{"data":{"type":"company_profile","id":89899,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:89899","attributes":{"canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa","generated_at":"2026-06-08T04:00:46Z","updated_at":"2026-06-07T05:02:26Z","entity_ids":{"company":"wefunder:company:89899","slug":"wefunder:company_slug:rasa"},"profile_visibility":{"owner_published":true,"public_search_results":true,"site_search_listed":true,"privacy_mode":"promote","invite_only":false},"provenance":{"source":"wefunder_public_company_profile","as_of":"2026-06-08T04:00:46Z","claims":{"total_amount_raised":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#amount_raised","last_verified_at":"2026-06-07T05:02:26Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T04:00:46Z","confidence":"high"},"total_investors":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#number_of_investors","last_verified_at":"2026-06-07T05:02:26Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T04:00:46Z","confidence":"high"},"active_raise_states":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil)","last_verified_at":"2025-02-06T01:17:55Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T04:00:46Z","confidence":"high"},"latest_fundraise_state":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil).order(funding_started_at)","last_verified_at":"2025-02-06T01:17:55Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T04:00:46Z","confidence":"medium"}}},"company":{"id":89899,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:89899","slug":"rasa","name":"Rasa","tagline":"Functional coffee alternative. Energize with adaptogens, not caffeine!\r\n","elevator_pitch":"We invented the world’s first functional coffee alternative. Sustainable energy, grounded moods, relaxed focus. We create highly effective products our customers adore, making it easy to replace a coffee with a new ritual that supports Energy Intelligence™.","story":"Rasa is a Superfunctional morning brew of adaptogens that clears your mind with calm, jitter-free energy, sharpens your focus, and helps you regulate cortisol levels. We’re on a mission to take on the $465B coffee market and offer an alternative that is just as effective - and actually tastes good. Rasa’s rich, roasty adaptogen-powered proprietary formulations are taking on coffee in a big way. It’s a robust, delicious, science-backed morning ritual: boom.Doesn’t that sound like a better way to start your day?The SuperFunctional part of Rasa comes from adaptogens.\u0026nbsp;Adaptogens energize and nourish, and have been used for millennia to restore balance to the body. More balance means you have more stress resilience, stronger immune system, better libido, sunnier moods, and more energy to be your epic self. Rasa blends pack 1,000-10,000 mg of these amazing herbs per serving.Each day comes with a finite supply of energy, and coffee jolts our systems into motion by blocking adenosine (the chemical that makes you feel sleepy) from binding to receptors. As a result, you don’t feel sleepy...until the caffeine wears off (hellloooo afternoon crash!)Infamously addictive, side effects of caffeine include anxiety, tremors, restlessness, and trouble sleeping. If you’re a caffeine junkie, you’re not alone. A staggering 64% of American adults rely on the mean bean to get through their day. But the tides are turning...After our founder and CEO, Lopa, went through a series of soap opera-worthy events in the year 2015—including leaving a cult, the death of a loved one, emergency surgeries, a cross-country move, and a dramatic falling-out with her family—she was understandably exhausted.And then she added her first baby to the mix.“Coffee was a dead end for what I was going through. My nervous system was fried—overstimulated and depleted. Coffee only made it worse. And I tried the available alternatives, but they lacked the delicious flavor, functional benefits, and energy support I craved and knew was possible.”So what’s a burned out but remarkably resourceful mom to do when faced with a life without coffee, and without the prospect of a promising alternative?Create one herself, obvs.She partnered with an herbalist to create the 12-herb Original blend, and hard-launched Rasa in April 2018. Under the guidance of our Chief Herbalist and co-founder (who has read over 100 peer-reviewed papers in the formulation process), our line has grown to 9 products: Original, Cacao, Dirty, Bold, Calm, Supper Happy Sunshine, Spicy Rose Cacao, Well, Well, Wellderberry, and our adaptogenic creamer, Créme de la Creamer.\u0026nbsp;We’ll also be launching 5 new products in 2022.From a tired mama elbow-deep blending herbs in her kitchen, to a small team operating out of her garage...to the unstoppable success Rasa is enjoying today, we’ve proven our appeal and staying power as a functional and nourishing alternative to coffee, in a market craving change. While adaptogens fuel our customers, our subscription model drives our business. We love the beautiful synergy between the two: subscriptions reinforce the health benefits of sustained adaptogen consumptionWe’re ready to help the world kick their caffeinated habits and cultivate Energy Integrity™ using sustainable, science-backed, adaptogen-based deliciousness.Besides a veritable crapton of hard work, we’ve had nearly triple-digit YoY growth because we’ve taken 4 major trends and rolled them into one, in order to take on the behemoth global coffee market. With your support we are confident we can continue this growth.Our tireless commitment to only sourcing the best herbs and mushrooms in ways that empower our growers keeps our supply chain sustainable, ethical, and unparalleled. 48 botanicals sourced from 15 countries makes Rasa’s proprietary blends unlike any other product on the market today.By striving to source only ethical and sustainable ingredients, and working toward re-investing in our suppliers and their livelihoods, our products have a huge impact on the lives of the hard-working people who nurture and grow their botanicals to be worthy of our exceptional blends.In service of our values, we have incorporated as a Public Benefit Corporation. As a PBC, we are legally bound to pursue a public benefit above and beyond a pure profit motive. Our stated mission is \"Sourcing sustainable herbs from traditional growing regions and promoting quality herbal education.Fans are absolutely RAVING about the taste and benefits of adding Rasa to their daily routines. With an average 4.7 ⭐️ rating, and 10+ million cups served to a steadily growing 100K customer base, Rasa is THE premier coffee alternative (and way to energize!) of the future...We’ve been featured in numerous publications (all organic—no PR agency or paid placements!), and we’re rapidly expanding our reach beyond our thriving online direct-to-consumer channel. People love us.Satisfying surging consumer demand, functional food and beverage disruptors are earning sky-high valuations.We want to crowd-source this business, not just crowdfund it. We keep our valuation reasonable because we are here to share our future with our community, not extract from our community. We want you to join us and be part of this entrepreneurial ride of a lifetime—having fun, generating impact, and hopefully making fat stacks in the process. 🤑 We invite you to introduce us to influencers online, and B2B clients such as coffee shops, offices, apothecaries, and healthcare practitioners. Vote on our next seasonal blend, and on our upcoming re-brand. Help us build your business! This is only the beginning of our journey to becoming a world-renowned functional coffee alternative \u0026amp; changing the way we energize from depleting to nourishing. We are going to harness the everliving-crap out of our momentum and market Rasa to the world. Your investment dollars are part of a movement that will change how the world relates to energy. Join us!","location":"Boulder, CO","website":"https://wearerasa.com/","total_amount_raised":4091403,"total_investors":2623,"is_funded":false,"is_active":false,"quality_score":4,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/rasa","https://wearerasa.com/"]},"media":{"share_image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/89899/xxl_cropped_0001.jpg","logo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/logo/89899/large_cropped_Rasa_Logo_Red.png","header_media_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/89899/standard_cropped_0001.jpg","cover_photo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/89899/standard_cropped_0001.jpg"},"links":{"company_url":"https://wearerasa.com/","facebook_url":"https://www.facebook.com/wearerasa/","instagram_url":"https://www.instagram.com/wearerasa/"},"highlights":[],"quick_facts":[{"index":1,"claim_id":"claim-fact-1","value":"⚡️\u0026gt;500% YOY subscription growth"},{"index":2,"claim_id":"claim-fact-2","value":"⭐️4.7 average rating, 10M+ cups sold, 100K customers"},{"index":3,"claim_id":"claim-fact-3","value":"😎Founder on Forbes Next 1000 list, former Sr Advisor @ Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room, 1 prior exit"},{"index":4,"claim_id":"claim-fact-4","value":"🥾 $12M cumulative revenue, GAAP profitable last year, bootstrapped until now"},{"index":5,"claim_id":"claim-fact-5","value":"☕ Taking on the $465B global coffee market; featured in Bon Appetit \u0026amp; Rolling Stone as leading coffee alternative"},{"index":6,"claim_id":"claim-fact-6","value":"📈 On track to 10x the business by 2026 thanks to superb 50% subscriber retention"},{"index":7,"claim_id":"claim-fact-7","value":"🌿 Co-founder is a clinical herbalist, adaptogen expert, \u0026amp; was Sr Herb Buyer @ Celestial Seasonings."