May 25, 2026
More Than a Mocktail: The Story Behind Dope AF
From music, family, fatherhood, and one simple idea, Daoud Bourvic is building a mocktail brand made for everyone.
Dope AF Mocktails
Daoud Bourvic
Founder & CEO
Dope AF Mocktails started with a simple belief.
People deserved a better option.
Something with real flavor. Something with presence. A drink that felt exciting to crack open and natural to bring anywhere, whether that was a party, a dinner table, a festival, or a late-night gas station run. Something that did not feel overly serious, overly “healthy,” or like an afterthought sitting off to the side.
A drink people would actually want in their hand.
For Daoud Bourvic, the founder behind Dope AF, that idea came from real life.
Before building a beverage brand, Daoud spent years as a DJ performing under the name KRKN. He understood how to bring a room to life. He understood the feeling of watching strangers connect through music, movement, and a shared moment.
That feeling became part of the foundation for Dope AF.
A drink for people who want the vibe without the pressure.
A brand for people who want to feel included without needing alcohol in their hand.
Built by Someone Who Knows the Party
Before Dope AF, Daoud spent more than 15 years building his life around music, art, design, and creativity. As KRKN, he shared stages with and earned support from artists including Zeke Beats, Moody Good, Excision, ISOxo, GRiZ, and many more.
Music shaped the way Daoud sees people.
As a DJ, he learned that the best moments are rarely about one person. They are about the room. The connection. The feeling that everyone belongs to something, even if only for a night.
That understanding followed him long after the music stopped.
Dope AF carries that same spirit. It is bold, colorful, social, and made to be part of real moments. But underneath the attitude, the mission is simple.
Make people feel included.
Raised on Family, Faith, and Sacrifice
Long before the brand, Daoud was shaped by family.
He was raised in Overland Park, Kansas by parents who taught him the value of hard work, gratitude, and taking care of the people you love.
His father, Jean, served 23 years in the United States Air Force and retired as a Chief Master Sergeant. After that, he spent more than 30 years working in the dialysis industry, choosing stability and responsibility so his family could be provided for.
His mother, Atika, carried that same strength in her own way. She worked long hours, gave what she could, and helped create a life where her children had room to dream.
Daoud grew up alongside his sister Suki, with deep love for his older siblings Jeannie, Terri, and Matt. Family was not a side note in his life. It was the foundation.
That foundation taught him to stay grateful. It taught him to respect people. It taught him that nothing meaningful comes easy. It also taught him that the things worth building should take care of more people than just yourself.
Faith, Culture, and Connection
As a Muslim and Moroccan-American, Daoud carries a deep appreciation for faith, culture, and connection. He believes in God and gives credit to God for the blessings in his life. He also believes every person has their own path, and that people should be met with love before judgment.
That belief lives inside Dope AF.
Everyone is welcome.
From KRKN to Dope AF
Creativity has always been part of Daoud’s life.
As a kid, he was always making something. Sketches, characters, logos, music, visual ideas, and creative worlds he could disappear into. Long before Dope AF had a name, Daoud was already learning how to turn ideas into experiences people could connect with.
He started DJing in 2010 after discovering the scene at a teen night at Orlando’s nightclub in Olathe, Kansas. A few local DJs gave him a chance to learn, and soon after, his mother bought him a $100 plastic DJ controller from Target.
That small beginning turned into years of practice, shows, festivals, and a creative identity many people came to know as KRKN.
KRKN became a major chapter of his life. It gave him a stage, a voice, and a way to connect with people through music. But over time, Daoud reached a point where he knew his next chapter had to be different.
He was not stepping away from music because it stopped mattering.
He was stepping into something that needed his full focus.
After years of performing, designing, and helping other people build their dreams, Daoud realized it was time to believe enough in himself to build something of his own.
Dope AF became that moment.
Not because everything was perfect.
Because it was time.
Starting From the Basement
Dope AF did not begin with a perfect setup.
It started in Daoud’s parents’ basement with a couple hundred dollars, an idea, and the willingness to build anyway. There were no major investors, no giant team, and no guaranteed path.
Just belief, creativity, and the decision to keep moving.
I'm working hard so I don't have to struggle. Struggle is a choice. Fighting is also a choice. So choose one.— Daoud Bourvic
Every piece of the brand comes from Daoud’s own hands. The name, the logo, the can art, the words, the visual direction, and the world around it all started with him.
That is part of what makes the brand real.
Dope AF was not created to look like every other beverage brand on the shelf. It was created to feel alive. It was built by someone who understands music, culture, design, family, pressure, and the quiet courage it takes to bet on yourself before anyone else does.
