforce International, which was known for it’s Body Balance product (which I still consume today!) Paul and I both shared a passion for the mountains and health. We’ve hiked many 14ers together and have pursued entrepreneurial business ventures leading up to Sati.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Paul and I used our own money for proof of concept and in getting the brand running, we found out from the feedback and the response we got from business owners and our peers that encouraged us to move forward with our own resources knowing that we had something special. We wanted to use our own money and know we had something before taking the risks involved with started a business. Once we had this sense, we moved forward by going to friends who believed in us, the concept, and loved the product and ended up putting in to build our capital

Contact Info:

• Website: https://satisoda.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sati.soda
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/SatiSodaLLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mclaughlin-satisoda