Meet the Team

Adam Lazar, Founder & CEO

Adam Lazar is the Founder and CEO of Asarasi, Inc., the innovative company behind Nekter Pop probiotic sodas and organic Sparkling Tree Water. Holding an MBA in Management from Norwich University (2004–2006) and a BA in Management from Hartwick College, Adam has over a decade of leadership experience pioneering sustainable, plant-based maple tree water as a renewable alternative to traditional bottled water. His strategic vision has earned accolades from 43North, Anheuser-Busch 100+ Accelerator, and Connecticut Innovations, driving Asarasi to major retail partnerships—including the 2026 Local Wellness Supplier Summit win with Wakefern Food Corp.—and positioning Nekter Pop for nationwide expansion in 2026.

Aku Orraca-Tetteh, Co-Founder

Complementing Adam's business acumen is Aku Orraca-Tetteh, Co-Founder of Asarasi and a primary band member (percussion, backing vocals, keyboards) of the 7x Grammy-nominated indie rock sensation Florence + the Machine (since 2018, contributing to tours and albums like Dance Fever). Aku holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law, Jurisprudence & Social Thought from Amherst College. He brings a unique fusion of multi-instrumentalist creativity, production expertise, global stage presence, and passion for health-focused innovation to the team. Aku will lead the Asarasi Paparazzi ambassador marketing group we're developing, harnessing his music industry network, artistic vision, and cultural influence to build brand awareness, influencer collaborations, and momentum for Asarasi and Nekter Pop's gut-healthy, sustainable beverages.

Together, Adam and Aku are transforming discarded maple sap into refreshing, USDA-certified organic products that support family farmers, wellness, and environmental responsibility.

Our Story

Our Vision and Promise

Problem: The World is Running Out of Fresh Water

The global freshwater crisis is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Groundwater reserves, which supply over 50% of the world’s drinking water, are depleting at an alarming rate due to overconsumption, industrial use, climate change-induced droughts, and population growth. The United Nations estimates that by 2030, global water demand will exceed supply by 40%, threatening food security, health, and economic stability. Traditional beverage and bottled water brands exacerbate this crisis by extracting billions of gallons from aquifers and municipal taps, often with little regard for sustainability. Asarasi offers a transformative solution: a diverse portfolio of tree-sourced beverages—sparkling waters, probiotic seltzers, functional sodas, and more—crafted from pure, renewable maple tree water. By upcycling a byproduct of maple syrup production, Asarasi delivers the world’s only USDA Organic beverages that conserve groundwater, reduce environmental strain, and create substantial new revenue streams for family farms. With a mission to redefine the $300 billion beverage industry, Asarasi combines innovation, sustainability, and social impact to meet the growing demand for healthy, eco-friendly drinks.

A Plant-Sourced Water Solution

In 2008, in the heart of a Vermont winter, Asarasi Founder and CEO Adam Lazar sought a meaningful activity to share with his young daughter and attended a maple farm open house. As the farmer explained the intricate process of producing maple syrup, Adam was struck by a startling observation: thousands of gallons of crystal-clear, tree-filtered maple water were being discarded. Curious, he asked why this pure, naturally filtered resource wasn’t being utilized. The farmer revealed that 97% of the sap harvested from maple trees—pure water drawn directly from living trees—is unused in syrup production, equating to billions of gallons wasted annually across the industry.

This moment of clarity ignited Adam’s vision: to transform this abundant, renewable resource into a sustainable beverage platform. Asarasi was born to create tree-sourced beverages, from sparkling waters to functional sodas, that not only deliver unmatched purity but also conserve scarce groundwater and empower family farms by monetizing a previously overlooked resource. This discovery laid the foundation for a company poised to revolutionize the beverage industry while addressing global water scarcity and supporting agricultural communities.

