In focus: Can Asia’s AI-powered productivity drink find a niche in the market?

Flojo’s functional beverage features reishi mushroom - more commonly known as lingzhi – as its star ingredient, combined with a variety of other botanicals such as ginseng, calendula, echinacea, schisandra and more to create what the firm’s Co-Founder Cherie Lui describes as the ‘most synergistic combination’ for focus and productivity.

“The formula is science-backed and we've worked with a neuro lab in Canada that studies hundreds of different plants to better understand how their natural ingredients and compounds impact cognitive pathways that have to do with focus, concentration, alertness and stress,” ​Lui told FoodNavigator-Asia​ in the latest episode of our Food and Beverage Trailblazers podcast.

“What they've done is they've put the data of all of these hundreds of compounds into a cutting edge platform using AI to find what exactly is the most synergistic combination to boost focus and productivity in a myriad of ways.​

“So for example, when you're stressed, you might go for green tea or a calendula tea, or when you want like a little pick me up, you might grab a chocolate for the cacao that helps with stress. ​

“The idea is to not rely on excessive caffeine which will give more of a jolt, but instead provide more of a productivity buzz because if you think about it, you can't really focus on something unless you're in a calm and not stressed state, so the stress adaptogens are really important here. ​

“All of the ingredients have clinical research behind it and we're looking to move towards clinical studies with the formula tested on athletes and their mental endurance in the next few years.”​

Lui also highlighted the rise in demand for functional beverages within the APAC region, particularly with regard to cognitive health and stress management.

“People want a drink to do more than just quench their thirst - They're looking for more specific benefits,”​ she said.

“We've seen sort of this trend with kombucha, where a lot of people are interested in their gut health - But when it comes to the actual brain [there haven’t been that many options that they] have been able to take that help them with mental fatigue or concentration.​

“The goal is mainly to reach consumers in urban cities where there are a lot of corporates, execs, people who are really using their mind in full capacity, and also students who are studying and stressed out about exams.​

“Singapore is a really good launchpad for this type of drink because [it] is known as a nation that's very productive and efficient, one of the world's most productive nations - But there are so many applications across the Asian region as there are a lot of office workers and people are very familiar with the idea of mental fatigue.”​

Listen to the podcast above to find out more.