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Join us on Sway’s Universe as Khia Nelson shakes up the Bloody Mary game with her unique, vegan-friendly mix! 🍅 Witness an inspiring journey of entrepreneurship and passion in the beverage industry. Heather B celebrates a special edition of Women to Women Wednesday, featuring Khia Nelson, the ingenious founder of K Bloody Mary Mix. Dive into an enlightening conversation where Khia shares her story, from bartending innovations to launching her own product. 🌟
Don't miss out on this exclusive insight into how a simple desire to improve Bloody Marys turned into a thriving business. Discover the challenges and triumphs of creating a standout product in a competitive market. Plus, get a taste of some live Bloody Mary tastings right on the set!
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#SwaysUniverse #KhiaNelson #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #BloodyMaryMix #WomenInBusiness
Experience the revolution of Bloody Marys with Kia Nelson on Sway's Universe! 🎥🍹
#VeganBloodyMary #HospitalityIndustry #BeverageIndustryInsights #BloodyMaryMix #BlackownedBusinessInIndustry
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
2:47 - Khia Nelson, Founder of K Bloody Mary Mix
5:42 - Making K Bloody Mary Mix
9:13 - First Taste of K Bloody Mary Mix
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Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
anytime uh my sister Heather be is
0:02
excited about a guest I'm automatically
0:04
excited I don't even question it uh
0:07
because I know it has some um content to
0:09
it that's going to really be U
0:11
beneficial to our listeners I know
0:12
there's a story behind it uh that
0:15
probably will be inspirational so for
0:17
this particular guest I want to let
0:19
Heather be do the introduction because
0:21
one of the things she said to me before
0:22
she came in is her story wait till you
0:25
hear her story so Heather be yes well
0:28
here's the deal so actually we're going
0:30
to be celebrating tomorrow I started to
0:33
do the happy hour with Heather be on
0:34
Sirius accent fly on April 11th 2016 so
0:39
tomorrow is April 11th damn it's been
0:41
eight years yes it's been eight years
0:45
since um I've been doing this show and
0:48
one of the things that I wanted to do
0:50
yeah happy I would have to be um on
0:52
Thursdays I have something called soul
0:54
food Thursdays was highlight people in
0:56
the industry and this lifestyle industry
0:59
and particularly when women because it
1:01
is not an easy industry to navigate
1:03
through and so somehow some way Kia and
1:06
I um just bonded and met through this
1:10
beautiful bottle of Bloody Mary mix and
1:13
Bloody Mary mix yes and here's the thing
1:15
for me with Bloody Mary mix and I'm so
1:17
happy that it's wom to women Wednesday
1:19
today as well because a lot of people
1:22
including my friends would not drink
1:24
Bloody Marys why not though well I think
1:27
it started back in childhood when you're
1:28
just a greedy kid and you're looking for
1:30
anything in the refrigerator and your
1:32
parents or grandparents depending on
1:34
whose house you were at had this
1:36
beautiful colorful can with V8 on it so
1:38
he like oh this looks fun and fruity let
1:40
me try this V8 and you put it up to your
1:43
mouth and you like pooy I this is
1:45
disgusting I never want it and somehow
1:48
some way the Bloody Mary kind of brings
1:51
you back of that memory and I had that
1:54
as well until I tried Kia's Bloody Mary
1:57
mix um I think in a world where we would
1:59
just talking this morning sway so many
2:02
things are in our food you know we're
2:04
not sure what we're eating anymore we're
2:06
we definitely don't know what we're
2:08
drinking we just did a wine course
2:10
together Kia and pass too Kia
2:13
certificate but he also he also found
2:16
out want me to help out around the bar
2:18
that so many so many of our wines are
2:21
produced with pork intestins and and
2:23
fish guts and everybody at the table was
2:26
shocked except for me because I knew
2:28
this but so to know that your product
2:30
exists out there as a vegan product and
2:33
you took the time to make sure
2:35
everything was A1 day one I had no
2:38
choice but to want more people to know
2:41
about you and support your product so
2:44
she's here on the sway the morning show
2:45
today with a special edition of wom
2:47
tooman Wednesdays welcome Kia Nelson Kia
2:51
