Black Woman-Owned Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company Promotes Health and Wellness

Medase Co-Founders Monica Cornitcher and Inga Dyer. Photo provided by QEY Creative Studios.
Medase Co-Founders Monica Cornitcher and Inga Dyer. Photo provided by QEY Creative Studios.

Black Woman-Owned Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company Promotes Health and Wellness

By Tia Carol Jones

Monica Cornitcher co-founded Medase with her sorority sister Inga Dyer. Neither of them were drinking and they wanted something that was like a cocktail but non-alcoholic, but still tasted like a cocktail. They decided to build their own non-alcoholic cocktail company. They started working with a chemist because they wanted the real taste of a cocktail drink without the alcohol. They named their businessMedaase, which means thank you in the Asante Twi language because during their journey in starting the business, thank you was a common refrain. Medase was launched in 2023 with two drinks, the margarita and the Moscow mule, that were hemp infused.

Cornitcher said when they released the drinks at the Expo West convention, the response was great that they decided to expand to include six flavors. Medase has six cocktails, which come in hemp and non-hemp versions: Old Fashioned, Jamaican Rum Punch, Moscow Mule, Margarita, Lemon Drop and Mojito. She said the hardest part about starting the business was getting the flavors right. They made it a point to find companies that could supply products to ensure the flavor mixes for all of the drinks were consistent, no matter the season. She said sometimes based on the season and producer, juices can taste different, so they wanted to ensure the juices they used were consistent.

“All the great drinks that people order day in and day out, we created them. We believe our drinks can be at the bar also,” Cornitcher said.

The Medase drinks are also organic because Cornitcher said they didn’t want anything artificial in their drinks. The drinks are sweetened with 100% organic agave and has real cherry, lemon, lime and pineapple juice. Cornitcher said the hemp flavors sold out so they had to do another production of them and there is another production of all 12 versions of the drinks in the works. She said they are excited about all of the great feedback Medase has been receiving.

Non-alcoholic drinks are gaining popularity. Cornitcher said younger people aren’t drinking as much because they want to live a healthier lifestyle, mid-age range people want to live longer and want to make a shift, older people are also making a shift because they have to do something different and are choosing not to drink. Cornitcher made the decision not to drink because she wanted to live a healthier lifestyle. She said people want to be healthier but don’t want to lose the aspect of celebration that comes with drinking, so people are turning to non-alcoholic beverage options.

“We wanted to put something in the market that could compete with an alcoholic drink and you are still feeling the vibe as someone who may have alcohol. We’re not saying there’s anything wrong if you do drink alcohol, we just want to give people another option,” she said.

Cornitcher said with Medase, people can consume non-alcoholic drinks boldly and they can say “no thank you to alcohol, I’m just having a Medase.” Recently, Medase was featured at an event in Martha’s Vineyard, where people were hesitant to try the drinks because they were non-alcoholic. Cornitcher said once people did try the drinks, they said it tasted just like the alcoholic versions. She told the people that Medase is everything but the hangover that comes with drinking alcohol.

Cornitcher’s favorite is the Jamaican Rum Punch. She said it puts her in the feeling of being on the beach and having a good time. She said if people can find their favorite one or two Medase drinks, she has done her job with the brand. She wants to be able to touch everyone with the flavor profiles that Medase has.

Medase is available on its website, www.medasecocktails.com, as well as on Amazon.

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