},{"index":8,"claim_id":"claim-fact-8","value":"🙌 Public Benefit Corp for sustainable supply chain, compostable packaging, \u0026amp; changing lives."}],"team":[{"id":1926235,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:1926235","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:1514444","role":"founder","name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","title":"Founder \u0026 CEO","bio":"Before founding Rasa, Lopa was a 2x co-founder in sustainable energy (with 1 exit), \u0026amp; spoke to 1,400 people at TEDxBerkeley at age 28. As a mom to 2 young boys, she proves that attachment parenting \u0026amp; being a dynamic CEO are not mutually exclusive.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/1926235/square_cropped_unnamed__1_.jpg?1648132744","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/lopavandermersch","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/lopa-van-der-mersch/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/lopavandermersch"]},{"id":2000695,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:2000695","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:1613470","role":"employee","name":"Ben LeVine","title":"Co-Founder \u0026 Chief Herbalist","bio":"Before joining us, Ben helped lead Celestial Seasonings botanical sourcing group, buying over 10 million lbs of herbs/year. He has an MSc from Maryland University of Integrative Health \u0026amp; is the creative \u0026amp; scientific genius behind Rasa’s formulations.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/2000695/square_cropped_unnamed__3_.jpg?1629486450","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/ben.levine.2","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-levine-b1313810/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/ben.levine.2"]},{"id":2517089,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:2517089","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:2527845","role":"employee","name":"Lenny Chase","title":"VP, Head of Marketing","bio":"Lenny joins Rasa to drive its next phase of growth. His accomplishments include growing Halo Top to be US's #1 sold pint \u0026amp; $350 million in sales within 2 years, 2x'ing a VC-backed DTC wine company, \u0026amp; launching Plenty ($1B+ vertical farm) into market.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/2517089/square_cropped_1620781355207.jpg?1679356374","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/lenny.chase","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennychase/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/lenny.chase"]},{"id":2000332,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:2000332","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:1613403","role":"employee","name":"Ben Lovejoy","title":"Creative Director","bio":"As a creative pro with \u0026gt;25 years in a range of creative roles—from branding Kion Coffee to owning an SF agency to Executive Creative Director of Gaia—Ben is essential to positioning, strategy, \u0026amp; reach of Rasa's brand. And, he makes us look goooood.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/2000332/square_cropped_unnamed__2_.jpg?1647436815","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/benlovejoy2","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminlovejoy/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/benlovejoy2"]},{"id":2000698,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:2000698","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:1495079","role":"employee","name":"Erik Sirnes","title":"General Manager","bio":"Erik drives the Rasa bus, supported by his experience in Fortune 100 companies \u0026amp; start-ups that hit 9-digits in 5 years. His MSc in Eng \u0026amp; Mgmt + MBA in Supply Chain Mgmt helps, too! He’s a triathlete with a personal goal of climbing Everest by 2030.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/2000698/square_cropped_unnamed__4_.jpg?1647436815","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/eriksirnes","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-sirnes/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/eriksirnes"]},{"id":2000706,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:2000706","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:1511511","role":"employee","name":"Leah Gidwani","title":"Operations Director","bio":"Formerly an eCommerce Senior Manager at NBCUniversal, Leah brings her razor-sharp mind and experience in forecasting, inventory management and analytics to drive data-based strategic decisions across Rasa's entire organization.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/2000706/square_cropped_unnamed__5_.jpg?1647436815","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/leah.gidwani","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahgidwani/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/leah.gidwani"]}],"featured_investors":[{"id":5555,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_investor_profile:5555","investor_profile_id":1131667,"investor_profile_entity_id":"wefunder:investor_profile:1131667","subject_entity_id":"wefunder:user:1610088","name":"Daniel Scrivner","bio":"Lifecycle investor. Invest from Seed through IPO. Investor in 100+ start-ups including Notion, Superhuman, and Public.","avatar_url":"http://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/user/avatar/1610088/medium_blob.jpg","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/danielscrivner","investment_total":30000,"investment_info":"Invested $30,000 this round","is_lead_investor":true,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/danielscrivner"]}],"investor_memos":[],"tab_counts":{"posts":29,"ask_questions":74,"featured_investors":1,"faq_entries":5},"active_fundraises":[{"id":49259,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:49259","state":"successful","offering_type":"506(b)","funding_type":"note","structure":"ttw","security_type":"equity","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":true,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":50000.0},{"id":58535,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:58535","state":"successful","offering_type":"506(c)","funding_type":"note","structure":"equity","security_type":"equity","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":false,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":250000.0,"funding_started_at":"2022-01-28T17:37:02Z","funding_closed_at":"2022-01-28T17:37:03Z"},{"id":46848,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:46848","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"equity","security_type":"equity","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":false,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":100000.75,"funding_started_at":"2021-07-30T22:41:28Z","funding_closed_at":"2022-04-01T05:02:22Z","auto_close_at":"2022-04-01T03:59:59Z"}],"latest_fundraise":{"id":49259,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:49259","state":"successful","offering_type":"506(b)","structure":"ttw","testing_the_waters":true,"can_invest_now":false,"funding_started_at":null,"funding_closed_at":null,"terms":{"eb":null,"nb":null,"txt":null}},"recent_posts":[{"id":154387,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154387","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Thank you for supporting Rasa 💛","preview":"WOW. Just wow. You all are amazing.\u0026nbsp;Thanks to our 2,897 investors, Rasa raised $4,198,239 and officially became the #1 biggest food \u0026 beverage campaign in WeFunder’s history.