UNLOCK/When you hit a wall, revisit your bigger idea.
When Ben Witte launched his brand Recess in 2018, his mission was simple: He wanted to make nonalcoholic relaxation beverages. CBD was hot at the time, thanks to the recent passage of the Hemp Farming Act, so he launched a line of CBD-infused sparkling waters—and then hit a problem. Consumers liked the drinks, but many retailers wouldn’t stock CBD, because the FDA hadn’t offered guidance on it. Witte faced a choice: Double down on CBD, or expand elsewhere?
To make that decision, he reflected on his mission. His goal was to make nonalcoholic relaxation beverages—and CBD wasn’t the only way to do that! He looked for other ingredients and discovered magnesium L-threonate. “In 2020, no one was talking about magnesium, so it kind of felt like a secret hidden in plain sight,” Witte says. It’s believed to have a mood-lifting effect. A year later, he used it in a new line called Recess Mood, a line of relaxation drinks that landed in national retailers. Nowadays, CBD accounts for less than 10% of sales. “Would I have thought CBD would be a much bigger part of our business now? Yes,” Witte says. “But it’s important to know what details you can adjust and
