Kif

0:00Caroline Brain:Welcome to the Emerging Brands Podcast with Kelly Bennett. This is the podcast to discover stories behind your new favorite CPG brands. Each episode brings you behind the scenes of the brand and founder story, learn what sets them apart in the marketplace, and their strategy going to market. We talk about plans for growth, practical advice for an emerging brand founder, and where to shop products that are making waves in food, beverage, wellness, beauty, and beyond. You'll also hear from industry experts, brand builders, investors, and operators you should absolutely have on your radar if you're building a CPG brand today.

0:44Caroline Brain:I'm your host, Kelly Bennett, a Brooklyn-based brand strategist with a front row seat of what makes an emerging CPG brand stand out. Whether you're building a brand of your own or love supporting what's next, you're in the right place. This episode was made possible by our sponsor, Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds is a platform that connects everyday small creators with brands that drive user-generated content, build buzz at specific retailers, and captures competitive market share. It's a tool that I recommend to all of my clients that you should absolutely check out. Head to hummingbirds.com for all the details.

1:27Caroline Brain:Now, let's dive into the new episode. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to a new episode of Emerging Brands Podcast with Kelly Bennett. Today, I have a founder on whose product is genuinely one of my favorite drinks on the market. It's in my refrigerator currently, and I was sharing this before we hit record that my girlfriend wanted to drink them, but I want to create content with it too. Like we're both genuinely obsessed. So Caroline Brain, the founder and CEO of Kif is on the show. Thank you so much for creating such a delicious product. Oh, thank you so much, Kelly. Really, really appreciate that.

2:08Always a joy to hear. And so excited to chat about what led to all of it.

2:13Caroline Brain:Yeah. So let's kick that off. I would love to hear the inspiration and how the concept of KIF came to be. Absolutely. Yeah, there's so many things to talk about, but it was really like the journey began when I about almost 10 years ago now, which is a wild thing to think about. Actually, was in my mid 20s, you know, thought I was doing everything right by my body, mind, all that good stuff, but I developed a number of chronic health issues that I came to realize were all rooted in poor gut microbiome health. And I got like really interested in what that meant and start digging into that whole world of microbiome research and probiotics.

2:58And it just, frankly, it blew my mind. Like I was so fascinated by how fundamental your gut microbiome is to everything in your body from your mental health. Like they're calling it your second brain. I even think like it's, it's radically changing how we understand our bodies and how we understand how to be healthy. And I also started sharing my story and I just realized that so many people around me were experiencing something similar, but I think it shows up in different ways. So a lot of people are confused or there's like some taboo around, you know, gut microbiome health, of course. So I was just like, this is a true issue that feels like almost a silent epidemic all around me.

3:40It needs to be, you know, looked at and dealt with. And so that kind of kicked things off in terms of like, I want to do something in this space. I'm on my healing journey. I feel like I've learned a lot. And through that process really found that probiotics are like one of the most influential aspects of cultivating good gut health. And for so many reasons, and we could get on to that, I could get super nerdy down this rabbit hole, but it's, that's largely like gone in our food system in today's culture. Um, and Americans aren't really probiotic foods are traditionally fermented foods. Right.

4:17And it's just not so common that people either eat those things on a regular basis or like the standard flavors, you know, your kimchi, your sauerkrauts, even your kombucha can be hard for people. And so I kind of got like really interested in that problem. Like we need more probiotics in our diet, but most foods and beverages out there that are natural in a sense are hard for people to get behind. And so I did my nerdy like fermentation phase where I was making everything and had all sorts of crocs going in my home and it was a wild time. But in that process, I discovered kefir soda.

4:56Caroline Brain:Yeah. So tell us what exactly is kefir soda? Yeah, no, great question. So most people haven't ever heard of it in the U S although it's an ancient beverage, just like kombucha, like found in cultures all over the world for thousands of years. And it has all these amazing little nicknames and different cultures. Like it's a really special, it has a really special history, but for some reason, just like kombucha 20 before 20 years ago, no one knows about it. Um, but it is at its core, a fermented sugar water and you use what's called a kefir culture. It's this naturally occurring combination of bacteria and yeast that feed on sugar in the water and then turn it into this light and refreshing probiotic rich drink.