Nelson the founder of K Bloody Mary mix
2:56
the founder of K Bloody Mary mix thank
2:59
you thank you thank you welcome to the
3:02
show he in person never met we' talked
3:05
on the phone we've text we've emailed
3:07
but this is our
3:08
first wow so excited no I'm so excited
3:12
but you know what it is sway cuz sway
3:14
get text messages and whatnot all the
3:16
time he meet a lot of people but when
3:17
you know you know yeah it's just like
3:19
let's just stay in touch something will
3:21
come together and work itself out you
3:23
you can find more about this um Bloody
3:25
Mary mix go to k Bloody Mary mix on
3:27
Instagram follow Kia K bloody Mary mix
3:31
what's your story how did you get to
3:33
making your own Bloody Mary mix
3:36
so like she was talking about older
3:38
Generations parents grandparents so
3:40
everybody in my family loves bloody
3:41
mares um my parents my siblings cousins
3:44
Aunts Uncles Growing Up by drank virgin
3:46
Marys that weren't like you said weren't
3:48
very good mostly V8 with a little pepper
3:51
in it or something pepper yeah I love
3:53
the pepper but fast forward to I work in
3:55
I started working in hospitality and I
3:57
was a bartender bar manager floor
3:59
manager everything and a lot of the
4:00
restaurants and bars I went
4:02
into you know starting out as either
4:04
again a bartender or manager or whatever
4:06
their bloody marriage just weren't good
4:09
good okay like that's just to put it
4:11
bluntly like they just weren't good
4:13
uhhuh so I would then go to the kitchen
4:15
talk to the chef or the Sue chef and be
4:17
like I need celery salt I need this I
4:19
need that and I would remake their
4:22
recipe because I'm like if you're going
4:23
to come in and you're going to spend 12
4:25
15 18 whatever depending on the place
4:27
dollars on a drink about it it should
4:29
taste good
4:30
it shouldn't just be like Oh I'm hung
4:31
over I can't taste anything anyway like
4:33
you should enjoy it and so fast forward
4:37
to I became the opening bartender for a
4:39
restaurant and battery and I created
4:42
half their cocktail list including the
4:43
Bloody Mary Mitch which was like a
4:45
version of this and um people started
4:49
coming in on my days off like I would
4:50
leave and make a vet come back three
4:53
days later it' be all gone I'm like are
4:56
yall dumping it like what are y'all
4:57
doing they're like people are asking to
4:58
buy it I'm like you've got to be kidding
5:01
me and like my family and my friends had
5:03
been saying I should you know consider
5:04
bottling it but you know when people you
5:06
love and love you say stuff you be like
5:08
whatever they gas they gas at you right
5:11
right so having actual people like come
5:14
into a restaurant and be like where who
5:17
made this how do I get it and they're
5:18
like oh our bartender just makes it for
5:20
us and how can we you know can we you
5:23
know they were asking if they could buy
5:24
it by the pint out of the restaurant oh
5:26
wow get into that to take home and they
5:29
were like
5:30
we can't we can't give it to you like
5:32
that so at that point I was like all
5:34
right well let me start the process and
5:36
see what steps I need to take to
5:39
actually put this out in the market and
5:40
see how it does wow this is amazing Kia
5:43
Nelson right so let's let's let's let's
5:45
talk about that process because this is
5:47
a story of entrepreneurial Spirit y uh
5:50
that came to life and it's like you said
5:53
when lot of times people tell us things
5:55
we should do or could do we just kind of
5:57
dismiss it but you decided to listen
6:00
how did what was the first thing you
6:01
learned what what did you have to do I
6:03
mean did you have to get um approved
6:06
yeah well yes so there a few things okay
6:09
um and I make the joke all the time my
6:11
best here she'll tell you I say if I
6:13
knew then what I knew now I may not have
6:15
done it because it's a lot of work it's
6:17
a lot harder especially with the acidic
6:19
food product which mine is labeled work
6:21
than you would think so beyond getting
6:23
down the the recipe sourcing the
6:26
ingredients figuring out your packaging
6:28
fig Laing all of that then you got to
6:31
get into okay now I have to have it food
6:34
tested it has to be shelf
6:37
stabilized I have to find a kitchen I
6:40
have to have the nutritionals done I
6:42
have to get my LLC I've got to start the
6:45
business account you know what I mean
6:47
