Why Actor Nico Tortorella Is Betting on a Zero-Proof Kratom ‘Brewski’

This article is a part of The Daily Pour’s Sober October Week, a full week of content dedicated to the phenomenon that is Sober October — a month during which many lay off booze altogether or perhaps take it easy. This week focuses on all things non-alcoholic, from beer to wine to spirits to functional beverages and beyond. Click here to check out the rest of our Sober October content.

(Photos: DER)

Nico Tortorella is expanding his repertoire. Over the past two decades, the Illinois native has wandered between acting roles in “Younger,” “The Following” and “Trespass,” picking up a handful of horror gigs in the “Scream” franchise and “The Walking Dead.” He’s a published poet with an intoxicating on-screen presence, and a father of two who — in 2015 — went sober and never looked back.

His latest venture, DER, is a 12-ounce testament to that journey. Short for “Drink, Enjoy, Repeat,” the beverage bills itself as a zero-proof, kratom-infused brewski, a mishmash of sensibilities halfway between a Budweiser and an adaptogenic elixir. It’s a pitch that would’ve been unthinkable, borderline indescribable, just a decade prior.

But much has changed within the industry. Kratom, the target of an attempted national ban in 2016, is more popular than ever in the U.S., where it can now be purchased in the form of raw leaves, extracts, powder, edibles and vape pens. The market is expanding faster than its wildest dreams, and entrepreneurs like Tortorella believe that low-dose drinks are the next frontier.

We sat down with the DER founder to learn more.

“Creating this product, it was really important to me that I just be dedicated to education,” Tortorella says. “Kratom has lived in the shadows forever. The kratom industry as a whole is on track to do $2 billion this year – and people still don’t know what the plant is. As much as this is about launching DER, it’s also about rebranding and reimagining kratom at large.”

Cracking Open a Kold One

Kratom, Latin name Mitragyna speciosa, is a variety of evergreen tree in the coffee family, native to Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. At first glance, its leaves are hardly distinguishable from oversized spearmint. The tree can reach as high as 50 feet in its natural habitat, sprouting a glossy, red-veined outgrowth that extends around six inches from end to end.

Its historical usage dates back to field laborers, who would chew leaves during the workday to impart energy and relax muscle stress. Unbeknownst to users at the time, kratom binds to the same receptors in the brain as opioids. The discovery has redefined everything written, rumored and legislated about the leaf ever since. These days, kratom can be used as a treatment to ease withdrawal symptoms and has — varying wildly depending on who you ask — been occasionally labeled as an opioid itself. Scientifically speaking, it is not.

Tortorella discovered the plant in the late 2010s. He had recently gone sober in a bid to refocus on his acting career ( a choice he calls the “best decision I ever made”), and had begun recording a podcast with the aid of a quick kratom smoothie before interviews. He says it was a game-changer. Taken in small doses, it allowed him to lock in and be present with guests, an experience he was soon eager to replicate in social settings. The America-facing kratom industry, still in its infancy, had yet to catch up with demand.

In order to bring kratom to a party at that point, seven years ago, you had to mix a little powdered drink, or show up with capsules, which doesn’t feel as involved as a can. “Just too complicated,” Tortorella says. “So I always imagined this delineation similar to alcohol – beer, wine, liquor, something we all know. Something that’s properly labeled, and you know exactly what dosage you’re getting into.”

Each can of DER contains 30 milligrams of kratom, a dosage well below the norm within the industry. The majority of kratom-only drinks currently available on the market are sold between 75 and 125 milligrams, enough to significantly boost physical energy, decrease pain stimulation and, according to some advertising claims, act as an antidepressant.

DER isn’t interested in any of that. The brand likens itself to a little lift. A mild stimulant, a touch of euphoria – or, as Tortorella puts it, an “extra breath.”

“We’ve decided to go with a really low, entry-level dose, unlike any other kratom drink on the market,” he says. “I wanted something that you could grab a four-pack of, take to a party and slowly sip all night. I wanted something crushable, about the long game rather than a quick fix.”

