Our story
Our energy never needed importing.
Cassina started with a simple question: why does America import its caffeine when the original one grows wild in Texas?
How it started
I grew up outdoors in Southeast Texas, and like most people there, I ran into yaupon constantly. It's in the woods, along fence lines, and in every patch of brush someone is trying to clear. Most people treat it as a nuisance plant. I got curious instead and started digging. I found a plant with a long history: brewed for centuries as North America's original caffeine, and important in the landscape too. Its winter berries feed songbirds, its spring flowers draw bees, and its dense growth gives wildlife shelter. The more I learned, the harder it was to understand why nobody was drinking it.
What we set out to build
We wanted energy that tastes good, comes from somewhere real, and works as hard as you do. That meant starting with the plant, not a trend. We put in the time learning yaupon: how it grows, how it brews, and how it was used. Then we built a drink around it, with native caffeine, nootropics, and electrolytes, all natural, naturally sweetened, and free of artificial preservatives.
Indigenous first, revolutionary next
Yaupon's story belongs first to the Indigenous peoples of the Southeast, who brewed it long before European arrival. It became part of colonial life during the Revolution, then faded as imported coffee and tea took over. We named the company Cassina to honor where this plant comes from, and we tell its history accurately and with respect.
What we stand for
Native over imported. Our caffeine comes from a plant that grows here.
Nothing artificial. All-natural ingredients, natural sweeteners, no artificial preservatives.
Built to work. Native caffeine, nootropics, and electrolytes in one can, for days that ask a lot of you.
Texas roots. Founded in Texas and focused on doing right by our home state first.
Who we are
Cassina was founded in a dorm room at Texas State University by Mason Soileau, a Southeast Texas native who couldn't let go of an idea. What started as research between classes became a brand, a formula, and now a first run. We're still a small team, and we're doing this the long way on purpose.
Mason Soileau, Founder