it's like step by step and it's
6:49
government so nothing happens tomorrow
6:52
you know what I mean like I went into
6:54
the kitchen the tour the kitchen the
6:55
original kitchen I was using and I was
6:59
like okay this will work great and
7:00
they're like okay we need X Y and Z and
7:02
one of the things they needed was for my
7:04
business insurance to carry a million
7:06
dollars of insurance before I could even
7:09
go into the kitchen the first time and
7:11
I'm like I have my LLC I have my account
7:13
but they're like but you don't have a
7:15
million dollar coverage so you know now
7:17
I'm like okay well that's a whole other
7:20
process I have to go through before I
7:22
can even step foot and start making it
7:24
and botling it so you're really
7:25
aggressive with your
7:27
hands makes fun of me like with your
7:29
hands all the time you going punch me
7:32
Kia think about
7:34
that that's that kick in that
7:38
mix okay so so you had to get the
7:40
insurance and yeah so I you know like I
7:43
said it was just a learning curve and a
7:44
lot of times you don't know what you
7:45
need until you need it and again you
7:48
know I always say like I wish somebody
7:49
had just wrote a book like you know what
7:51
I mean it's like this is what you're
7:52
going to need step by step here's who
7:55
you contact because that was also part
7:57
of it like okay well who do I even reach
7:58
out for this right so I'm like reaching
8:00
out to the FDA and they're like no you
8:02
need the USDA and so it's like all this
8:05
stuff like can someone just please tell
8:07
me what to do come on it is but I you
8:11
know like I said step by step talking to
8:13
other small makers talking to the guys
8:15
in the kitchen who were great with
8:16
helping me out um with information
8:18
obviously talking with my insurance
8:20
company and everybody and I eventually
8:21
got to the point it took a few years
8:24
took a few years right a few years
8:25
before I could actually okay say Okay
8:28
bottled labeled and I can legally sell
8:31
like and and and now K Bloody Mary mix
8:35
is where where can people find us um so
8:37
I honestly I like to per purposely have
8:40
people buy it online because direct
8:42
direct to you yeah um but you can find
8:44
it in in some stores as well you can
8:46
also find it in some bars and restaurant
8:47
my my goal right now actually is to
8:50
expand into Hospitality okay um it could
8:52
be my love of hospitality from being in
8:54
it for so long um but yeah so if you go
8:57
to the website uh K blade mix.com there
9:00
is under shop there is a where to buy
9:03
and a where to consume and it'll give
9:05
you the list of stores and the list of
9:07
restaurants and bars that carry it so
9:08
you can like go in and actually have a
9:10
good Bloody Marry mix at the
9:12
bar Kia Nelson y'all give a round of
9:15
appla we about to try we about to try
9:16
after that story I got to have me a cup
9:19
yeah and let us mention too because we
9:22
again we sway I just took a wine course
9:24
together um this for all the vegans out
9:26
there this is organic vegan is
9:28
glutenfree so it's important that for
9:31
people with issues you know in terms of
9:32
nutrition to know all of that as well as
9:35
we pass down these cups you just open
9:37
that bottle which one you want me to
9:39
have they're all the same fact that
9:40
there's gift bags for you guys I like
9:41
the gift bags can you mind pouring mine
9:43
if that's okay I know know you was a
9:45
bartender I know you going always want
9:48
people to work anybody want ice on all
9:49
right so we're going to pour let me hear
9:51
how this sounds okay I like that oh
9:54
sorry I thought I had your cup this is
9:56
your cup face I'm sorry over there hold
9:59
I'm about to pour mine right now your
10:02
making sure everybody has Tor you going
10:04
to try there no alcohol in this no no
10:06
alcohol no wow tort you are at work I
10:10
was going to request listen listen yeah
10:13
you you are at work to I haven't had a
10:16
taste of Bloody Mary in I don't know how
10:18
many years add whatever alcohol you like
10:21
it comes sealed no alcohol I'll take a
10:24
taste what's up S you can have it as a
10:27
Virgin Mary you can have vodka Jin
10:29
tequila saki be whiskey I've never tried
10:32
bloody Mary with rum yep you you like it
10:35
with rum yeah it's good with everything
10:37
do we have anything here I'm nervous
10:39
it's in don't be nervous in it's
10:42