Water Scarcity is Our Responsibility

The bottled beverage industry consumes over 100 billion gallons of groundwater annually, contributing to aquifer depletion and environmental degradation. Asarasi takes a different approach, sourcing its water exclusively from maple trees to create a portfolio of beverages that preserve critical groundwater reserves. Our tree-sourced sparkling waters, probiotic seltzers are crafted by filtering out the maple sugar, adding light carbonation or organic fruit essences, and packaging in eco-friendly glass or aluminum. Our Nekter Pop soda keeps the amazingness of maple sugar via male nectar and combines delicious extracts to bring your soda favorites to market packed with probiotics. Certified USDA Organic, Asarasi beverages are free of artificial sweeteners, chemicals, pollutants, or radiological materials found in traditional bottled water, offering the purest, healthiest drinking experience available. This commitment to purity is matched by our dedication to sustainability: by using tree water, Asarasi avoids tapping into overexploited aquifers, helping to safeguard water resources for future generations. Equally important, our model supports family farms by transforming a wasted byproduct into a valuable commodity, boosting their income and strengthening rural economies. Asarasi’s tree-sourced beverages represent a bold step toward a more sustainable and equitable beverage industry.

The Opportunity

Asarasi is pioneering a new category in the $300 billion bottled water industry, projected to grow to $500 billion by 2030: tree-sourced, USDA Organic beverages. Each year, maple farms across North America harmlessly extract up to 1 billion gallons of pure, naturally filtered water from living maple trees—a renewable resource with a $20 billion wholesale market potential. Unlike traditional beverages that rely on finite groundwater, Asarasi’s tree-sourced platform offers a sustainable alternative, producing sparkling waters, probiotic seltzers, functional sodas, teas, and more. This versatility taps into multiple high-growth markets: the $50 billion functional beverage sector, the $10 billion probiotic seltzer segment, and the $15 billion premium soda market.

Asarasi’s beverages are USDA Organic, non-GMO and free of contaminants, appealing to health-conscious consumers seeking purity and sustainability. By upcycling tree water, Asarasi reduces pressure on groundwater reserves, mitigates the environmental impact of bottled beverages, and creates a new revenue stream for family farms, increasing their profitability by up to ~7,700%. With strategic partnerships, innovative products, and a scalable supply chain, Asarasi is positioned to disrupt the beverage industry, offering investors a unique opportunity to back a company with both financial and societal impact.

In the Beginning...

1 Billion Gallon | $20 Billion Market Potential

Maple farms produce 1 billion gallons of tree water annually, a renewable resource that Asarasi is harnessing to create a $20 billion wholesale market opportunity. This untapped source enables Asarasi to produce a diverse range of organic beverages—sparkling waters, probiotic seltzers, functional sodas, and beyond—that address consumer demand for sustainable, healthy, and premium drinks. The global bottled water market, valued at $300 billion, is the fastest-growing CPG category, with a projected CAGR of 6.7% through 2030. Functional beverages, including probiotic seltzers, add another $60 billion in addressable markets, driven by rising health and wellness trends. Asarasi’s tree-sourced beverages stand out for their purity, sustainability, and agricultural impact, conserving groundwater while generating significant new income for family farms. By scaling production and distribution, Asarasi aims to capture a substantial share of these markets, offering investors exposure to a high-growth, purpose-driven company with a unique competitive edge.

Tree Water Grows Maple Industry Profits ~7,700%

Asarasi’s innovation transforms a wasted resource into a lifeline for family farms. For every 50 gallons of maple sap harvested, 49 gallons of tree water are typically discarded, representing a massive missed opportunity. Asarasi’s tree-sourced beverages monetize this byproduct, creating a new revenue stream that can increase farm income by up to 300+%. This financial boost strengthens family farms, many of which face economic pressures from volatile commodity markets and climate challenges. By partnering with farmers to supply tree water, Asarasi supports rural communities, preserves agricultural heritage, and promotes sustainable land use. Our model aligns with consumer demand for ethically sourced products, as 73% of global consumers prefer brands that support social and environmental causes. Asarasi’s commitment to conserving groundwater and empowering farmers positions it as a leader in sustainable agriculture, delivering value to investors, farmers, and the environment.

Contracts on 100M+ Gallons of Tree Water

Asarasi is strategically securing the global tree water supply to support its expanding beverage portfolio. We have contracts with over 130 major maple farms in the USA and Canada, representing access to an estimated 100 million gallons of tree water annually. These farms, part of the 600 that produce 90% of the world’s maple syrup, are critical to our supply chain. By the end of 2026, Asarasi aims to partner with 90% of global maple syrup producers, securing 900 million gallons of sap to fuel production of sparkling waters, seltzers, sodas, and other innovations. Our proprietary sourcing model ensures scalability, quality, and sustainability, while fostering long-term relationships with family farms. This strategic advantage positions Asarasi to dominate the tree-sourced beverage category, delivering consistent supply and unmatched purity to meet growing consumer demand.

