RICHMOND, Va. -- After more than a year of legal and regulatory wrangling, KavaClub looks to finally be on its way to selling its namesake drink.
The upstart Fan bar and the Virginia Department of Health have agreed to settle a dispute that has prevented the business from fully opening and serving kava, a nonalcoholic drink popular in Polynesia that gives its drinkers feelings of calmness and mild euphoria.
The settlement, filed in Richmond Circuit Court in late March, clears the way for KavaClub to reapply for an operating permit that would allow it to serve the beverage from its storefront at 1529 W. Main St. It would become the only kava bar in Virginia.
KavaClub has been trying to become fully operational in the space since February of 2023, when it leased part of the old Canon & Draw Brewing Co. building. But it was stymied from pouring kava after VDH denied its initial permit request, citing a lack of Food and Drug Administration-approval for the drink and other questions around the product’s safety. KavaClub appealed the VDH’s decision and took the matter to court as it tried to open its doors.
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