Brand Description
Root of Happiness has been chasing one question since 2006: is this the best kava we can provide? The founders spent six years sourcing kava from across the Pacific, running samples through the lab, and comparing how cultivar, growing conditions, harvest, and processing changed what actually ended up in the bowl. By the time they opened the first Root of Happiness kava bar in Sacramento in 2012, they’d already done the homework most brands skip.
What sets them apart from the average kava company? They learned it from the dirt up. Between 2013 and 2017, the team made repeated extended trips to Hawaiʻi to work alongside master kava farmer Zack Gibson at Pu’u’ala Kava Farm on the Hamakua Coast, propagating, harvesting, and evaluating cultivars by hand. That field knowledge fed straight back into their sourcing and testing. It’s why Root of Happiness can tell you why a particular kava behaves the way it does, not just that it’s “good.”
And they’ve been busy. They introduced Polynesian Gold®, a water-soluble CO₂ kava extract, in 2012. They developed the original 100% kava shot in 2015. They helped found the American Kava Association, built their own fully audited cGMP manufacturing facility in 2017, and created KavaLytics®, a portable screening tool so growers and importers can check their kava on the spot. Through Kali Kava, they’re even growing American kava in California and Florida. Oh, and their five Sacramento-area kava bars have served more than seven million shells, so every product gets tested in front of real people, every single day.
That’s exactly why we carry them. At CannaBuddy, we partner with brands that can back up their quality with more than a label, and Root of Happiness does the testing, the manufacturing, and the hospitality under one roof. We stock their kava in shots, powders, extracts, and capsules. Want something quick and ready to drink? Grab a shot. Prefer a traditional powder you prepare yourself? They’ve got that too. If you’re new to kava, the shots and capsules are an easy place to start. As always, start low, go slow, and find your sweet spot.
Ready to try kava from a brand that’s been doing this longer than almost anyone in the country? Shop the full Root of Happiness collection above and pick the format that works for you.
