Lunch with Biggie

I got to spend a lunch break with Daniel Koenigkann, the owner of Living Vitalitea Kombucha- a raw and organic Kombucha brewery in Orlando, FL. Focused on functional, botanical-infused, and medicinal ingredients!

Daniel and I spoke about how he got involved with kombucha and what led him to quit his mechanical engineering job to focus on producing kombucha. We discussed the difficulties of starting something in 2013 when many had no idea what kombucha was.

Daniel shared how he built his brand and how he transitioned from starting as a hobby to doing larger quantities to now having his brewery and staff produce his Kombucha.

Was a great conversation and I also got to learn more about the benefits of just 4oz of Kombucha can do to your body if enjoyed regularly. Daniel has a great product and I've become a fan of Living Vitalitea.

I got to spend a lunch break with Sara Bartlett, the owner and operator of Canyon Couture - an environmentally sustainable and ethically sourced business that focuses on the curation of recycled or repurposed clothes and home decor. They operate out of a converted school bus (a mobile fashion boutique) and give 10% of sales to different local non-profits.

Sara discussed how she came up with the idea to buy a school bus and convert it into a fashion mobile boutique, as well as, how she decides what items she looks for to repurpose and refashion.

Sara also shared with me that 80% of the items at Goodwill end up in landfills, as well as how her tie dress idea she had went viral.

I got to spend my 100th lunch break with Chantal Aybar at Chimiking. Chantal is a food storyteller with a curious palate and a love for travel and adventure. That love of food and adventure -led her to start her Let's Try This Orlando Instagram and host her own podcast - Let's Chisme con Chanti

Chantal and I spoke about why she started her popular IG account- Let's Try This Orlando and how it has continued to grow. We spoke about the foodie influencer community and the balance of documenting and creating content and enjoying life. She shared some tips and tricks of things she uses to edit for social.

Chantal even shared her monthly budget as a food content creator and for many not all food is free. We also talked about why foodie influencers come and go.

We discussed how HiHelloLabs and her worked to create her podcast- Chisme con Chanti- a podcast about food, culture, and foodie gossip.

I was Chantal's 1st guest on her podcast and I thought it would be appropriate that she was my landmark 100th guest on our podcast.

I got to spend a lunch break with Adrien Lucas the creator of Sarasota's original Indie Craft Show- Atomic Holiday Bazaar- a two-day holiday market that is an edgier, eccentric, quirky type of arts and craft show with over 180 Misfit Makers/vendors.

Adrien spoke about why she decided to start Atomic and how it started and has grown in the past 16 years. She shared what she is looking for and the trends she has seen through the years.

Adrien spoke about how she advertises and the community she has created from her events. Many of whom I have met because of her events.

Adrien shared all the different businesses she does (links below) as well as, her plans for Atomic in the Future.

I wanted to share this because if you are in the area - it really is an amazing place to shop for unique and just fun gifts. She does an outstanding job looking /selecting vendors for her event.

I got to spend a lunch break with Gary and Ariel Bruckner, the owners of Wash and Wik- a Soap & Candle Company-
Hand Poured & Hand Labeled in Orlando, FL. They also provide wholesale and private labeling for many businesses.

I chatted with Gary and Ariel about how they decided to start after reading an article about soap and candle making and now are making and distributing over 40,000 candles a year.

Gary and Ariel chatted with me about how they run the business and how they are the 2 employees of the business. We discussed their goal of being Orlando's Candle Company. We also spoke about how they balance Gary's corporate job along with Ariel working on Wash and Wik full time and also being parents to 2 young boys, as well as, Gary pouring candles and working on Wash and Wik after work in the evenings.

I got to spend a lunch break with Doug Rusinek, the top cat and owner of Felinious - an apparel brand focused on Cats. Apparel. Debauchery with sales going to their mission of rescuing and fostering kittens.

I chatted with Dug about how he came up with and started Felinious. We spoke about how he it started as a Beer group logo and became an apparel brand. We chatted about why he changed his brand name and where his love for cats comes from.

Dug also chatted with me about making that transition to doing this full time and expanding his brand with different product lines.