delicious and let it roll around in your
10:43
mouth and hit all the point we should
10:44
have something in the um in the back I
10:46
don't know if we have vodka in the back
10:48
if you have tequila mcow Jen saki we
10:52
might have tequila in the cabinet in the
10:53
back in the in the office I don't know
10:55
if Heather would know wow all right okay
10:58
so with with tequila it's a bloody Maria
11:00
uhhuh with vodka it's a bloody mary
11:02
uh-huh with saki it's a bloody Haru I
11:04
just did a bloody Bishop online oh this
11:07
is what is a bloody Bishop uh Irish
11:09
whiskey so for St Patty's Day I did I'm
11:12
nervous they are so nervous blood
11:14
Irishman I'm honestly yo this is
11:16
different I used to I used to have the
11:18
bloody marries on Southwest Airlines
11:20
back in the day they said this is
11:22
different you with me yeah no no
11:24
airplane does have anything I feel like
11:28
I'm drinking marinara sauce that's what
11:29
I'm about to get into like you never had
11:31
bloody Mir you know a bloody I had it
11:33
once a long time and I said never ever
11:36
again I the Mike mes I don't like bloody
11:39
Mir you don't want to try you got our
11:41
guest guest here I'm trying it I'm
11:42
excited she sold it she all let's do it
11:45
at the same
11:48
time had a good one yet here's the K
11:50
Bloody Mary mix no alcohol no alcohol
11:53
you can follow at K Bloody Mary mix
11:55
online Kia Nelson
11:57
congratulations congratulations
12:01
the story black woman all right cheers
12:05
all right hang out with us Kia we got
12:06
Ruben Vincent coming up he's an artist
12:08
maybe he'll drink some of this too it's
12:10
good okay it's different it's good I get
12:13
it what it's different wow we got m
12:18
means a lot coming from these two over
12:19
here absolutely Tracy no I totally get
12:23
it wow this works thank you thank you
12:26
very much it's not and it's not too
12:28
acidic which is why I don't like bloody
12:30
Maries it's too acidic and it's too
12:32
thick yeah this is not thi part of the
12:34
reason it's not as acidic is because
12:36
there's no added additive preservatives
12:37
colors or D high quality
12:39
ingredients God damn okay I figured out
12:42
what my next is going to be that was
12:44
good yeah I took my second sip too I I
12:47
see I knew Tor only wants alcohol in his
12:49
he needs alcohol wow I think I want to
12:52
grill cheese or something right so
12:55
here's the thing you can cook with it it
12:57
tastes like a good you cook with it and
12:58
I people who buy it to just cook with
13:00
sou marinade yeah you can marinade um I
13:03
saut vegetables my dad likes to sauté
13:06
shrimp I know people who mix it into
13:07
their burger meat before they oh I would
13:09
put this definitely into some yeah some
13:11
shrimp pasta yeah that's this way yeah
13:14
it's a it's a good o nice blend of
13:16
seasoning oyster oyer I did a
13:18
cauliflower steak in the oven I like it
13:20
warm
13:23
yeah that about yeah it's it's it's very
13:26
y'all hit up Kia follow her on Instagram
13:28
as well it's K Bloody Marry mix it's a
13:31
really good mix you guys like you know I
13:33
wouldn't coside I don't like a lot of
13:35
stuff I don't come up here and coside
13:36
anybody but she is one to support we
13:40
have so many citizens out here who want
13:42
to start things and just don't know how
13:45
and Kia kind of is she did it gave the
13:48
she gave you the game it takes time but
13:51
this is such high quality it's good
13:53
quality and this is why so important
13:56
this morning that we spoke about what do
13:58
you have in your food what are you
14:00
eating what are you drinking and from
14:01
the first time I tried this years ago I
14:03
was like nah this she home girl got
14:06
something different absolutely no
14:07
hyperbole citizens I don't even feel
14:09
like I need to eat breakfast after the
14:12
good why didn't they put this in V8 we
14:14
would
14:15
we V did us wrong as a kid sneaking that
14:18
stuff okay this is one of those moments
14:20
when we're dropping gyms on you write it
14:22
down K the letter K Bloody Mary mix okay
14:26
K Bloody Mary mix that's what that's
14:28
where you can find her on Instagram or k
14:31
bloodymary mix.com that's where you go
14:33
order it citizens you know how we do
14:35
let's support our fellow citizen order
14:37
it directly from her let's keep this
14:39
business above ground
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