\u0026nbsp;The power of the Rasa community is unstoppable—you are fuel to our fire and this baby is BLAZING! 🔥\u0026nbsp;Though the campaign is over, our work together is just beginning. Please think of us whenever you hear of a friend who is looking for an alternative to coffee. And give us a follow on Instagram, Facebook or ...","published_at":"2022-04-07T20:18:48Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154387","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154387"},{"id":154159,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154159","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"TWO HOURS LEFT TO GET ON THIS ROCKETSHIP 🚀","preview":"We are ready for liftoff 🚀Are you on board? Although we’re oversubscribed, you can still invest.Choosing to invest in Rasa means you’ll have our all-star team behind you. Our experienced team has sourced 10M pounds of herbs for Celestial Seasonings, grown Halo top from to $300M in sales and coveted spot as America’s #1 pint in 2 years, managed supply chain at Charlotte’s Web, a leading CBD company, and more. Maybe you’ve oogled at our packaging or email design, had a heart-warming interaction...","published_at":"2022-04-01T00:00:23Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154159","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154159"},{"id":154158,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154158","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"We’re oversubscribed but you can still invest! 4 HOURS LEFT \u0026amp; WE’RE FIRED UP 🔥","preview":"We are blown away by your support on our last day of crowdfunding. We answered some great questions on IG and the vibe was ​​🔥 You can watch the replay here.\u0026nbsp;We’re oversubscribed, but you can still invest!\u0026nbsp;If you're considering joining us on our mission to change the way we energize—or if you'd like to increase your investment—this is your last chance! This is not a drill, we repeat, this is not a drill!\u0026nbsp;The investment round closes for good at 7:59pm PST / 8:59pm MT / 10:59pm E...","published_at":"2022-03-31T22:20:20Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154158","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154158"},{"id":154149,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154149","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"💸 Less than 8 hours left! \u0026amp; I’m going live on IG in ONE HOUR","preview":"Well, hello again! A quick reminder that I’m going live on Instagram (at @wearerasa) in one hour to answer any last burning questions about our investment campaign 🥳Join me there, or if you’re ready to invest or to increase your investment, there’s no time like the present (no really, there are only a few hours left to invest in this round!).We’re revolutionizing the functional beverage market (and not just by being the first wellness product to bless our herbs by grass-fed unicorns*). Our su...","published_at":"2022-03-31T19:32:26Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154149","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154149"},{"id":154136,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154136","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"I’m going LIVE TODAY on IG at 1:30pm PST / 4:30pm EST 🎙️","preview":"Our WeFunder campaign ends in just a few hours! (Cue me with four cups of Rasa on my desk responding to all your emails and questions…)On that note, to answer any last questions, I’m hosting an IG live (over at @wearerasa) today at 1:30pm PST/4:30pm EST. When we decided to raise capital, we intentionally chose crowdfunding to democratize access to owning a piece of Rasa so that our community and those who make Rasa possible could also benefit when we do well—win-win-win! I want to support you...","published_at":"2022-03-31T18:02:33Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154136","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154136"},{"id":154128,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154128","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"🔔 Closing Day! I'm taking investor calls ALL DAY to answer your questions","preview":"Today is closing day for our equity crowdfunding campaign! Rasa’s investment round closes today at 7:59pm PST /\u0026nbsp; 8:59pm MT / 10:59pm EST so jump on in if you’ve been considering investment.We have so much to celebrate from this experience, including:🎉 We’re the #1 crowdfunded food campaign in Wefunder’s history!2️⃣ We’re also the #2 biggest campaign led by a woman-founded company in WeFunder’s history. We’re ~$500k from the #1 spot if someone wants to make history today… we’re here for t...","published_at":"2022-03-31T16:24:18Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154128","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154128"},{"id":154089,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:154089","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Rasa featured in First State Investor \u0026amp; we’re closing TOMORROW💥","preview":"We are super excited to report that Rasa was featured in First Stage Investor as a “New Pick: A Functional Beverage That’s Delicious and 100 Times Healthier Than Coffee” 🎉Early Investing’s First Stage Investor (a KingsCrowd company) is the leading financial newsletter in the startup space. First Stage Investor has been researching and presenting equity crowdfunding startup opportunities since 2016.\u0026nbsp;And they are offering our community access to their full report on Rasa for FREE.\u0026nbsp;Hig...","published_at":"2022-03-30T16:49:46Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/154089","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/154089"},{"id":153907,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153907","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"🚨We’re closing on Thursday!","preview":"The response to our investment campaign has been mind-blowing — we’re one of the top-performing Reg CF campaigns in history, especially for a woman-founded business (which shouldn’t be a thing, but here we are 🤷‍♀️).\u0026nbsp;Since launching, we’ve raised $3.7M from more than 2,400 investors. In that same period, we grew our revenue run rate 26% to $5.8M; expanded subscriptions to make up 77% of revenue, up from 44%; and served 2M more cups of Rasa goodness!\u0026nbsp;And the opportunity to invest is ...","published_at":"2022-03-29T20:40:47Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153907","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153907"},{"id":153901,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153901","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Closing Soon \u0026amp; Almost Sold Out! 🔥","preview":"Our recent press release about our community investment round was picked up by leading financial publications Bloomberg, Morningstar, Benzinga, Food Business News, Nasdaq, and Yahoo Finance!With all this buzz, we’d love to leave the campaign open longer, but we have to close it soon. 😕 Not only are we closing NEXT WEEK, but we’re almost SOLD OUT!Want to invest in Rasa? Now’s the time. Want to increase your investment? I'd recommend doing so before we sell out. If you've been meaning to tell a...","published_at":"2022-03-24T17:21:27Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153901","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153901"},{"id":153702,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153702","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Webinar Recording \u0026amp; Special Announcement 📣","preview":"With just a week left to go in the campaign, we’re buzzing with excitement over here at Rasa! The Rasa leadership team and I just got together for an exclusive investor webinar to update you on our progress - and share an exciting announcement (read on👇)!\u0026nbsp;Ben LeVine (Co-Founder \u0026 Chief Herbalist), Stephan van der Mersch (CFO) and I covered the incredible results Rasa has achieved since launching our investment campaign. Lenny Chase (VP of Marketing) shared our exciting growth plans for t...","published_at":"2022-03-23T14:48:29Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153702","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153702"},{"id":153673,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153673","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"You’re Invited! Live Investor Webinar with the Rasa Team 👀","preview":"We’re full of optimism over here at Rasa. We just surpassed $3.3M raised, our investment round is 80% subscribed, and more than 2,000 of you are officially on board as investors and evangelists. Have I told you, lately, that I love you?