We have heard such amazing response from Nawgan fans over the past year and now, we want you to SHOW us your love of Nawgan.

Starting today, Monday, December 5, 2011 and running through Tuesday, January 31, 2012, we invite you to visit www.facebook.com/Nawgan, “Like” Nawgan and upload your own creative photo on the “sweepstakes” page! The incentive beyond the delicious taste and effective cognitive benefits of Nawgan? You can win an iPad 2, valued at $499! To get you inspired, check out our friend, Elizabeth, using her Nawgan while she tries to beat the new “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.”

Oh the ways to "Use Your Nawgan"

We cannot wait to see your creative ways to “Use Your Nawgan” and invite you to share the contest with your friends and family – maybe they’ll let you use their iPad 2 if they win!
Now, for the fine print:

1. HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE “SHOW US HOW YOU USE YOUR NAWGAN” SWEEPSTAKES: Visit www.facebook.com/Nawgan and “Like” Nawgan, then upload a photo on the “sweepstakes” page showing how you “Use Your Nawgan.” No purchase is necessary and purchasing Nawgan will not increase the likelihood of winning. One winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries and will receive a white Apple iPad 2, 16GB WiFi enabled device, valued at $499. One entry per person and per household. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Sponsored by Nawgan Products, LLC. All entrants must be over 18 years of age, and a legal resident of the 50 United States, District of Columbia. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited by law, unless otherwise noted.

2. Sponsor: Nawgan Products, LLC, 300 Hunter Ave., Suite 102, St. Louis, MO

3. Entry Period: The Promotion begins on December 5, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on January 31, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Promotion Entry Period”). Nawgan Products, LLC’s computer is the official time keeping device for this Promotion.

4. Submission Requirements •Submission must be no more than 2 MB in size, feature in the photo Nawgan, either a beverage can, a logo or the like, and the person entering the contest. More than one person may be in the photo; however each photo may only be submitted one time. •Submission must be an original work created solely by you, has not been previously published, and does not infringe upon any third-party copyrights or other intellectual property rights. •Submission must be suitable for publication (i.e., may not be sexually explicit, obscene or indecent). •Submission must not contain defamatory statements. •Submission must not promote racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm or harassment of any kind against any group or individual. •Submission must not contain any telephone numbers, street addresses or email addresses of any individual. •Submission must not invade privacy, publicity or other rights of any person, firm or entity.All Submissions will be reviewed for content eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules before a winner is selected at random. Submissions containing prohibited material or inappropriate content, as determined by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may be disqualified. Sponsor makes the final determination as to what Entries are eligible to take part in this Promotion. Employees of Nawgan Products, LLC, their parent company, subsidiaries, agencies and partners and their immediate family/household members are ineligible to enter.

5. Display of Submissions. Submissions will be posted on www.facebook.com/Nawgan and Sponsor reserves the right to post on www.nawgan.com as well as onhttps://twitter.com/#!/DrinkNawgan. If a Submission is disqualified or otherwise does not meet the Submission requirements it may be taken down fromwww.facebook.com/Nawgan. All entrants will have equal access to Submissions posted on www.facebook.com/Nawgan.

6. POTENTIAL PROMOTION WINNER IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR WHOSE DECISION IS FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE PROMOTION.

7. Verification of Potential Winner: Potential winner must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. The potential winner will be notified by email or Facebook message, at Sponsor’s discretion, after the date of random drawing, on or around February 6th, 2012. The potential winner may be required to sign and return to Sponsor, within ten (10) days of the date notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility, and liability/publicity release (except where prohibited) in order to claim his or her prize if applicable. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release within the required time period (if applicable), or if the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. In the event that a potential winner of a prize is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor may award the applicable prize to an alternate winner via random drawing.

8. Grand Prize: One (1) Grand prize will be awarded. Grand prize winner will receive a white Apple iPad 2, 16GB WiFi enabled device, valued at $499. No cash equivalent for prize is offered. Prize is non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserve the right to substitute the listed prize for one of equal or greater value for any reason. Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.

9. Entry Conditions and Release: By entering, each participant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, and/or the Promotion judges which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Promotion; (b) release and hold harmless the Sponsor and their respective parent, subsidiary, agencies and affiliated companies, the prize suppliers and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Promotion, and all of their respective past and present officers, directors, employees, agencies, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant’s entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Promotion, acceptance or use or misuse of prize and/or the broadcast, exploitation or use of entry; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to an entrant’s participation in the Promotion, the Submission and/or entrant’s acceptance, use or misuse of prize.