DER has gone through great lengths to recreate that “crushable” vibe. The flavor profile was designed around the concept of a non-alcoholic pilnser, emulated by way of sparkling water, grapefruit extract, kratom and hops. A wise choice at a time when NA beer demand is growing exponentially. Unlike its contemporaries, however, DER isn’t so quick to position itself around health-conscious podcasts or pastel-hued marketing campaigns. Its cans are sold in bold shades of red, white and blue, with lettering that calls to mind a truckstop billboard. Promo images feature American flags and tasseled jean shorts. In one photo, Tortorella can even be seen playing kratom beer pong.

DER’s boastful messaging feels like a pointed response to the bad press that kratom continues to grapple with across the globe.

A CDC study published in 2019 found that kratom was listed as a cause of death in nearly 100 people over a 17-month period. The study noted that around 80% of the deaths were recorded in individuals with a history of substance abuse and that post-mortem analyses almost always detected kratom in combination with other drugs (fentanyl, heroin and benzodiazepines being the three most common).

Reappraising kratom has been made all the more complicated by 7-OH, a synthetic kratom-derived compound that’s begun making the rounds at gas stations and corner stores. The substance is wildly addictive, with research suggesting that it’s somewhere between three and 13 times as powerful as morphine. Much like fruit-flavored vapes before it, 7-OH has become the rightly deserved target of parent groups rallying against under-the-counter drugs gone haywire. The compound is widely available in the form of tablets, gummies, drink mixes and – per a stern warning from the FDA – even ice cream cones.

The resulting outcry has put entrepreneurs like Tortorella on the defensive against a wave of new misconceptions. According to the Texas Department of Health, kratom products typically contain less than 2% 7-OH concentration. Synthetic and semi-synthetic formulations, meanwhile, can contain up to 98%.

“It’s easiest to think about it in terms of cannabis. In the cannabis plant, there are a bunch of cannabinoids: THC, CBD, CBG and so on,” Tortorella explains. “In kratom, there are different alkaloids. 7-OH is one of those alkaloids, one of around 40 to 60. And someone figured out how to make a synthetic version of the one alkaloid and sell it in pretty high doses. It’s a totally different experience, it’s pretty intense, it’s not regulated at this point. Unfortunately, it’s now in the same conversation as kratom.”

The FDA is currently moving forward with plans to reclassify 7-OH as a controlled substance. Kratom, meanwhile, remains legal in all but six states. The source of confusion is understandable though hardly unique to public perception in the U.S.

“It has a troubled legal history from Southeast Asia that we adopted somewhat,” Tortorella says. “It’ll be interesting to see how the landscape changes. I’d love to see it fully and properly regulated in all the places – that’s what it comes down to. People should feel confident that the plant experience is safe when handled in the right way. We should just have the options.”

DER is available through CBD Kratom, a licensed retailer with a national presence of 58 stores in cities like Chicago, New York City, St. Louis, Houston and Dallas. The outposts have a minimalistic, Gen-Z-inflected vibe, complete with wood paneling, warm lighting and a helpful staff ready to answer questions at a moment’s notice. The front desk looks like an apothecary. Tiny cabinets along the wall can be pulled open to reveal CBD strains. In other words, it’s not the kind of place that sells “Rick and Morty” bongs.

It’s an intentionality that speaks to a new imagining of kratom, one that appears to be catching on fast. The global kratom market is on track to generate upwards of $2 billion in 2025, with annual growth pegged at around 17% until 2032. Though much of that revenue is driven by specialty retailers, availability is likely to expand sooner rather than later. Tortorella hinted that DER is currently in talks with Total Wine – if successful, the kind of distribution deal that could single-handedly buoy an entire category.

The timing lines up perfectly. Alcohol sales have lulled in recent years, driven in part by younger drinkers trading out for low- and no-proof alternatives. Functional ingredients are buzzing through the zeitgeist and consumers are reevaluating their stance on once-illicit substances like THC. In an era when beverage industry veterans are playing catch-up, Tortorella believes that kratom has all the makings of an unlikely underdog.

“The spirit of alcohol hasn’t totally lost its legs to stand on, but it’s shifting,” Toretarella says. “Whether it’s an adaptogen or a neutropic, a plant or a cannabis drink, people want alternatives. Kratom has been on the shelves; it’s been around. But now it’s having this rebirthing of sorts, for me, because it’s a productive and truly magical plant.”