\u0026nbsp;For those of you who want to know more about Rasa and meet our team, now’s your chance!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;You are warmly invited to a private investor event on Tuesday, March 22nd at 3:30pm PST / 4:30pm MT / 6:30pm EST where I’ll be joined by my co-founder Ben L...","published_at":"2022-03-17T17:45:59Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153673","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153673"},{"id":153613,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153613","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Featured in Bon Appétit, Rolling Stone \u0026amp; Ebony! ⚡","preview":"We love some well-earned press and influencer mentions, and these have been plentiful lately! Rasa was recently selected by Bon Appetit’s editors as one of “13 Excellent Coffee Substitutes for People Sick of That Damn Joe”, one of 8 featured mushroom coffees by Rolling Stone, and one of 5 “Healthy Alternatives to Coffee” by Ebony!Influencers (many of whom are coming on board as investors) are spreading the word too:Sahara Rose featuring our Calm product (95k+ views!)Rosie Acosta showcasing he...","published_at":"2022-03-15T16:10:14Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153613","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153613"},{"id":153453,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153453","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Thank you for the love 💌","preview":"Since opening our investment round, we’ve been blown away by the incredible response from customers, suppliers, mentors, retail investors, friends, and complete strangers who we now proudly count as part of the Rasa community. Our investor community is now 2,000 strong 💪Many of you have left heart-warming comments—\u0026 some have actually brought me to tears. Your comments are Rasa fuel - they energize and motivate our team just as much as our daily cup of Rasa 🔥We want to share some of the inves...","published_at":"2022-03-10T17:20:28Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153453","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153453"},{"id":153429,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153429","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"New product release 🍄→ New market entry","preview":"We’re super excited to announce that Rasa just launched a new product line: Magnificent Mushrooms!\u0026nbsp;Product innovation such as powder mushrooms is core to our strategy to cement our competitive advantage.\u0026nbsp;Most importantly, Magnificent Mushrooms allows us to expand even further into the $25B (and growing) functional mushroom market. Our goal is to become the functional mushroom category leader, committed to quality, potency, and value. We’re on our way.Our talented team just doesn’t s...","published_at":"2022-03-08T17:30:57Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/153429","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153429"},{"id":152638,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:152638","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"3 Reasons Why Rasa is an Incredible Investment Opportunity 💸","preview":"Here are 3 reasons why NOW is the time to invest, increase your investment, or tell your friends to invest in Rasa:📈 Extremely attractive (and defensible) valuation: $25M (4.3x our Q4 run-rate). The average valuation-to-revenue multiple for crowdfunded businesses, many of which are pre-revenue, in 2020 was 11.9x (EquityNet, 2021), but we are committed to setting defensible and fair valuations, no matter the market. 🥇 Preferred stock: that means you get paid back first in the event of a busine...","published_at":"2022-03-03T17:46:01Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/152638","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/152638"},{"id":153202,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:153202","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Subscriptions are driving explosive growth 📈","preview":"We’re excited to let you know that the first month of our new funnel has yielded 14% MoM subscriber growth! If we sustain this momentum, that means we’ll grow 2022 subscriptions 420% annually 🤯 Subscriptions account for the majority of our revenue, so we're - without a doubt - gearing up for another record-breaking year.And this growth happened before our new VP of Marketing, Lenny, has even rolled up his sleeves. Imagine the growth possibilities once he makes his mark with that Halo Top magi...","published_at":"2022-03-01T18:18:26Z","author_name":"Ben Lovejoy","url":"/feed/153202","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/153202"},{"id":152996,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:152996","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Rasa Awarded a Rare ‘Deal to Watch’ Rating by Startup Investment Data \u0026amp; Analytics Leader KingsCrowd 👀","preview":"We are very excited to announce that Rasa - in addition to being a top WeFunder campaign - has been rated as a \"Deal to Watch\" for investors by KingsCrowd. This notable ranking from an independent third party puts us in the top 2% of more than 600 active equity crowdfunding campaigns currently rated by KingsCrowd. It’s a testament to the strength of our traction and our potential to scale. 🚀 -LopaFull announcement below:// Rasa Awarded a Rare ‘Deal to Watch’ Rating by Startup Investment Data ...","published_at":"2022-02-24T17:12:42Z","author_name":"Ben Lovejoy","url":"/feed/152996","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/152996"},{"id":152936,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:152936","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"$3,000,000 Raised 🎉","preview":"Rasa has officially raised $3,000,000!This makes us the 4th highest funded campaign out of 233 companies currently raising on WeFunder. 🚀We bootstrapped our way to $5M in revenue in just 3 years. Now, backed by more than 1800 retail investors in this round, we are well on our way to 10x the business over the next five years.As a business focused on impact, we purposefully and thoughtfully brought Rasa to the retail investor community first.\u0026nbsp;If you’ve been thinking about joining us, NOW I...","published_at":"2022-02-22T17:03:48Z","author_name":"Ben Lovejoy","url":"/feed/152936","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/152936"},{"id":152801,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:152801","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"We’re Honored to Have So Many Superstar Investors 🌟","preview":"With just over a month left to go in our WeFunder campaign, we wanted to spotlight some of the incredible investors we have on board. By investing in Rasa, you will be in the company of:\u0026nbsp;the founder of a 9-digit e-commerce business in the wellness category,the founder of a category-creating CPG product that has grown well into 9-digits,the former marketing head of a nearly 10-digit CPG brand,an advisor to multiple 9-digit e-commerce businesses,the former Brand Director of a major nationa...","published_at":"2022-02-17T17:07:23Z","author_name":"Ben Lovejoy","url":"/feed/152801","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/152801"},{"id":152730,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:152730","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Meet Lenny Chase, Our New VP of Marketing 🔥","preview":"We always believed that being a mission-driven company would allow us to bat above our weight in attracting talent, and boy did that turn out to be right!We are super excited to tell you more about Lenny Chase, our new VP of Marketing.Not only did Lenny grow Halo Top to be the US's #1 sold ice cream pint with $350 million in sales in 2 years, he also doubled revenue ($25M to $50M) at Firstleaf, a venture-backed D2C subscription and e-commerce wine company, in 2 years and grew that business to...","published_at":"2022-02-15T18:10:24Z","author_name":"Ben Lovejoy","url":"/feed/152730","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/152730"},{"id":152624,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:152624","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Investor Webinar Recording \u0026amp; Rasa is TRENDING! 🔥","preview":"So much is happening at Rasa that we’re excited to tell you about:📈 Rasa’s First Investor Webinar! Last week we held our first Investor Webinar and the recording is available here for the next two weeks. The brilliant questions (and growth metrics shared) made for an energizing discussion.