10. Publicity: Except where prohibited, participation in the Promotion constitutes winners consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.

11. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Promotion, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Promotion, as determined by Sponsor in their sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Promotion or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

12. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Promotion; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Promotion; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Promotion or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s Submission is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another Submission in the Promotion. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded.

13. Disputes: Entrant agrees that: (i) any and all disputes, claims and causes of actionarising out of or connected with this Promotion, or any prizes awarded, other than those concerning the administration of the Promotion or the determination of winners, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (ii) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Promotion, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved exclusively by the United States District Court or the appropriate Missouri State Court located in St. Louis County, Missouri; (iii) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Promotion, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (iv) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsors in connection with the Promotion, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Missouri or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Missouri.

14. Entrant’s Personal Information: Information collected from entrants is subject to Nawgan Product, LLC’s Privacy Policy which is available at http://www.nawgan.com/privacy-policy.aspx.

15. Sweepstakes Results: For Sweepstakes results email your request to becky@nawgan.com. Requests for the winner list must be received by June 1, 2012.”

People who are especially sensitive to bitter flavors may be among a group of individuals referred to as “supertasters”. Supertasters have more taste buds (papillae) on their tongue than others and they are particularly sensitive to the compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (Prop). Approximately 25 percent of the adult population is characterized as supertasters, and these individuals report heightened sensitivity to bitter flavors in food (e.g., broccoli) and beverage (e.g., coffee). Different methods can help you determine if you meet criteria as a supertaster including a simple quiz http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/supertaster/ and more formal (and likely reliable) methods that involve counting the number of papillae on the tip of your tongue using food coloring agents.

I am among the 25% of individuals in the supertasters group. As the founder of Nawgan, the natural brain health drink with Cognizin® citicoline, I’ve been passionate about developing a science-based beverage that is both effective at supporting focus and concentration and great tasting. Two Nawgan flavors (Red Berries and Orange) contain about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, yet the flavor does not produce the bitterness that is common with coffee. So, whether you are a supertaster or “medium taster” you will enjoy the flavors of both the caffeinated and noncaffeinated versions of Nawgan, while giving your brain the key nutrients to support focus and concentration. Nawgan is what to drink when you want to think®.

Rob Paul, Ph.D.
Founder, Chief Science Officer
Nawgan

When you want to get into shape, what do you do? Jump on the treadmill and eat a better diet, right? Well wouldn’t it be nice if you could create a fitness program to get your brain into shape?

There’s no doubt that increasing brain activity through environmental enrichment results in a healthier brain. That’s why people commonly do crossword puzzles as they age – they’re trying to exercise the brain to keep it fit. Studies have shown that people who obtain higher levels of education have a reduced risk of displaying symptoms of dementia compared to individuals who achieve fewer years of education; an effect referred to as “cognitive reserve”. These findings indicate that lifestyle choices positively influence brain health.

That doesn’t prove that there are fitness programs to whip the brain into shape, however. The big question is – do people become more intelligent by using a cognitive training program. Of course an increase in brain activity is helpful but it is not clear whether the gain from commercially available brain stimulation programs exceeds the gain from reading books and newspapers or doing the ever-popular crossword puzzles.

Instead of relying on brain fitness programs, you should think of brain fitness as you would physical fitness. Likewise of getting your body into shape, to get your brain into shape you need to make lifestyle changes that include a healthy diet, exercise, and mental stimulation. All three areas together provide the main pillars for optimal brain function.

Since it’s no secret that most Americans do not eat as healthy as they should, brain function supplements from credible sources can be beneficial – like Nawgan!

The world’s First Beverage Brain Health Supplement Developed by a

Neuropsychologist Wins National Recognition, Additional Funding

Now Found in 23 St. Louis Walgreens Stores

St. Louis (August 17, 2010) – Nawgan, the world’s first brain health beverage supplement developed by a neuropsychologist, can now be found on shelves at 23 St. Louis area Walgreens stores.  Added to existing presence in Straub’s Fine Grocers and multiple health food stores in St. Louis and Phoenix, Nawgan now has nearly 70 points of distribution.  Formulated to sharpen the mind, Nawgan is distributed by Major Brands Premium Beverage Distributors in St. Louis and Brainwave Distribution in Phoenix.

In addition, Beverage World Magazine has awarded Nawgan the 2010 Silver Beverage World BevStar Award in the Functional/Energy category.  The BevStar Awards recognize innovation among individual brands across beverage categories.  The Magazine judged candidates based on innovation in ingredients, packaging, and positioning, as well as overall uniqueness.

