We thought we knew what an entrepreneur was until we met Courtney Reum. He is definitely an entrepreneur, but at the highest level of discovery.
Courtney, 30, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, took his first vacation in 18 months to Rio’s beaches to surf. He and his younger brother, Carter, now partners, discovered an exotic dark berry, acai (pronounced ‘ah sigh e’) that is a combination of sweet and tart in flavor. It looks like a steely, chalky colored blueberry with 95 percent of the berry being the seed.
Natives gave the brothers their first thoughts of a sustainable, eco-friendly product as they saw them make bracelets out of the seeds of the berry which grows at the top of palm trees deep in the Brazilian rainforests. The first lesson was realizing that the small amount of pulp of the berry is very perishable, and must be used within 24 hours or it loses its nutritional value.
The Reum brothers lives did a big switch. VeeV Acai Spirit was created in 2007. With a unique berry that is fused with 100 percent all-natural ingredients and a hand-crafted, column distilled base wheat spirit, it is a liqueur that mixes like vodka with a smoother finish. After harvesting the berry, the pulp is stripped off, and solids and non-solids are separated. When distilled the color is clear or it would be a purple alcohol.
Easy to promote, the berry is loaded with vitamins C and E and contains 57 percent more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries, and 30 times more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine. Some imbibers have called it their ‘superfood’ or ‘the healthiest food on the planet.’
Courtney and Carter are definitely doing their green part. VeeV’s distillery gets energy through renewable wind energy and has become certified carbon neutral. One dollar per bottle sold is donated to Sambazon’s Sustainable Acai Project which directly benefits the farming communities that harvest the acai berries.
Use VeeV as a substitute for any cocktail that uses vodka. Try it ‘neat’ at room temperature to get its exotic dark berry, pear, and vanilla flavors. Sipping it ‘neat’ but chilled, hides some flavor but is less invasive. Endless combinations of drinks using VeeV use Roses lime juice, sweet vermouth, Champagne, pomegranate liqueur, acai juice, and a variety of herbs, spices, and even fruits and vegetables.
Mint, basil, cucumber, berries, ginger are usually ‘muddled’ in these cocktails. To muddle, combine ingredients by pressing them together in mortar and pestle cooking style with a tool called a muddler, used right in the mixing glass.
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