\u0026nbsp;🧠 We hired world-class VP of Marketing, Lenny Chase! As Halo Top’s first marketing hire, Lenny helped grow sales to $350M in 2 years, taking the company to unicorn status as the USA’s #1 ice cream pint...","published_at":"2022-02-10T21:19:28Z","author_name":"Ben Lovejoy","url":"/feed/152624","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/152624"},{"id":150913,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:150913","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"On A Tear","preview":"Our Golden Chai Rasa launch day in late September posted a record sales day. We broke that record on Black Friday. For Black Friday/Cyber Monday we grew 96% YoY on a backdrop of ecommerce sales nationwide being down 20%. We closed November at nearly a $7M run rate. A week later (yesterday!) we launched our seasonal Peppermint Cacao Rasa (which by the way is freaking delicious—get it before it sells out! You might have only a few days when we originally thought it would last a few weeks) and a...","published_at":"2021-12-07T05:25:27Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/150913","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/150913"},{"id":150739,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:150739","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"74% YoY BFCM growth and Angel Notes feature","preview":"We are happy to share awesome growth for BFCM. Also this!Rasa Selected by Angel Notes as a Top Reg CF InvestmentWe're proud to announce that, after reviewing 50+ startups, Angel Notes selected Rasa as one of the best investments on equity crowdfunding platforms. Angel Notes is a third-party newsletter for startup investors in which Manuel Bleve reviews startups on 10+ equity crowdfunding platforms to find the best deals and sends a detailed investment report every week. (You can subscribe at\u0026...","published_at":"2021-11-30T22:42:04Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/150739","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/150739"},{"id":150492,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:150492","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Black Friday Early Investor Access \u0026amp; Update","preview":"Hi all!\u0026nbsp;It's been a buussssy time and we are so grateful to have crossed $2.25M raised! Some quick things:\u0026nbsp;Holiday Things• As a thank you to investors, you get early access to our Black Friday sale! Use BFCM2125 to get 25% off site-wide. Woohoo!\u0026nbsp;• This is a great time to suggest to friends who haven't tried Rasa yet (\u0026 to those who have!) to add it to their holiday wishlists.\u0026nbsp;🎁 And it's a great time to use your investor discount code if you haven't already to stock up on g...","published_at":"2021-11-18T00:07:34Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/150492","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/150492"},{"id":150074,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:150074","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Our founder \u0026amp; CEO named to Forbes Next 1000 list","preview":"We are so excited that Lopa has been selected as a Forbes Next 1000 honoree!This award is\u0026nbsp;for \"bold and inspiring entrepreneurs who are redefining what it means to run a business today.\"Here’s to sustainable, ethical business being the new norm! 🙌","published_at":"2021-11-02T21:39:52Z","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","url":"/feed/150074","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/150074"}],"q_and_a":[{"id":178345,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:178345","question":"Hi Lopa, I'm working on a write-up on Rasa for the Angel Notes Newsletter - https://angelnotes.co - where I help 800+ angel investors find valuable investments on equity crowdfunding platforms with in-depth research and analysis. I just discovered Rasa and haven't yet gone through proper due diligence. However, from a first impression, this looks like a no-brainer! I headed over to your website to buy a pack of Rasa but only saw the United States as an available shipping country. I would love it if we could arrange shipment to Italy! Looking forward to knowing more and investing in Rasa. Appreciate any help you might provide! All the best, Manuel","author_name":"Manuel Bleve","votes":4,"created_at":"2021-11-09T12:51:10Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-178345","answers":[{"id":179549,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:179549","answer":"Manuel, please reach out to investors@wearerasa.com and we can arrange to send you a sample. However our stunning reviews from our customer-investors tell you everything you need to know.","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-11-16T01:58:54Z"}]},{"id":176581,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:176581","question":"I am from Hong Kong. If I invest 2500, Could we also work out distributorship for the Hong Kong and China market? We have connection to greater China and it will surely benefit the company and fellow investors too =)","author_name":"Adrian Low","votes":4,"created_at":"2021-10-29T21:08:46Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-176581","answers":[{"id":177186,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:177186","answer":"Oh HECK yes. Would love to discuss this with you! Email our customer care team and we'll put you in touch with the person on our team who can move this forward with you.","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":2,"created_at":"2021-11-01T22:06:20Z"}]},{"id":195843,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:195843","question":"Hi, I see $5MM is forecast revenue for your FY2021. Has it been met? FY2021 must be over by now. Cheers!","author_name":"Tj Naim","votes":3,"created_at":"2022-03-10T21:06:14Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-195843","answers":[{"id":196318,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:196318","answer":"Yes!! $5.1M to be precise :-)","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":3,"created_at":"2022-03-14T21:43:03Z"}]},{"id":191925,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:191925","question":"Hi Lopa, I am excited and proud to invest in Rasa. I wanted to ask if you considered RASA branded outlets, similar to Starbucks. Also what are you plans for international sales? Do you consider localized distribution outside US?","author_name":"Zohrab Mammadov","votes":3,"created_at":"2022-02-11T05:02:49Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-191925","answers":[{"id":192599,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:192599","answer":"Hi Zohrab! Great questions - indeed we have goals to open cafes (with our first one being in Boulder and made possible by the crowdfunding). We are starting international expansion by doing market-testing via Amazon and are currently in Amazon UK, Canada, \u0026amp; Australia, with plans to open Germany (and therefore the rest of the EU) this year. From there we will find in-country distribution partners in markets with proven traction. Let me know if you have any other questions! Lopa","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":4,"created_at":"2022-02-16T05:50:33Z"}]},{"id":195722,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:195722","question":"Hi Lopa, I love the product!! It is top notch. Looks like a super team, too! I have a few questions on the investment front. I appreciate your patience and assistance with the question, in advance! 1) Can you please send or post any due diligence package including financials and pro forma forecast that you may have? 2) In the Pitch Deck, you said page 38 has info about your vision for exit. However, the pitch deck ends at page 20; It appears it was revised in February. Can you please speak to your preferred path for an exit? 3) On the cap table, 5,243,065 shares of common stock are outstanding, and it appears that 99.53% of that is owned by you, Lopa. Is that correct? I'd like to understand any stock allocation to Ben LeVine (co-founder \u0026amp; chief herbalist), Ben Lovejoy, Lenny Chase, and Erik Sirnes. I like to see alignment of incentives, and I don't see that right now. 4) Can you share more about your diversity? The pitch Deck says you are \"52% women\" (not 52% women-owned), but I only see you and the men. Same for BIPOC- the Deck says 29% BIPOC but that is not apparent. Can you share more about the diversity numbers? 