The glue that holds a friendship together can be anything from shared hobbies to uncontrollable laughter. In some cases, it’s finding joy in the midst of adversity. Monica Cornitcher and Inga Dyer, co-founders of MEDASE, a Black woman-owned, premium zero-proof cocktail brand, were friends for over 30 years. However, adversity came knocking when Dyer was diagnosed with breast cancer, and battled it for a second time during COVID in 2022.
“We knew this was probably going to be the last time she battled with breast cancer because it was very aggressive,” Cornitcher says. “We would just find time and Zoom was our way of communicating. So we would be on Zoom from morning to night.”
Those virtual hangouts comprised breakfast, lunch, and walks. Additionally, they often centered around something to sip, Cornitcher says. There came a time when the friends were craving cocktails without alcohol, but couldn’t find many options that captured their palates.
“Inga could not drink alcohol. So we started to taste all the different non-alcoholic drinks out there, and nothing really pleased us. We wanted that taste of an old-fashioned or margarita, but just couldn’t find it,” she says.
Their shared frustration led them to create mocktails that met their needs and filled a market gap. The drinks they came up with are low-calorie, gluten-free, caffeine-free, and vegan. Before passing in 2024, Dyer was able to taste MEDASE’s first two flavors: the margarita and Moscow mule.
“My favorite was the margarita. Inga’s was the Moscow mule,” Cornitcher says. “Since her passing, we actually have expanded our two flavors to six flavors. So we’ve added an old-fashioned, a rum punch, a lemon drop, and a mojito to the mix, also.”
Each comes in both a standard and hemp-infused version, which can be very helpful to cancer patients.
“If you know anything about cancer or anything where anyone’s suffering from pain, CBD becomes their favorite friend,” the co-founder explains. “We wanted to put something in our drinks that would help manage the pain [and] kind of get people a little mellow,” she says, adding that the hemp doesn’t alter the flavor of the drink.
In addition to being a sentimental business venture, MEDASE also carries deep emotional meaning. Its name and mission reflect the long-lasting friendship that inspired their range of drinks.
“Medase means thank you,” Cornitcher explains. It’s from the Akan language in Ghana. “At the end of every call, it was always, ‘Thank you for listening. Thank you for not judging me. Thank you for just sitting quiet with me sometimes.’’ When they came across MEDASE, Cornitcher says it was like “honey to the heart,” and a new word for cheers.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she shares advice for anyone supporting a loved one through cancer, as she did for Dyer: “Be a listener. Don’t try to provide advice because sometimes they just need an ear to just allow them to get everything off their chest.”
Cornitcher speaks from hard-won wisdom. In addition to Dyer, she’s lost both parents to leukemia and her brother to prostate cancer. These losses fuel her mission every day. We asked the entrepreneur what she would say to Dyer if given the opportunity to share something with her dear friend now.
“One thing I want to tell her is that I’m going to continue MEDASE in her honor and work as hard as I can to make it become the company we both dreamed of,” Cornitcher says. “And that I love her.”
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