For Daoud, this brand is not about looking impressive.
It is about building something meaningful.
Something that can inspire other people to believe they are not alone. Something that reminds people they still have value. Something that shows you can start with very little and still build toward something bigger than where you began.
Why a Mocktail?
Dope AF was created because the options did not feel good enough.
Daoud and his wife, Kelsey, spent a few years sober together. It was not about judgment. It was not about being against alcohol. It was about feeling present, clear, and in control.
During that time, they noticed how many people were starting to feel the same way.
Some people were sober. Some were sober-curious. Some were drinking less. Some were taking a break. Some were pregnant. Some were driving. Some simply did not want alcohol that night.
But the options still felt limited.
Too plain. Too complicated. Too much like a replacement. Not enough like something people were genuinely excited to drink.
Daoud and Kelsey wanted something different.
A drink that tasted good. Looked good. Felt good in your hand. Something that belonged in real life.
So they started building the drink they wished already existed.
All the Vibe. No Judgment.
Dope AF Mocktails is a premium, sparkling, juice-based, ready-to-drink mocktail made with real cane sugar, bright real-fruit flavor, and crisp carbonation. It has the feel of an elevated Italian soda with more flavor, more identity, and more attitude.
The brand is not built around gimmicks or overcomplicated wellness trends. It is built around taste, design, and experience.
Dope AF is a home base for the sober and sober-curious, but it was never meant to exclude anyone.
Drink it as a mocktail.
Pour it over ice.
Bring it to a night out.
Add a shot at the bar and make it Dirty AF.
The point is freedom, not judgment.
“AF” means As F***, because the brand is bold, confident, and a little cheeky. It also means Alcohol-Free, because the drink was made to stand on its own.
That balance is the heart of the brand.
Mocktail by default. Dirty AF by choice.
The People Behind the Why
Dope AF is built from real life, and that means the story is bigger than the drink.
Kelsey is part of the dream. She helped inspire the idea, and she continues to shape the voice and presence of the brand as it grows. Dope AF was not created in theory. It came from their life, their conversations, their sober years, and their shared belief that people deserved something better.
Life is all about the person you choose as your partner. I wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for my wife, Kelsey — My Khadija.— Daoud Bourvic
Their son, Zayd, is part of the why too.
Zayd was born with cartilage-hair hypoplasia, a rare genetic condition that can affect growth, immunity, and development. For Daoud, fatherhood changed the way he looked at everything. It gave him a deeper reason to build something lasting and a stronger desire to speak openly, so other families walking through rare conditions know they are not alone.
A diagnosis does not define a child’s future.
To Daoud, Zayd is a reminder of strength, joy, and purpose. He believes his son will have a voice of his own one day, and he wants Dope AF to become part of a larger mission rooted in love, awareness, and hope.
The brand also carries the memory of Daoud’s cousin Adam.
In 2017, Daoud moved to Florida to chase music and build a life for himself. He lived near Orlando with his cousins Adam and Ryan, who were more like little brothers than cousins. Adam was one of his closest people. His partner in crime. One of those people who made life feel lighter.
Their parents, Salim and Hannane, became like second parents to Daoud. They gave him a place to grow, take risks, and figure out who he was becoming.
Daoud lost Adam far too soon in 2020.
His memory is one of the reasons Daoud pushes this brand with so much purpose. Dope AF is about more than making a good drink. It is about presence. It is about better choices. It is about reminding people they are not alone while they are still here.
More Than a Drink
Dope AF is bold, but it is not careless.
It is fun, but it is not empty.
It is alcohol-free, but it is not missing anything.
The brand exists because people deserve better options. They deserve a drink that tastes amazing, feels exciting, and gives them a place in the moment without needing to explain themselves.
For Daoud, Dope AF is about more than building a company.
It is about honoring his parents.
It is about providing for his wife and son.
It is about remembering Adam.
It is about turning his family name into something lasting.
It is about showing other people that they can start where they are, with what they have, and still build something real.
Dope AF is a stepping stone to a bigger mission. The goal was never just a drink. It is to build something good, take care of people, and do more for the world along the way.
The world is changing. More people are choosing not to drink. More people are questioning their relationship with alcohol. More people are looking for something that gives them the feeling without the pressure.
Dope AF is being built for that moment.
A drink for everyone.
A brand built from real life.
A reminder that you can be fully present and still be Dope AF.
Join the journey. Support the launch. Be part of what comes next.
All dope. No proof.
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