A leafy new lease on life

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This article was published 19/07/2022 (1373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Christina Laham Paganelli has been through a lot of adversity, and has come out the other side using life’s challenges as a catalyst for her thriving life and business.

Diagnosed with both multiple sclerosis and cancer in 2003, the mother of two teens began treatment for both illnesses. During this chaotic time, she started making kale-based smoothies as a way to maintain her health and wellness while coping with the side-effects of radiation treatment for Stage IV thyroid cancer and the MS medication.

As she searched for better health, educating herself on raw, whole-food nutrition, her experiments with different plant-based ingredients led to creating DrinkMe smoothies. Today, she’s doing a lot better and offering to others what started as something for her own health.

“I was very sick and now I just keep getting healthier. The whole point of my product is to detox on a daily basis. It’s proactive health,” said Laham Paganelli, who learned first-hand the importance of good nutrition as it renewed her every day.

Winnipeg-born Laham Paganelli moved to Stonewall when her husband’s work was transferred to the rural town. Married for 20 years, the couple has seen the life-changing benefits of consuming raw fruits and vegetables daily.

“Even though they eat everything, my children grew up on the philosophy that leafy greens are the most important part of anything we eat as humans,” she said.

DrinkMe beverage flavours include Ginger Coco (kale, ginger, apples, coconut water), Ruby (kale, beets, raspberries, orange juice), Green (kale, bananas, orange juice) and Green3 (kale, orange juice). Kale stems, beet peels, apple seeds and ginger skins remain in the products.

The nutritious high-fibre drinks, which can last up to 18 months in the freezer, are available at the St. Norbert Market Wednesdays and Saturdays. Laham Paganelli looks forward to creating new flavours and products using Manitoba ingredients.

Richard Burr, an athletic therapist, and strength and conditioning professional, is a regular consumer of DrinkMe beverages.

“I have an extensive background in nutrition and recognize the importance of eating healthy food to optimize one’s physical and mental performance,” said Burr.

“What sets DrinkMe apart from other juices is the ingredients and the processing of those ingredients. Not only is it the best-tasting juice on the market but it’s also the most nutritious juice on the market. Commercial juice has been fortified with vitamin C, the high-heat processing destroys the naturally occurring vitamin C; as well, flavour packs are added to juice to give it the consistent taste people expect.

“DrinkMe is not fortified with vitamin C. It doesn’t need to be. The manufacturing process does not cook out and destroy the natural-source vitamin C contained in the oranges, nor do flavour packs need to be added because the fruits and vegetables were squeezed and transferred to bottles immediately, leaving the flavour and naturally occurring enzymes in the fruits and vegetables intact. DrinkMe beverages are as close as you’re going to find to juicing yourself.”

With operations in both Canada and the United States, Laham Paganelli has an advisory collective of Manitoba women. Over the years the DrinkMe brand has spread to over 200 Whole Foods Markets.

“I believe that if I want to lead a company I have to do the work first and lead by example. My company has withstood the test of time, it’s authentic and a catalyst to my own healing journey that I want to share with the world. There have been some very dark times in business, but the pandemic has given me an opportunity, metaphorically and literally, to continue on a journey of innovating, discovery and adventure.”

From creating the product to taking care of every aspect of the business herself — including the science, operations, in-store demos and the long-distance drives between California and Manitoba — Laham Paganelli has learned through many trials and tribulations. In 2009 she won a $10,000 commercialization grant and in 2012 was the only female nominated for an innovation award for inventing something meant for human life and commercializing it.

“I’ve always been a leader and never a follower. We’ve been a leader at every stage of this. We never cave in to pressure. I innovate based on what makes sense for our customers. I grew this all out of my kitchen. I knew that it would take a lot of work.”

Laham Paganelli works out of an open kitchen in Warren, 20 minutes from her Stonewall home. The product development facility in rural Manitoba has become the place to launch new flavours and to make plans for the future.

“It’s perfect for me. It takes a lifetime to create an authentic brand. I don’t cut corners. We are quality and I’ve stuck to that. No TikTok, influencers or couponing. I just demoed and built relationships with every store. I just hired a crew that do demos in the summer in California. It really requires hands-on if you don’t have deep pockets. I stuck to what I knew. My journey right now is a testament to my products and the fact that healing is a constant.”

DrinkMe beverages can be ordered directly through https://drinkmebeverages.ca.