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The topic of discussion Tuesday morning at Casual Animal Brewing Co. was not craft beers, but a probiotic soda line created to raise awareness about domestic violence.
“I’m a domestic violence survivor,” said Drenda Williams, owner of DJW Drinks. “I decided to create product lines that also give out resources and information about domestic violence awareness."
Williams’ journey to healing and advocacy work began in 2018 when she authored a book about her own domestic violence experience, "The Will To Live: Finding The Strength Within To Survive." It details the abuse she endured from her boyfriend from her teenage years into her early 20s.
She then created Mfalme and JoyL during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 2019.
Mfalme is a beard, hair and skin care line and JoyL is an all-natural lip gloss product line. Both help shed light on the realities of domestic violence by providing resources on its packaging.
Williams launched a wellness beverage line called DJW Drinks and the Reach Back Foundation in August 2025.
“It still has that fizzle from soda, but it’s also healthy," Williams said. "There’s no artificial ingredients or dyes, but also has the botanical properties. We have two different kinds: caffeinated and non-caffeinated. The caffeinated has vitamin B, vitamin C, has ashwaganda, has ginseng and also has amino acids."
The can label on the “Purple Ribbon” flavor also includes resources for domestic violence
Williams says this drink provides an opportunity to start conversations that do not always have an outlet.
It is also meant to be discreet so that the assistance protects victims who may be afraid of retaliation.
“Sometimes their abuser’s right with them or sometimes they’re afraid," she said. "So you don’t wanna put someone in harms way. So that’s why we come out with non-traditional ways of getting those resources out. If you have a can, you can easily say 'Hey, I have a soda for you. Make sure you read the label.”
The “Purple Ribbon” label also features the faces of domestic violence. Her daughter, Nia Williams, is one of them.
“The physical violence escalated up until the point where my partner did attempt to kill me,” said Nia Williams. “He held a gun to my head and I was fighting for my life to just leave the vehicle and leave him. And thankfully, I was able to get away.”
For her, shame and stigma kept her silent for a long time. Williams eventually started sharing her story at church and found the courage to tell more people about what happened. But she believes a resource like her mother’s soda could have helped her find her voice to speak up sooner.
“I was very private," Nia Williams said. "At some point I was hiding it from my mother. I really do think it would have impacted the way that I responded to my current situation. I sort of felt kind of hidden in plain sight. So I think the discreet aspect is great.”
Today, her message to victims who find themselves in similar situations is to shed the shame.
“There is no shame about what you are going through,” said Williams. “There’s so many different factors that affect people’s decisions. So I always think — just try not to judge yourself too harshly, not to be too hard on yourself about not being able to leave your current situation. It takes time.”
This is why Lara Gray, co-owner of Casual Animal Brewing Company, keeps Williams' soda stocked. She is one of eight retailers that carry the sodas in the metro area.
“We’ve been strong advocates for women’s rights — reproductive rights especially," Gray said. "Domestic violence falls into that and supporting women in our community and making sure that everybody feels safe. Especially since we’ve seen a rise in domestic violence over the last year, any small piece that we can do to support women in our community, we want to make sure that we’re doing that.”
According to data from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, 20 people were killed in domestic violence incidents in 2025.
“It just goes to show that there's still a lot of work to be done,” said Williams.
Williams hopes that she can be an example that healing and forgiveness can be found even in the darkest of times.
“You know, I was a domestic violence victim urned to survivor, small business owner, now I have a soda out,” said Williams. “Me being a woman at Women’s History Month, it’s just to showcase the resilience of women.”
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