Todd Berardi (left) and director of sales Dan Craytor.
PEOPLE TODAY LEAD highly demanding lives — fielding myriad requests, minding ever-mounting responsibilities, trying to manage it all. They often crave some kind of additional boost; what they don’t need is one with synthetic additives. Recognizing the appeal of a wholesome energy drink, Mill Valley native Todd Berardi launched Hiball Energy in 2005. Berardi’s goal was to create a beverage unlike the Red Bulls and Monsters that dominated the market, one free of artificial ingredients or sweeteners. The result? Beverages that contain only an organic blend of boosters like guarana, ginseng and caffeine, as well as vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12. PHILOSOPHY Following three packaging changes over the last eight years, Hiball Energy fully upgraded to all-organic and Fair Trade Certified ingredients. “We are excited to bring this transparency to light, as our organic and fair trade ingredients for energy are what make Hiball unique, premium and efficacious,” Berardi says. THE SCOOP Hiball recently launched several new products. Among these are cold-brewed coffee and a protein energy drink. Most recently the company introduced Alta Palla — Italian for “highball” — a line of sparkling juice beverages. BEYOND MARIN With consumers continuing to seek clean, organic and sustainably sourced products, Hiball has become the fastest-growing natural/organic energy drink brand in the United States. Hiball Energy and Alta Palla are distributed nationally at Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Safeway, Target and others. You can also order by the case or purchase monthly subscriptions online. WHAT THEY SAY “From day one, our mission has been to create the healthiest energy drinks, free of synthetic, artificial ingredients, sweeteners or color,” Berardi says. “Our tagline says it all: It’s All Good.” hiballer.com
Kasia Pawlowska loves words. A native of Poland, Kasia moved to the States when she was seven. The San Francisco State University creative writing graduate went on to write for publications like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and KQED Arts among others prior to joining the Marin Magazine staff. Topics Kasia has covered include travel, trends, mushroom hunting, an award-winning series on social media addiction and loads of other random things. When she’s not busy blogging or researching and writing articles, she’s either at home writing postcards and reading or going to shows. Recently, Kasia has been trying to branch out and diversify, ie: use different emojis. Her quest for the perfect chip is never-ending.
