A Brief Overview of What Kombucha Is and How It’s Made

With an MBA in finance from the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management, Scott Laporta has progressive experience in developing start-ups into multi-national enterprises in the hospitality, gaming, apparel, and natural food and beverage industries. At present, he leads GT’s Living Foods as its chief commercial and strategy officer. Scott Laporta’s role at GT’s Living Foods is focused on promoting the company’s exclusive brand of naturally produced kombucha drinks.

Kombucha is a type of fermented tea produced by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). The SCOBY is brewed into sugar and green or black tea and then fermented for a minimum of a week and up to a month. The resulting taste of the beverage ranges from sweet to tangy according to the length of the fermentation process. Some kombucha drinks are flavor enhanced with the addition of spices, herbs, and fruits, and as a byproduct of fermentation, the drink typically contains 0.5 to 3 percent alcohol. Rich in probiotics, kombucha is reported to enhance overall digestive health and also helps to boost energy levels due to its high levels of vitamin B.

Neuro Trim - Including Fiber Rich, Appetite-Curbing Glucomannan

Scott LaPorta is a well-established Southern California business leader who has guided turnaround efforts at a number of companies. In his present role as neuro Brands president, Scott LaPorta oversees a lineup of lightly carbonated beverages with specific health and lifestyle functions, from Neuro Protein to Neuro Trim.

Neuro Trim is low in calories and rich in antioxidants, and contains green tea extract, L-carnitine, and caffeine. Among the functional fibers contained in Neuro Trim are Fibersol2, chicory root inulin, and glucomannan.

Sourced from konjac roots that grow in northern Japan, glucomannan is a sugar that has a centuries’ old use in Japanese cuisine as a gelling and thickening agent. Able to “sponge up” water within the digestive tract, it expands through this absorption process into a fiber that takes up significant space in the stomach.

The result is both a sense of fullness and a curtailing of the body’s absorption of cholesterol and carbohydrates. In addition, the bulky fiber has a cleansing effect that is effective in controlling blood sugar, decreasing cholesterol, and eliminating constipation as it leaves the body. Within the context of Neuro Trim, this helps alleviate hunger before meals, while adding only a few calories.

Functional Food and Beverages Combine Familiarity and Innovation

A respected presence in the corporate turnaround sphere, Scott LaPorta serves as Neuro Brands’ president. His company offers a full range of functional beverages that promote health and wellness, including Neuro Bliss, Neuro Trim, and Neuro Protein. Scott LaPorta maintains a strong interest in trends in the expanding functional beverages industry.

A recent Nutraceuticals World article brought focus to change drivers in a functional foods and beverages market that features “science-added” benefits. Two coinciding trends are personalization and fragmentation, with products focusing with an ever more fine-tuned brush on specific niches in an industry that encompasses diverse ingredients. This reflects the ability of consumers to go online easily and research and compare products that meet their specific health needs.

With many brands struggling to maintain mass-scale high volume capacities, those that are able to flexibly accommodate emerging trends and create well-packaged, compelling products are the clear winners. New concepts are carefully combined with known quantities, with a current example being those containing prebiotics. With consumers easily confusing prebiotics and probiotics, other “star” ingredients associated with digestive health such as figs or kiwifruits are paired with the core prebiotic ingredient (beneficial bacteria that populate the gut’s microflora). The result is products that capitalize on trends while maintaining the right level of familiarity and accessibility.

Neuro Drinks Helping Americans Achieve Restful Sleep

Over the course of his executive career, Scott LaPorta has helped companies such as Bolthouse Farms to grow revenues and achieve market dominance. Today, Scott LaPorta serves as the president and chief operating officer of Neuro Drinks, a manufacturer of healthy functional beverages such as Neuro Sleep, which helps people sleep better.

Many Americans are finding it hard to achieve restful sleep. Two reasons for this are old age and the proliferation of smartphones. As people grow older, sleeping becomes more difficult. For those who are still young, sleeping is tough when they are constantly staring at screens, even while in bed.

When someone cannot sleep, he or she will try almost anything to get it. As a result, over-the-counter sleep supplements have grown in popularity. One of the brands that have particularly resonated with young consumers is Neuro Sleep. This healthy, liquid dietary supplement combines the benefits of naturally-occurring melatonin with magnesium and L-theanine to relax the body, preparing it for restful sleep. In addition, the drink is low in sugar, vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free.

Neuro Sleep Helps Active People Sleep Better for Improved Performance

Previously the president of Bolthouse Farms, Scott LaPorta steered the company to achieve top market share in the super premium refrigerated juice business. Currently, Scott LaPorta serves as the president and COO of Neuro Drinks, which manufactures functional drinks such as Neuro Sleep to help active people sleep better.

A good night’s sleep can be the difference between peak performance and sluggishness during the day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least seven hours of sleep per night for adults. A mere 90-minute reduction in sleep time can result in a 32 percent reduction of daytime alertness.

Sleep is particularly important for peak athletic performance. According to Olympic swimming gold medalist Conor Dwyer, athletes who sleep less compromise their performance. This is because the body breaks down muscles during training and rebuilds them during rest. Inadequate sleep time, therefore, means insufficient muscle recovery.

Neuro Sleep was specifically designed to help active people get a good night’s sleep. Combining naturally occurring melatonin with L-theanine, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and essential minerals such as magnesium, Neuro Sleep prepares the body for rest and regulates the circadian rhythm, enabling active persons to achieve restful sleep.

Neurobrands Develops into Leading Source of Healthy Drinks

Southern California-based Scott LaPorta currently serves as the president of Neurobrands, LLC, a company dedicated to offering high-quality beverages that fit the lifestyles of active, health-conscious consumers. His extensive previous work helming companies such as Bolthouse Farms demonstrated his focus on innovation and expansion in the healthy beverage industry. Now, Scott LaPorta’s focus at Neurobrands involves continuing the work begun by the company’s founder, Sanela Diana Jenkins.

Ms. Jenkins established Neurobrands in 2009. As a businesswoman and philanthropist, she hoped to broaden the possibilities of the market by producing alternatives to the many highly sweetened and overly caloric drinks available. The company, anchoring its products in a customer-centered philosophy of “better for you,” began to build up a strong network of distributors across the United States.

With only 35 calories per drink, Neurobrands works to deliver sustainable energy using vegan and gluten- and lactose-free ingredients. Its proprietary combination of neuro-friendly ingredients includes L-Theanine (a green tea derivative believed to help reduce stress) along with relaxing chamomile, Vitamins C and D, and the naturally-occurring chemical alpha GPc, thought by some researchers to have a positive effect on human memory.

Neurobrands continues to pride itself on its commitment to investing in capital-intense processes designed to produce superior formulations. Today, customers can find drinks featuring the Neuro logo in local convenience stores and large supermarkets nationwide.

Mineral Water Provides Health Benefits

Business executive Scott LaPorta is the president and CEO of Neuro Brands, a California-based functional beverage company. Scott LaPorta brings experience and innovation to his role at Neuro Brands. The company offers a line of beverages that include a high-quality mineral water called Aqua.

The benefits of staying hydrated are well known and documented. Consuming an adequate amount of water improves cardiovascular health, maintains digestion, firms the skin, and helps joint and muscle function. While tap water can meet the body’s basic hydration needs, mineral water provides additional benefits. 

Depending on its source, mineral water contains various levels of minerals that can improve a person’s overall health. Most mineral waters contain calcium, which promotes bone strength and muscle function, and magnesium, which is necessary for energy production and helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. 

Some mineral waters contain iron, sulfate, chloride, and bicarbonates. Generally speaking, mineral water provides up to four times more helpful minerals than tap water.