5) How many employees do you have right now? 5.5) What is the run rate on monthly overhead and personnel expenses? 6) Under highlights, it says \"Public Benefit Corp\"- Is Rasa a Certified B Corp? I don't see that certification on your website, and don't see any details, so wanted to get more info, please. 7) It seems there was an earlier valuation on this round of $15M for the first ~$1M invested; and then the pre-money valuation stepped up to $25M for the follow-on investors. Is that right? You mentioned that the increase in valuation is primarily due to the level of new investors that came on board. Has there been any other material growth, partnerships or new contracts over the last few months that has added to increased value? 8) Past Fundraises show 12 different \"priced rounds.\" and it appears you were the primary funder for all of them? Can you share the appraisals for any or all of those priced rounds? 9) Under Use of Funds, the totals add up to $5,149,999- Please confirm if this is the cap on total $$ fundraising for this round? 10) The Form C says you are offering 37,175 share of Preferred stock in this offering, and the share price is $4.49 each. Is that still accurate? And the 37,175 shares will be issued for this fundraise out of 1,262,615 authorized preferred shares. Is that right? And given the 5,243,065 issues shares of common stock, the total outstanding shares after investment will be 5,280,240, is that right? So if we divide 37,175 shares /by 5,280,240 total shares, the investors will own 0.7% of the post-money valuation. Is that right? This does not make sense from an investment point of view, so if there is additional or updated information regarding this, please share, or correct the math for me! 11) Will the post money valuation be determined by the pre-money valuation + money raised; or is there anything else that will factor in? 12)- Many thanks for a thorough follow-up!!","author_name":"Kathleen Fitzpatrick","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-03-09T22:59:06Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-195722","answers":[{"id":195798,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:195798","answer":"Hi Kathleen, this is an awesome set of questions, best addressed by phone. Please write us at investors@wearerasa.com so we can set up a call this week!","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-03-10T17:32:28Z"},{"id":197325,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:197325","answer":"Just following up here - would love to answer your questions in detail, and it'll simply take a lot less time over the phone. Please send an email to investors@wearerasa.com and we can set up a time to chat!","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-03-21T18:47:30Z"}]},{"id":195083,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:195083","question":"Are you thinking of adding more flavors that contain less herbs and focus more on taste. This is a potentially huge market.","author_name":"Ed Far","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-03-04T01:33:10Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-195083","answers":[{"id":195365,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:195365","answer":"Hi Ed! Yes, we have already made a shift to more flavor-forward blends with our Golden Chai and Peppermint Cacao (which both resulted in record days of sales for Q4), and previously as well, with our ginger-cardamom Immune Tonic and our Spicy Rose Cacao. Our Cacao also has eked out over Original as the bestseller, and we have some exciting developments moving forward on both our existing line and our future pipeline. We currently have 10 SKUs and so are being judicious about how we expand our portfolio, but are constantly listening to customer feedback on taste. I'm curious which products you've tried so far? They all taste different, and I feel very confident that we have the best-tasting herbal coffee alternatives on the market so far, and that's only going to improve from here. Let me know any other questions and thank you! Lopa","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-03-07T04:19:31Z"}]},{"id":194143,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:194143","question":"Hi Lopa, I wanted to quickly ask how the January and February sales went in numbers, since it is the start of your high season. Have a great weekend. Cheers","author_name":"E. Frischhut","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-02-26T11:54:31Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-194143","answers":[{"id":197328,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:197328","answer":"Hi there! Sorry for the delay on this response. In Jan we did $460K in revenue, and Feb saw $409K, and we ended the month with a 15% subscriber increase MoM. This is intentionally a lighter quarter for us because we've just brought in our Head of Marketing who is doing foundational work to build a fully scalable funnel, and we're really pleased with the subscriber growth we were able to drive on the first test of that funnel in February. Let me know any other questions! 💛, Lopa","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-03-21T18:56:02Z"}]},{"id":191898,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:191898","question":"Hi Rasa Team, Congrats on the success so far. I like that you've got such strong traction. One of my readers passed along your deal to me and asked for my thoughts. I’ve written a first pass of a deal memo (https://muhanzhang.com/rasa/) for myself and other investors. My primary question is: is this essentially a competitor to Four Sigmatic coffee? I know there's a lot of growth in the coffee alternative space (such as ZestTea and the like) and am trying to figure out what the comp is. Thanks in advance for your responses. Bests, Muhan https://muhanzhang.com/rasa/","author_name":"Muhan Zhang","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-02-10T22:36:29Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-191898","answers":[{"id":192650,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:192650","answer":"Hi Muhan, fun! Four Sigmatic is a boosted coffee, so caffeine + extra stimulants. Rasa is the world's first caffeine-free coffee alternative. We are creating a new category, so the comp discussion is a bit complex as there aren't straight comps. The adaptogenic herbs in Rasa help reduce fatigue and improve focus, among a host of other benefits. Scientifically comes down to stimulants vs. adaptogens, which is a slide in our investor pitch deck linked at the bottom of our WeFunder raise page. Please write us at investors@wearerasa.com and we can hop on a call and discuss more in detail with you.","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":1,"created_at":"2022-02-16T15:32:35Z"}]},{"id":287918,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:287918","question":"Last update in March was \"Update coming soon\". What's happening over at Rasa? Any more updates for this year?","author_name":"David Michael Myers","votes":1,"created_at":"2024-07-16T20:16:26Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-287918","answers":[]},{"id":278799,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:278799","question":"When does RASA estimate projections to give returns back to initial investors? Are you on track for original growth of 6.3x of the company capital. Originally projection of 81.6 Mil by 2026.","author_name":"Dustin Moffitt","votes":1,"created_at":"2024-03-15T22:37:03Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-278799","answers":[]},{"id":212756,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:212756","question":"Hi. How do get back my investment if the need arises. I invested through wefunder. Thanks. Shirley","author_name":"Shirley McLean-Brown","votes":1,"created_at":"2022-07-26T18:46:39Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-212756","answers":[]},{"id":197998,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:197998","question":"Hi there love the rasa story………. At first I just threw in 200 bucks but after listening to the webinar I doubled down with a grand………… that might be small for some but a lot for me ….. a student……… but u have so much to offer so I just have to join……….. as far as the kosher certification……… being an Orthodox Jew myself I would recommend using the “ou “ certification……….. that is something that is respected and trusted by all( some of the other certifications some people like and others don’t ………….. not meaning to say an opinion of who is trustworthy or not just