History, Traction and Revenue Pipelines

Operational in 2017, Asarasi has navigated challenges to achieve remarkable traction. Initially launched in the food service channel, our tree-sourced beverages reached over 1,000 retail locations in the USA, Japan (via Suntory), and the UAE. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our food service business, but Asarasi pivoted swiftly to grocery channels, introducing aluminum cans and a high-margin private-label program. Today, our new distribution and sales channels include:

SPROUTS FARMERS MARKET — Nationwide launch planned for April 2026 across 480 stores. Forecasts from Sprouts project $2.6 million in retail sales, translating to approximately $1.3 million in gross wholesale revenue to Asarasi for the Nekter Pop line in 2026.Sprouts Farmers Market headquartered in Phoenix has given Asarasi the green light and will place our new line of Nekter Pop Probiotic Sodas on their shelfs in 480+ stores in April 2026!

WAKEFERN FOOD CORP— operating 380+ stores under the following banners: ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Fairway Market, Gourmet Garage, Di Bruno Bros., and McQuade’s Marketplace. Wakefern cooperative owned Food Distribution Center headquartered in New Jersey, awarded Asarasi & Nekter Pop the 2026 Wellness Innovation Award and will begin distributing our products in March of 2026! Wakefern is the largest grocery store co-operative operating in the United States. See Press Release here. Wakefern Food Corp — Expanded distribution targeting up to 380 stores, with rollout beginning March 2026. Wakefern's estimates indicate $800,000 in projected retail sales, equating to roughly $500,000 in gross wholesale revenue to Asarasi for the Nekter Pop product lines in 2026.

COSTCO — Asarasi has advanced significantly in the vendor approval process. The Costco regional buyer has requested and Asarasi has formally submitted the required Buy-Doc (purchase order documentation). This submission positions Nekter Pop (probiotic seltzer line) as a strong candidate for inclusion in a regional rotation program with potential initial delivery targeted for May–June 2026. Costco’s “treasure hunt” model frequently features limited-time, high-velocity functional beverages in regional markets (e.g., Southern California), where successful new products often secure initial wholesale orders in the hundreds of thousands to low millions range, depending on warehouse allocation, pallet quantities, and projected sell-through. An initial purchase order in the range of $500,000 would align with typical benchmarks for a new beverage entering a Los Angeles-area rotation, providing significant upfront revenue while allowing Costco to evaluate performance prior to potential reorders or broader expansion.

PRIMO WATERS READY REFRESH — in California, with 35,000 daily stops across 500+ trucks, delivering our sparkling waters and seltzers to homes and offices from 18 distribution centers.

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL office buildings in the Midwest, showcasing our flat and sparkling tree water.

ONLINE PLATFORMS — — including Asarasi.com, Amazon, Walmart.com, SFP.Market and Faire.com, expanding our reach to eco-conscious consumers.

CANTEEN and other retailers reviewing Asarasi for placement.

CDL / PRESTIGE MAPLE: In 2025, Asarasi signed an exclusive distribution deal with CDLUSA/Prestige Maple, opening access to 100,000+ retail stores across Japan, Australia, Germany, and 90 countries.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS carry Asarasi in their training facility in Jacksonville Florida providing pure water hydration to their players.

Based on the above exciting traction, Asarasi project 450%+ growth and $1.5 million in recurring revenue by December 2026 (not guaranteed), driven by branded tree-sourced beverages and quadrupling our revenues. Discussions with Costco, Canteen to add our products to their shelves could add many more millions in annual revenue, further accelerating our growth trajectory.

Asarasi's Tree Water Product Lines

Asarasi’s tree-sourced beverage portfolio leverages the purity and versatility of maple water to meet diverse consumer needs:

1. Sparkling Tree Water and Mixers: Zero-sugar, USDA Organic beverages with light carbonation and organic fruit essences, currently available in glass bottles and aluminum cans for premium hydration.
2. Probiotic Seltzers and Tonics: Delivering 2B billion CFUs of Bacillus Subtilis per serving, these gut-healthy drinks combine sustainability with wellness benefits.
3. Nekter Pop Probiotic Tree Water Sodas (Launching July of 2025): 0 Sugar Added, functional probiotic sodas that offer a healthier alternative to traditional sodas, tapping into the $15 billion premium soda market.