“It’s an exciting time – the BevStar Award is coming fast on the heels of additional funding, $98,000, from St. Louis investment fund BioGenerator,” said Jim von der Heydt, Nawgan’s President.  “To receive such impressive national recognition of Nawgan’s uniqueness just as we are expanding into 23 Walgreen’s stores is more than we could have hoped for when we launched the product just a few months ago.”

Nawgan is a fortified beverage that safely helps the drinker think clearly without feeling jittery.  It is low-calorie and low-sodium and all natural with no preservatives.  Leading global brain health researcher Dr. Robert Paul developed the formula.  Dr. Paul is a University of Missouri – St. Louis scientist whose laboratories at Brown Medical School and the University of Missouri – St. Louis has led several major studies to answer key questions about how the brain works funded by $7 million in grants from the National Institute of Health.

“Science has traditionally done a poor job of communicating how breakthroughs made in research can better our daily lives,” said Dr. Robert Paul, Neuropsychologist, brain health researcher and Nawgan’s Founder.  “We now know so much about the biology of aging in the brain, and how factors such as exercise, mental activity and good nutrition influence brain health.  I created Nawgan to offer people a product with proven ingredients in dosages that can make a real impact on their brain.”

Nawgan works through the careful balance of four proven ingredients: citicoline – which supports the structure of brain cells and memory function, A-GPC – which also supports memory function, lycopene – which reduces inflammation, and natural Vitamin E – which reduces oxidation.  These ingredients work in concert to support healthy brain function.

Nawgan’s suggested retail is $2.29 per can and is available in non caffeinated and caffeinated versions.  The caffeinated version has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. Nawgan Products, LLC was founded in 2007 by Dr. Paul and Peter Wodtke, and Jim von der Heydt, President of InnoVentures and former Executive Vice President at Ralston Purina, joined as President in May 2010.  Nawgan added beverage industry experience to the company’s management by appointing James S. Tonkin, an internationally respected beverage industry expert, to the company’s Board of Directors earlier this year.

ABOUT NAWGAN

Nawgan Products, co-founded by brain health researcher Dr. Robert Paul and Peter Wodtke, is a developer of products that support optimal brain function among adults.  Nawgan was founded in 2007 and launched Nawgan, its patent-pending beverage designed to sharpen the mind, in 2010.  Nawgan has received $300,000 in start-up funding and is seeking an additional $400,000 to support marketing efforts in its test markets of St. Louis and Phoenix.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Julia Bishop-Cross

Catalyst Communications

(314) 681-2094

Julia@pr-catalyst.com

Recently a national press release introduced the newly formulated nawgan supplements for healthy brain function (see last post). We have received an amazing response to this press release from distributors, retailers, and customers.

Part of this response to the press release included the promotion of Nawgan in Times Square, Manhattan. The photograph of the Nawgan image is too large to upload on the post, but it is really cool!

We are looking forward to an even greater presence in NY before long.

Dr. Robert Paul Clinical Neuropsychologist and Author Introduces Nawgan Beverage to Support Cognitive Function

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ —  A new functional supplement using Cognizin® Citicoline from Kyowa Hakko USA in the patent-pending formulation has been introduced by Nawgan Products, LLC of Chesterfield, MO. Nawgan Berry is the first functional health liquid supplement that pre-blends Cognizin® with other ingredients to enhance cognitive function.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100201/SF46765 )

Created by Dr. Robert Paul, founder of Nawgan Products, LLC and a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, the non-carbonated Nawgan supplement supports memory and cognitive skills in four ways. The lycopene in the beverage provides anti-inflammatory protection; natural vitamin E provides anti-oxidant health benefits; alpha-glyceryl phosphoryl choline and citicoline (Cognizin®) helps to increase acetylcholine levels in the brain, which is critical for memory and cognitive skills; and Cognizin® also helps provide structural support to brain cells.

“Changes in brain function occur in everyone around age 30 as part of natural development and aging,” says. Dr. Paul.  ”For some individuals, these changes are mild, such as the occasional misplacement of keys, glasses or a wallet, but for other individuals these changes are more pronounced.

“Nawgan was developed to support cognitive function over time with ingredients known to be associated with cognitive performance,” added Dr. Paul.

Research conducted at Harvard Medical School showed that Cognizin®, a branded citicoline ingredient, significantly increases brain metabolites among healthy adults (Silveri et al., 2008).  Numerous other studies have reported that citicoline benefits cognitive function using multiple pathways including increasing the precursors involved in the production of acetylcholine and providing phospholipid support to brain cells critical for healthy maintenance of neuronal structure.  Cognizin® Citcoline is also an essential nutrient found in every cell of the body — particularly brain cells.