giving over what I know and what will help drive more business ) love to be part of the rasa family…………. Btw I downloaded the webinar wanna keep it as a keepsake……….. yeh I’m still young!!!","author_name":"Eliezer SCHECHTER","votes":1,"created_at":"2022-03-25T02:45:23Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-197998","answers":[{"id":198264,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:198264","answer":"Thank you, Eliezer! Our ops team has taken note of your recommendation.","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-03-27T02:50:28Z"}]},{"id":195995,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:195995","question":"With the $2.5K perk, is the 50% bundle discount for life or a one-time purchase? And does each tier include the perks of the ones below it as well?","author_name":"Stephanie Slawek","votes":1,"created_at":"2022-03-11T18:54:32Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-195995","answers":[{"id":196319,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:196319","answer":"Yes, the perks stack, and it's for a one-time purchase. But if you want to share Rasa samples with friends reach out to investors@wearerasa.com and we'd love to help you build the brand!","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-03-14T21:44:32Z"}]},{"id":183015,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:183015","question":"Hi Lopa, I have been looking for an alternative to coffee for a long time, but always the flavor, the availability, or the habit have brought me back to coffee. Hope you have success. From the business point of view I have 2 concerns: (1) being the product a mixture of (unprocessed?) herbs, the elaboration is simple? expensive, complex machinery? How many specialized personnel are involved in the production? Could you double the production in a short period of time? or would you need new production centers? (2) since part of the attraction of coffee is socialization, it is widely available on the street, but for now your product must be prepared and consumed at home, right? how about the possibility of selling it in coffee shops or restaurants? have you found accessibility in these channels? and what about the expiration period for every bag? (that perhaps could be important for business clients giving it a try) Best of luck,","author_name":"Alberto Aceña","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-12-08T13:13:50Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-183015","answers":[{"id":189743,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:189743","answer":"Hi Alberto! My humble apologies for having missed this question - the mechanism for Wefunder sending me notifications for new questions appears to be broken, and I'm working on getting that fixed! To answer your questions... 1. Our manufacturing process is actually not complex at all. There are multiple contract manufacturers just in Colorado that can produce for us if needed. And our current partner can easily triple production and more if needed. Our herb sourcing is much more complex, and includes some herbs that are very specialized and hard to get. We’ve been working for the past couple years to develop back-up suppliers to mitigate this risk and we now have multiple suppliers in both India \u0026amp; China. 2. Such a great question - yes, we want to be everywhere coffee is, and distribution in food service locations (cafes, restaurants, offices \u0026amp; co-working spaces, hotels, etc) is a key part of our distribution strategy starting in 2023. We currently have about 3 dozen cafes who are helping us test and operationalize this for scale. The herbs in Rasa are mostly hardy roots, and thus each bag has a 2 year shelf life, which helps tremendously with some of the supply chain complexities and having enough raw inventory on hand for scale. Let me know any other questions you have! Best, Lopa","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-01-25T18:26:41Z"}]},{"id":182987,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:182987","question":"Hi Lopa, I just noticed this in the fine print on the Peppermint Cacao: \"Do not use this product if you are taking SSRI antidepressants.\" I didn't check all the products but I didn't see that on any of the others I looked at. Is that unique to that product? Or do all the adaptogen products carry that warning? I have never tried Rasa and am very interested, but as you might have guessed I am currently taking an SSRI and have never tried adaptogens. I realize you're not a doctor and I'm not looking for medical advice, just a little more specific guidance on the impact of mixing your products and SSRIs.","author_name":"Derek Fenwick","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-12-08T05:35:11Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-182987","answers":[{"id":186159,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:186159","answer":"Hi Derek! I'm so sorry we missed this, it appears as though our \"you have a question\" notifications have not been going through and we missed a bunch of excellent questions! This warning is on only our Peppermint Cacao \u0026amp; our Super Happy Sunshine blends, because those blends contain an herb called sceletium, which is contraindicated with SSRIs. SSRI drugs increase serotonin levels in the brain. Sceletium, one of the herbs in our Happy Sunshine blend, is a proven SRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) which can also raise serotonin levels in the brain. If these levels are raised too high, unpleasant, and even dangerous side-effects can occur. All of our other products do not have any contraindications with SSRIs. And yes, we're not doctors, but we do have 2 clinical herbalists on staff! Let us know if you have any other questions. Best, Lopa","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":2,"created_at":"2022-01-05T06:35:20Z"}]},{"id":176010,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:176010","question":"I LOVE Rasa and I think this is a really cool opportunity. I just have one question. Does 25% off subscriptions mean 25% off the regular subscription price (which is already 20% off the one-time purchase price)?","author_name":"Laura Boos","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-10-27T00:48:08Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-176010","answers":[{"id":176071,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:176071","answer":"Hi Laura! The 25% off is an extra 5% off the 20%, so 25% total. Offering 40% off for lifetime subscriptions wouldn't be financially sustainable for the business, and therefore not for your investment, either! Thanks for asking and let us know if you have any other questions! 💛","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-10-27T15:43:38Z"}]},{"id":174211,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:174211","question":"So much to like! Your Lead Investor did a great job summarizing the potential here, and it's very compelling. Also, there is something about you, Lopa, that just defines \"success\". My only hesitation is that I am cautious about investing in things that have no IP. I worry that a large company could catch on to your success and roll out a similar product with a massive marketing budget behind it. Can you say a little about why you think you'll be able to rise to the top even if competition emerges, and why a company would rather acquire you than make their own product? Also, in a similar way, I like everything you said about your mission and the principles you stick to, but is there any chance any of that could hinder acquisition (i.e. companies wanting to do things at a lower cost by sacrificing those principles, so deals fall through)? Thanks!","author_name":"Alan Jacobson","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-10-15T11:57:44Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-174211","answers":[{"id":174327,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:174327","answer":"Great questions, Alan, and thanks for your kind words! I hear your concern on IP, and the two pillars we stand on with respect to barriers to entry are: 1. Product Innovation - we’re a singular product and our formulas are incredibly hard to replicate (trust us, we’ve had dozens of herbalists tell us they’ve tried!) There are companies with products using a few of the same herbs, but none with formulas as complex as ours. The complexity makes operations more onerous but ensures that we win on product safety (with more herbs in the blend, people are less likely to have an adverse reaction to any one herb, and all the herbs balance each other out), efficacy (the herbs work together for synergistic benefits), taste (we can balance the formula more easily if we get, say, a particularly strong harvest of ashwagandha), and formula flexibility (if there is some reason we need to remove or change an herb, it’s easier to do). We source 50+ herbs from 15 countries, and have strong relationships with every one of our suppliers (and are in the process of securing backups for our backup suppliers). 