Our tree water has powered innovations like craft beers for Anheuser-Busch’s Goose Island and Wicked Weed breweries, teas, kombuchas, and hard seltzers, demonstrating its potential as a platform for all water-based beverages. By conserving groundwater and boosting farm profitability, Asarasi’s products align with consumer demand for sustainable, health-focused drinks.

Purity & The World's Only Organic Certification

Asarasi is the only beverage brand in the world with USDA Organic certification for its unflavored tree water, sourced directly from maple trees free of the contaminants found in groundwater or tap water. Independent testing confirms Asarasi’s tree water is among the purest in the world, free of heavy metals, microplastics, and radiological materials. Unlike other “organic” labeled bottled / canned waters, which rely exclusively on flavored additives to earn the label, Asarasi’s core ingredient—tree water—meets the USDA Organic standard, offering unmatched purity and authenticity. This unique certification, combined with our commitment to groundwater conservation and farm support, resonates with health-conscious and eco-conscious consumers seeking premium, sustainable beverages.

Water: One of the Fastest Growing CPG Categories

The $300 billion packaged water market is one of the top CPG beverage categories (alcohol, water, soda), growing at a 6.7% CAGR to reach $500 billion by 2030. Functional beverages, including probiotic seltzers and premium sodas, add $60 billion in addressable markets, driven by consumer demand for health, wellness, and sustainability. Asarasi’s tree-sourced beverages create a $20 billion sub-category, offering a sustainable alternative to groundwater-dependent drinks. Our USDA Organic certification, renewable sourcing, and agricultural impact set us apart in a crowded market, positioning Asarasi to capture significant share across multiple beverage segments while addressing global water scarcity and supporting family farms..

Packaged Water & Functional Beverage Competition

Asarasi is creating and owning the tree-sourced beverage category, a $20 billion opportunity distinct from the crowded bottled water and functional soda markets. Unlike hundreds of brands competing in the $300 billion packaged water industry, Asarasi’s USDA Organic, tree-sourced beverages—sparkling waters, probiotic seltzers, and Nekter Pop Soda—offer unmatched purity, sustainability, and agricultural impact by conserving groundwater and boosting family farm income by up to 7,758% per 100 gallons of sap. Competitors like Fiji, Voss, and LaCroix rely on groundwater or municipal sources, contributing to aquifer depletion, while Asarasi’s renewable maple tree water creates a “blue ocean” category at price parity.

In the functional soda space, brands like Poppi, Olipop, and Culture Pop compete with Asarasi’s Nekter Pop Soda, a tree-sourced, probiotic soda. Poppi, acquired by PepsiCo for $1.95 billion in 2025, offers prebiotic sodas with apple cider vinegar and 2 grams of fiber per can, emphasizing gut health but using Stevia and agave inulin. Olipop, valued at $1.85 billion, provides prebiotic sodas with 9 grams of fiber and botanicals like cassava root, appealing to health-conscious consumers but sourced from traditional water supplies. Culture Pop, with probiotic sodas containing Bacillus Subtilis, focuses on digestive health but lacks organic certification and renewable sourcing. These brands, part of Walmart’s “Modern Soda” category, rely on groundwater and lack Asarasi’s environmental and agricultural benefits. Nekter Pop, with 2 billion CFUs of probiotics and tree-sourced maple nectar water, delivers superior purity, sustainability, and category-defining innovation, positioning Asarasi to lead a new era of beverages.

Targeted Consumer Demographics

Asarasi targets a high-growth demographic of eco-conscious and health-conscious consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize sustainability, purity, and social impact. With 73% of global consumers preferring brands that support environmental causes and 66% seeking sugar-free, healthy drinks, Asarasi’s tree-sourced beverages meet critical needs. Rising concerns about water contamination, single-use plastics, and chronic diseases like diabetes drive demand for premium, sustainable hydration. Asarasi’s organic, renewable beverages, packaged in eco-friendly glass or aluminum, offer a guilt-free alternative to traditional bottled drinks, supporting personal health, groundwater conservation, and family farms..