“The product is a refreshing, great tasting and healthy supplement targeted for the adult population,” Dr. Paul says.

Nawgan is available in both a non-caffeinated and caffeinated version.  According to Dr. Paul, a caffeinated version is offered because scientific literature has revealed important neuroprotective properties of caffeine.

Nawgan is low in calories and sodium and contains no artificial sweeteners, colors,  flavors, or preservatives. Lycopene, the carotenoid compound in the beverage formulation and the ingredient that makes a tomato red, is what provides the natural red Nawgan Berry color.

Nawgan Products has selected aluminum packaging for its product because it provides ideal protection for natural ingredients from both air and light.

“Without some form of protection from these elements, the strength of the supplements in the beverage would weaken significantly,” said Dr. Paul.  ”We want consumers to feel confident that they are getting the full potency of the supplements and aluminum cans provide great assurance.  Furthermore, aluminum lowers the overall environmental impact of the container compared to glass and plastic,” says Dr.  Paul.

Suggested retail price is $2.29-$2.49 for an 8-ounce individual serving. The product is currently available at retail stores in the St. Louis, MO and Phoenix, AZ areas and will be will be expanding to additional markets throughout 2010. Nawgan can also be purchased direct at www.Nawgan.com.

Dr. Paul, a clinical brain scientist, has worked with various research universities including Brown Medical School and has been awarded more than $7 million in grant money from the National Institute of Health to answer key questions about how the brain works. The company is committed to the development of products that support optimal brain function among adults.

For more information about Cognizin® Citicoline, contact Kyowa Hakko USA at 212.319.5353 or visit the Web site at www.Cognizin.com.

In addition to Cognizin® Citicoline, Kyowa Hakko USA, the wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Bio Co., Ltd., is the maker of other leading branded ingredients including Hydrafend™ Hyaluronic Acid, Lumistor® L-Hydroxyproline, Kyowa CoQ10®, Setria® Glutathione and Sustamine™ Alanyl Glutamine. Kyowa offers manufacturers and formulators one of the health industry’s most extensive lines of over 50 amino acids and related compounds, including D-Amino acids and branch-chain amino acids, as well as nucleic acids, bio-products and fine chemicals.

Both Kyowa Hakko and Nawgan Products will exhibit at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, March 12-14. Kyowa is at booth 342; Nawgan Products is at booth 5430.

An exciting weekend is planned for Nawgan Products this coming Saturday (July 11) when we will conduct an in-store promotion at the Market at Busch’s Grove in Ladue, MO.  We will be there with three flavors.  Nawgan has been a hit at the store with strong sales and we are looking forward to sharing samples with customers on Saturday.  If you have a few minutes come by the store between 12 and 4pm.   Contact information is below.  We would love to see you there!

The Market at Busch’s Grove 9160 Clayton Road St. Louis, Missouri, 63124 314.567.7770 info@buschsgrove.com.

Nawgan Products was well represented last week at the BevNet Live forum in NYC.  One question that arose during the event was why we elected to use an aluminum can versus glass or plastic for the Nawgan beverage. 

Considering how common it is to see noncarbonated beverages in either glass or plastic and carbonated drinks (e.g., soft drinks) in cans, we understand why folks might expect Nawgan (a noncarbonated beverage) to be packaged in either glass or plastic. 

However, we selected aluminum for two important reasons.  First, aluminium provides the best protection to our natural ingredients from both air and light.  Without some form of protection from these elements, the strength of the supplements in the beverage would weaken significantly.  We want consumers to feel confident that they are getting the supplements they expect from their purchase and aluminum cans provide the best assurance.

Second, we were drawn to aluminum because of the lower overall environmental impact of the container compared to glass and plastic.  Everyone is aware of concerns regarding plastic and recycling but glass also presents challenges.   It turns out that trucking a load of glass containers leaves a larger carbon footprint compared to trucking the same number of aluminum containers.  In addition, consumers are far more likely to recycle aluminum compared to glass. 

So, by relying on aluminum we can best ensure that you get the supplements we added to the beverage to support your thinking skills and we leave a smaller carbon footprint during shipping and distribution of the beverage.  

You can feel good about drinking your Nawgan in an aluminum container, but whatver containers enter your home, work or other aspects of your life, please recycle them when you are done. 

Enjoy your Nawgan.

Rob