2. Brand - we’re also a singular brand. There’s no other like us, and the transparency, heart, and integrity behind everything we do is something truly unique in the market...and results in incredible customer retention and brand loyalty, and larger businesses know that brand is the most irreplaceable, inimitable thing! You can't copy culture, you can't copy brand. If you could, you'd see it more in CPG and it is very rare for copycats to succeed. We are deeply unique in so many ways, and our customers love us and know us. Also this is such a gargantuan space that there is room for many hugely successful participants, each unique in their own way. We are confident we will be one of them. Regarding acquisition, that’s not our primary consideration for exit, though for the right partner we would certainly consider it—and the right partner (and right investors, for that matter) is going to be aligned with the fact that we are a Public Benefit Corporation and will understand that we have not only a fiduciary but also a legal responsibility to be aligned with our public benefit and mission. The world is changing and consumers are demanding more and more impact from the businesses they support, and companies are shifting their impetus to support that. If you’d like to learn more about our vision for exit(s), see p. 38 in our slide deck. And thank you so much for the thoughtful questions!","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-10-16T03:47:53Z"}]},{"id":173946,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:173946","question":"Why are you rebranding so soon and after working so hard to build brand awareness?","author_name":"Katlyn Garrett","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-10-13T14:07:40Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-173946","answers":[{"id":173990,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:173990","answer":"Excellent question! We are rebranding because, though we LOVE the name Rasa and our design: 1. Rasa is a Sanskrit word that few people know, and it doesn't say much about what the product is for those who don't understand it. As a product that already requires a LOT of education, requiring education in the name via using an unfamiliar word is another cognitive load that the potential customer has to overcome in order to relate to the product. 2. The design skews a bit hippie and overly feminine, and Rasa as a product is something that is suitable for all genders, and we'd like to be a bit more accessible both across the gender spectrum as well as for people who find our existing branding a bit \"woo.\" There are other reasons, as well, but those are the two major ones! We are likely to keep many elements of our existing branding to support brand recognition and also keep the things that people love (the colors \u0026amp; the beauty, namely!) And we will be involving our customers—and especially our investors!—in the rebranding process via crowdsourcing ideas, voting on designs, and other means. We are especially excited about this one - it'll be even more of a community brand this way!","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":1,"created_at":"2021-10-13T21:15:09Z"}]},{"id":331878,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:331878","question":"Hi, Great company. Can you please share the current updates as compared to you rprojections from the slide decks ?","author_name":"Niyati Chokshi","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-04-23T20:36:32Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-331878","answers":[]},{"id":327925,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:327925","question":"Just want to say thanks for keeping us updated with regular postings over the last year. Great work establishing a solid foundation and looking forward to future developments.","author_name":"E W","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-03-17T01:04:50Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-327925","answers":[]},{"id":272837,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:272837","question":"Merhaba, Ekim, Kasım ve Aralık ayların ile ilgili bilgi yok mu? Şirket ne durumda?","author_name":"Oguz YIGIT","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-12-30T10:59:47Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-272837","answers":[]},{"id":213535,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:213535","question":"When do the investor perks start rolling out?","author_name":"Shrenik Dedhia","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-08-01T19:23:04Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-213535","answers":[]},{"id":211136,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:211136","question":"Was speaking to one of my buddies and he told me that Costco will carry any product from a female owned company that has over 500k in annual sales ……… I think we fit the bill…….. don’t know if this is the direction u want to go in yet……… just wanted to point out","author_name":"Eliezer SCHECHTER","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-07-10T02:52:01Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-211136","answers":[]},{"id":205949,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:205949","question":"Hi Lopa, I invested from Ghana and would like to know if you have this in Ginger flavour and if you think having Ginger in your recipe would be ideal, I would like to know how best to get some of Rasa here in Ghana and if we could run it through together as an outreach for West Africa, talk soon","author_name":"Uzoma Eze","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-05-22T15:15:44Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-205949","answers":[]},{"id":201499,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:201499","question":"Hi, I received my shipment and I love it, do have a concern: Have you considered a re-sealable bag?","author_name":"Virginia Rowe","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-04-17T20:57:53Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/rasa#question-201499","answers":[{"id":201647,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:201647","answer":"Our 8 oz bags are all resealable! The 1 oz bags are not since they are a sample size and the zipper would add too much to the cost to be feasible.","author_name":"Lopa Van Der Mersch","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-04-18T23:17:59Z"}]}],"faq":[{"question":"Are there any investment level perks set as of yet?","answer":"Yes, they've just been finalized: All investors: 50% off Sampler Packs - to try Rasa \u0026amp; also to share with friends! $250+: Drink More Plants canvas totes embroidered with a special touch from Cheri from Rasa's customer care team $500+: Enjoy 25% off Rasa subscriptions...for life. $2500+: Get 50% off The Whole Rasa Bundle—every permanent 8 oz blend at your door (270 servings of life-changing goodness!) for $160 off retail."},{"question":"the email I received stated starting as $250.00. I opened and was offered $100 minimum. Is the $250 for a \"share\".","answer":"We had a slight confusion. The minimum is $100. The price per share is $2.69 for the early bird round, and $4.49 per share thereafter."},{"question":"Should I check the box saying I am investing with an entity/llc/etc when on the Invest page?","answer":"The question is regarding whether you are passing your investment through an LLC you control into Rasa. If you are investing just in your name then you do not."},{"question":"Is the Ticker symbol decided? What is it?","answer":"Hi Sadie! Because we are not a publicly-traded company, we won't have a ticker symbol. The only way to invest in Rasa and own shares is through WeFunder. Let us know if you have any questions!"},{"question":"I would like to invest tonight or tomorrow but when I click Invest it does not say that the share price is $2.39. How can I be assured that is my share price?","answer":"Looks like we got this one figured out! There have been some glitches with the WeFunder platform. So grateful to you for your investment, Christie!"}]}}}