Weiwei “Vivian” Fellman Sprouts Kota Botanics From Panic, Persistence, And Plant-Based Wellness

<p>Raised in China with over 15 years in Fortune 500 sales and marketing at companies including Mercedes-Benz and Canon, Vivian met her Fargo-born husband in Beijing before eventually making the FM metro her permanent home. In 2016, the birth of her youngest son Patrick at Sanford Hospital in downtown Fargo became a harrowing ordeal when he was diagnosed with a heart condition and emergency airlifted to a children&#39;s hospital in Minneapolis. The weeks spent in the NICU left Vivian battling panic attacks and PTSD symptoms she had never experienced before. After traditional remedies fell flat, she discovered CBD through Joy Organics out of Colorado and felt an immediate difference. One deeply disappointing local retail experience later, the mission was clear: she could do this better. Kota Botanics launched in November 2019, just three months before a global pandemic forced her to lean hard on e-commerce to keep the doors open. The name itself carries a story, having started as Kota Organics before a trademark dispute with Victoria&#39;s Secret model Miranda Kerr&#39;s Kora Organics brand pushed Vivian into a creative pivot. Today Kota Botanics is a 900-square-foot shop at 32nd Avenue and 25th Street in South Fargo next to Starbucks, with a full e-commerce store at kotabotanics.com offering free shipping over $75 and free local delivery.</p>