Asarasi Collaboration with Anheuser-Busch

Asarasi has previously produced two uniquely different beers with Anheuser-Busch, as a pilot project proving once again that the better the water used for producing beer, the better the quality beer that is produced. Asarasi provided its tree-water ingredient to create two unique beers with two of ABinBev's craft alliance breweries: Goose Island Beer Company and Wicked Weed Brewery. The result was two incredibly great tasting beers that were highly celebrated and lauded in their respective tap rooms. Producing the world's first and only "zero groundwater beer" with Asarasi tree water as an ingredient showed the versatility of tree water as an ingredient working with the largest beer makers in the world!

Asarasi: A Highly Awarded Company

Asarasi’s innovation and impact have earned global recognition, validating our vision and execution:

1. $500,000 from 43North in 2017, providing seed funding to launch our tree-sourced beverage platform.
2. Gold Medal for “Best Tasting Sparkling Water” at the 2020 Berkeley Springs International Bottled Water Awards, affirming our product quality.
3. Anheuser-Busch 100+ Accelerator winner in 2021, recognizing our sustainability leadership.
4. 2025 Mindful Awards for “Sparkling Water Product of the Year,” highlighting our market-leading innovation.

These accolades underscore Asarasi’s ability to deliver exceptional products while advancing environmental and agricultural sustainability. See all of our awards below!

Invest in Asarasi's Growth

Asarasi is raising Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) funding at a $15 million valuation cap on a Convertible Note to fuel our mission of creating and owning the tree-sourced beverage category—a $20 billion opportunity within the $300 billion global beverage industry. Unlike brands that compete in crowded markets, Asarasi is defining a lasting category of USDA Organic, tree-sourced beverages—sparkling waters, probiotic seltzers, and Nekter Pop Soda—that conserve groundwater, boost family farm income by up to 7,758% per 100 gallons of sap, and meet the surging demand for sustainable, healthy hydration. With a 450%+ potential increase in revenue growth from 2025 to 2026, up to $1.5 million in recurring annual revenue by December 2026, (not guaranteed), with new customers such as Sprouts, Wakefern Blue Triton and potentially Costco Los Angeles, Asarasi is poised to lead a beverage revolution, delivering exponential returns for investors who join us in reshaping the industry.

Our growth is propelled by strategic partnerships that amplify the tree-sourced beverage category’s reach and impact. Our collaboration with Primo / BlueTriton’s ReadyRefresh, launched in August 2024, distributes our sparkling waters and seltzers across California, leveraging a fleet of 500+ trucks making 35,000 daily stops to homes and offices. In February 2025, we signed an exclusive international distribution deal with CDLUSA/Prestige Maple, opening access to over 100,000 retail stores across 90 countries, including Japan, Australia, and Germany. This partnership positions Asarasi’s products—branded and private-label—in global markets, driving category adoption on an unprecedented scale.

Investing in Asarasi means backing a company with a proven team and a transformative vision. Led by Founder and CEO Adam Lazar, whose inspiration from a Vermont maple farm sparked this category, and supported by co-founder James “Aku” Orraca-Tetteh, a creative force with 7X Grammy nominated Florence + The Machine, our team blends entrepreneurial grit with innovative branding.

Our awards—$500,000 from 43North, a 2020 Berkeley Springs Gold Medal, and the 2025 Mindful Awards for Sparkling Water Product of the Year—underscore our execution and impact. With ~130+ maple farm contracts securing ~100 million gallons of tree water and plans to control 900 million gallons by 2027, Asarasi is building a scalable supply chain to dominate the category. Join us to invest in a future where tree-sourced beverages redefine hydration, support sustainable agriculture, and address global water scarcity with purpose and profit.

Asarasi is poised to capture a projected $100M revenue opportunity by 2030 (not guaranteed), aspiring to rival the success of Poppi, Olipop, Culture Pop, Vitamin Water and others by revolutionizing the multi-billion-dollar beverage market with our uniquely tree-sourced, sustainably crafted drinks. We’re thrilled to invite you to join us as an investor and partner, stepping onto the ground floor of our vibrant growth journey!

Legal Disclaimer: All projections are estimates and do not guarantee actual performance. Forecasts are subject to change based on various factors, and actual results may differ materially. The Asarasi brand, including its products and potential revenue streams, is currently under review with the retailers listed, and any references to partnerships or distribution are subject to final agreements.

Appendix & Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

We’ve compiled a list of top beverage trends and list of answers to common questions from investors, customers, and fans to provide clarity on our business, impact, and vision. For additional inquiries, please contact us—we’re eager to engage and update this section as needed.