Kava Culture in Alliance offers plant-based drinks that make you happy without alcohol

ALLIANCE − The people behind the new Kava Culture want you to take a break from all your worries and enjoy life.

Monica Simmons of Salem recently opened the new bar that serves non-alcoholic, Kava plant-based drinks at 2213 W. State St.

It is the first Kava Culture franchise location in Ohio.

"I want this community to know that this is a safe and sober environment for everyone," Simmons said. "It doesn't matter where you come from, you will always be welcomed."

What is Kava Culture?

Kava Culture is a Florida-based chain founded by sisters Jacqueline and Caroline Rusher in 2017. Most of the locations are in the Sunshine State, but the chain has expanded into Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Another Ohio location, with a different owner, is expected to open this fall in Toledo.

The beverages use the root of the Kava plant, a South Pacific exotic, known to elevate moods. The root − also known as awa − affects the brain and other parts of the central nervous system, the WebMD website said. The drinks have different flavors, including mango.

To boost drinks, Kava Culture has mood elixirs. The choices are energy and focus, mood and joy, relax and move, and calm and social. While the first two boost energy and and provide feel-good endorphins, the other two help relax muscles and body tension. Drinks are served in shells or a glass.

"All of our drinks make you feel good," Simmons said.

She also has coffee and tea blends, canned beverages, and every new customer gets a shell of free kava to sample. The bar also has vegan-friendly snacks, including popcorn and pre-packaged bakery. There also is merchandise for sale.

Bringing the Kava life to the Carnation City.

Initially, Simmons was a patron of Kava Culture on Marco Island in Florida. The wife of a retired doctor and mother of five children, Simmons and her family owned a second home in southwest Florida. She said the bar had "the coolest" vibe, one that accepted "all walks of life," and she felt happy there.

So she wanted to bring the Kava life in Ohio.

Simmons said it took her nearly year of business planning and preparations with Kava Culture to open the Alliance location, with her family's support. She chose the Carnation City for her first location because of the University of Mount Union and after advice from friends.

"A lot of my close friends, who are business leaders in the area, said Alliance really wants this here. They don't have a lot of places for the kids from the college to hang out," she said. If this location is successful, Simmons said that she wants to add more locations in Stark and Portage counties.

"How the community reacts to it is going to be important before I open up the next one," Simmons said.

Kava Culture patron: 'I went to Mount Union and I would have loved something like this.'

Friends Taylor Baxter and Reilly Davidson were hanging out inside Kava Culture, sitting on sofas and sipping coffee and a Kava drink, respectively. The place is colorful inside, with a laid-back coastal atmosphere and subtle hints of Ohio. There's a dark wood bar top, and seats let visitors kick back and relax.

"I went to Mount Union and I would have loved something like this," Davidson said.

Kava Culture in Alliance also has board games and table games for children and adults. Simmons called her place "family- and pet-friendly." She said she plans for regular events that welcome local food trucks and bands, and the space is available for private events.

"Everyone that has come in here thus far has loved it," Simmons said. "They're like, 'I just want to sit here and enjoy the ambience.'"

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com . On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kava Culture in Alliance offers plant-based drinks that make you happy without alcohol