COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Columbus native and Air Force veteran is turning his grief into grit. He created a performance-focused energy drink that he debuted this weekend at the Arnold Sports Festival.
It is called Battle Flow. Zach Caudill said everything about this mission is personal.
“It means everything to me,” Caudill said.
Caudill said he and his wife Kate decided they wanted to grow their family, so he made the choice to leave the military and focus on family.
“We got pregnant. We were really excited,” Caudill said.
Sadly, they lost their baby boy before he was born.
“It was hard for me to figure out where to go from there. I wanted to live my life in a way that would have made him proud. And so part of that was to build something meaningful to me and maybe to help others and get back. And that’s what I’m doing now,” Caudill said.
He said that’s when he came up with the idea for Battle Flow Nootropics, an energy drink that focuses on cognitive ability.
“So basically, if you want to feel empowered and in focus, you don’t want that jittery crashing feeling,” Caudill said.
He said it is one of the healthiest drinks on the market. He and his wife are showing it to the world at the Arnold Sports Festival in his hometown.
“I’ve been coming since I was a kid. And I mean, to introduce battle flow to the world on this stage. It’s crazy. I mean, I couldn’t imagine doing this anywhere else. And I’m just so excited for this to be where I launched this,” Caudill said.
The couple said so far Battle Flow has been a hit.
“Oh, man, I’m just, I’m lost for words. Like, I’m so incredibly proud of them. I’m talking about it. It’s been a journey, a lot of work to get here, a lot of sacrifice to get here. Man, I’m so incredibly proud,” Kate Caudill said.
The couple said there isn’t a moment that goes by where they are not thinking about their son. They say his name was Archie.
“It’s still pretty hard. Pretty hard to talk about. So pretty hard to live life kind of goes well, but I think it’s a really cool motivation,” Kate Caudill said.
They said even though he is not here they feel like he is a huge part of the brand.
Caudill said he learned in the military that it’s not about what life throws at you, it’s about how you respond. He said he hopes his son is looking down and sees his response.
“Any time I need to make a decision, I think about him. If he was looking down on me, which I think is, you know, would he be proud of his dad,” Caudill said.
He said a portion of each sale goes back to veteran communities.
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