Meet Brian

Founder of Bear Maple

In 2020, in the heart of the pandemic, Bear Maple founder and CEO Brian Bethke and his family were sheltered-in-place in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. On their daily outings, he and his daughter discovered maple trees and ginseng growing in the wild. A serial entrepreneur and lifelong learner, Brian set off on a journey of discovery and a deep dive into the voluminous research documenting the functionality of ginseng as well as maple water. He combined the two in a beverage and Bear Maple was born.

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Innovative & Functional Beverages

We make beverges that nourish both the mind & body while fostering a sustainable future for our planet.

The Bear Maple team set out to be the first to bring hydroponically grown ginseng to the beverage market in an adaptogenic, sparkling elixir. Bear Maple’s mission is to craft innovative, functional beverages that help nourish both the body and mind while fostering a sustainable future for the planet. Its functional sparkling ginseng beverages are crafted with high-quality ginseng, naturally sweetened with maple water, and are caffeine free. Bear Maple is 1% for the Planet certified, and the company donates 1% of its annual sales directly to vetted environmental partners.

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Premium Ginseng

For centuries, ginseng root is highly valued for its remarkable ability to enhance both brain and body function, and has been traditionally used for:

Memory Support
Immunity
Mental Focus
Gut Health
Energy
Stress Resilience
Mood Support

Maple Water

A healthier natural sweetener Filtered through sapwood, maple water is naturally purified and instilled with antioxidants and electrolytes.

Our Ginseng

Ginsengs vary widely in quality and ginsenoside content depending on how it is grown, age of the root, and the method through which it is processed. Each type of processed ginseng has a unique ginsenoside “fingerprint”. There are over 150 different ginsenosides identified in various species of ginseng plants, primarily present in Korean Ginseng (panax ginseng) and American Ginseng (panax quinquefolius). It takes at least 4-6 years for ginsenosides to build up to significant levels in ginseng plants, and traditionally the most valued roots are 10+ years old.

Traditional processing methods used with Korean Ginseng include sun-drying, steam cooking, and steam cooking through multiple cycles. During these processes, the ginsenosides are partially converted into more bioactive derivatives, producing rare ginsenosides such as Rg3, Rg5 and Rk1. “White ginseng”, “red ginseng” and “black ginseng” all refer to Panax Ginseng roots processed with different levels of sun-drying and steam cooking.

Ginsenosides are a group of saponins, which are the principal active compounds found in ginseng plants. Ginsenosides are responsible for the pharmacological effects of ginseng, including its adaptogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-stimulating properties. Ginsenosides have been extensively studied for their potential therapeutic applications in traditional and modern medicine. With over 9000 publications on PubMed, Korean ginseng is one of the most extensively studied botanicals in the field of phytotherapy.

Our Korean Red Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) is grown using a proprietary hydroponic method that regulates nutrients to the root in order to simulate the passing of seasons in sped up time. This revolutionary biomimetic growth process results in the equivalent of 12 year old ginseng in the course of 3 months – the highest quality ginseng on the market.

For an even deeper dive into panax ginseng, we recommend this paper on the National Institute of Health Website.

For more information on Panax Quinquefolius, we recommend this paper from the National Institute of Health Website.