Adina World Beat Beverages

Magatte Wade came up with the idea to start a beverage company when she visited her native Senegal and found that cola had replaced traditional hibiscus drinks. Worried that the drinks and the heritage would be lost, Wade approached Greg Steltenpohl, who had recently left as head of Odwalla Inc. and asked for help to begin a company. He agreed, and, with his wife, Dominique Leveuf, the three began the company. Adina for Life is headquartered at 660 York Street in San Francisco, California. To fund the start-up, the founders contributed heavily; in addition, the trio raised $5 million in investments in early years.

The company sold a variety of beverages based on drinks from around the world in 14 fluid ounce bottles, mainly to the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the company is promoting their products in large cities throughout the United States like New York City and Austin, Texas.

The company had four product lines: Adina Organic Blends, an organic Fair Trade line of exotic gourmet coffees and tea launched in late 2007; Adina Miracle Fruits Fortified Juice Drinks, launched in 2006; Adina Organic Juice Coolers, launched in 2005; and its Natural Highs fair-trade certified all natural cold-brewed coffee energy drink in October 2008. The drinks were sold at Whole Foods Market and came in flavors such as mocha, hazelnut, and double espresso.