FORT MYERS, Fla., Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ohana Kava Bar, the Colorado Springs brand that helped build American kava bar culture, has opened its first franchise location in Fort Myers. Owner Sarka Hetherington opened the alcohol-free bar July 31, 2026, and runs it with her fiancé, Estevon Rivera.
Ohana Kava Bar Fort Myers is at 2215 Winkler Ave, Suite H, Fort Myers, FL 33901. It opens at 7:30 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends, and closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Call (239) 204-9141, and follow @ohanakavabarftmyers on Facebook and Instagram for events.
“A lot of people here say they’ve tried kava and didn’t like it. Most of them just never had good quality kava,” said Hetherington. “Every shell we pour is high-quality noble kava, every day, and our Hard Nak is 100% waka. If you’ve been drinking kava for years, come see what it’s supposed to feel like. If you’ve never had it, this is the right place to start.”
Quality Across the Whole Menu
Southwest Florida is full of kava bars. At many, the kava gets lost in seltzers, syrups and cheap extract. Ohana Fort Myers serves it straight, in a room built to add to the calm regulars call “getting rooted.” The same standard applies to everything else on the menu, and two months in, the bar’s botanical teas have a reputation as the best in the area.
The bar sits minutes from Gulf Coast Medical Center and HealthPark, and the 7:30 a.m. open and late close cover both ends of a hospital shift.
“Ohana was never about selling a drink. It’s about the room and the people in it,” said Matthew Clark, founder and CEO of Ohana Kava Bar. “You don’t walk out a customer. You walk out Ohana. Sarka runs her bar to the standard we’ve held since day one, and that’s the only kind of partner we’ll put our name next to.”
Back to Florida
Clark first heard about kava bars from a friend, when one opened in his hometown of West Palm Beach. The experience stuck with him: connecting with people, unwinding, doing something relaxing without alcohol. He left wondering why kava bars weren’t everywhere.
He spent years working as an ER nurse, saving until he could open Ohana in downtown Colorado Springs in 2015, when only a couple dozen kava bars existed in the United States. There are now more than 700. Ohana grew into a Colorado Springs staple with bars Downtown and on North Academy, and some of its customers have gone on to open kava bars of their own. Colorado Springs locations can be followed at @ohanakavabar on Facebook and Instagram.
Franchise Opportunities
Ohana began franchising in 2025 and keeps the program selective. Every franchisee is vetted for fit before anything is signed. They want franchisees who hold the same values and carry the same vision.
“We’d rather grow slowly than put our name on a bar that doesn’t hold our values,” said Clark. “Our operators care about the plant, the people who grow it and the people who drink it. Sarka was the right fit. The next one has to be too, and when they are, we bring everything we’ve learned running a room like this.”
Prospective owners can explore Ohana Kava Bar franchise opportunities.
About Ohana Kava Bar
Founded in Colorado Springs in 2015, Ohana Kava Bar is an alcohol-free kava bar brand built on traditional kava, other botanicals, and a room designed for connection. Ohana operates two company-owned locations in Colorado Springs and a franchise location in Fort Myers, Florida. Learn more at ohanakavabar.com.
Sarka Heatherington Ohana Kava Bar sarka@ohanakavabar.com (239) 204-9141