5:40So it's truly very simple and it's like infinitely variable and it's super light. It's super refreshing. It's really low sugar after the fermentation process. So for all these reasons, and it's incredibly good for you, it's incredibly potent in probiotics. And I just was like, wow, why doesn't anyone know about this? And there was a little dose of COVID in there that gave me too much time. Right.

6:07Caroline Brain:I was going to say, this sounds like also when I'm picturing you fermenting all these things in your kitchen, And I was curious if this happened during COVID as well of just having the time to be experimental with your foods and going down rabbit holes. It, yes. COVID was that little secret ingredient. You know, obviously so many things are so difficult about COVID, but a little silver lining of it that like through that process, I had the time and the energy and the space to like explore in this way that I might not have otherwise. and then yeah I think COVID also influenced my passion for it because obviously it was so related to I think so much poor health that is sadly such a factor in this country and that we need so many people to help improve so that really was another factor and like I want to bring this to market I want people to know about this it matters.

7:03Caroline Brain:Absolutely so for you what were you doing what was your career prior to all of this experimenting and landing on Kiefer Water? Yeah, no, great question. So many people ask me that and I'm like, it's not a clear path. And that's, I guess, something I really share with all entrepreneurs because I think most entrepreneurs have so much curiosity and entrepreneurs. And I have not interviewed one person. I've almost had 180 episodes that has a clear path. Yeah. Yeah. It's wild. So yeah, on paper, it doesn't make so much sense. I mean, I went to school, I studied international relations and then I went into the tech industry because I was really interested in innovation, but like just didn't find that to resonate with me.

7:47And then I actually went to design school where I studied urban design, which does have a lot of impact in why I started KIF because I got really fascinated in the way food systems function in this country. Yes. And I spent time in the U S studying that and in Europe up studying that. And I was really just like, okay, there's a lot we could learn. And one of those was fermentation and just like an awareness of where your food comes from and all these factors. So that was something that also helped me in this journey. Um, but I've also worked in hospitality, like done a number of odd jobs just to like, you know, suffice my curiosity and all that.

8:27But, um, kind of throughout all these little, you know, phases of life, each little bit led me to Kiff to the point where I was like, okay, I want to give something. I want to do this. Yeah.

8:38Caroline Brain:So walk me through what were some of those early stages to get it to market? I know that you just recently went through a rebrand repositioning that I'm genuinely obsessed with. When I saw it online, I was like, stop the scroll. I need to see everything. Like it was so well done, but I would love to hear what was that first product, getting that first skew to market? Absolutely. Yeah. So much evolution since we began. Wow. Looking back on the early days, I'm like, what a whole different life that was. Yeah. First getting it to market. I mean, kefir, water, kefir, soda, water kefir, it goes by all different names, was something people didn't know about.

9:20So I made the conscious decision to start with farmer's markets. So before launching into retail, I will say it was also COVID, didn't have a lot of opportunity to get into retail. Right. But I really wanted to get to know my consumer. I talked to a number of people I respect that like have, you know, done amazing things, I think with their career and everyone was like, you always have to know like who you're creating for. Yes. Obviously, you know, you do something for yourself. It solves a problem, but like you have to open yourself up and just know how this resonates. And so spent the first few years for two and a half years, really at farmers markets, iterating on the products, kind of getting people's feedback.

10:01Do they like this? Do they like that? Is it resonate? And through that transition kind of created, I think, the brand fundamentals that still show up. But our first iteration of the brand that launched into retail was this very almost psychedelic, whimsical, funky brand. Which also looked really cool.

10:23Caroline Brain:Yeah. Thanks. I really did love that packaging too, but I understand the shift, but also that one I thought was really cool. It's like very metallic and silver and funky. It definitely stood out. Yeah. It, it was, I still love it. And honestly, it's part of the brand identity at its core and like their space to bring it back. And I, I look forward to that day because it was a hard transition, but really what led me to iterate from that original packaging, which again, yeah, was very funky and psychedelic and all these things. There's more emphasis on the probiotics. That one where this rebrand that we just launched in June.

11:03So it's still very fresh, has a lot more emphasis on being natural, which is so key and fundamental to the genesis of the company, to what I believe, to what we're trying to do. We really are guided by this like core

11:18Caroline Brain:conviction that mother nature knows best and that, you know, we live in a world with like so many diet trends and so much diet advice. And frankly, as someone who's like been exposed to that for so long, it's exhausting and often confusing. Right. And I just found myself going back to like, what does nature tell you? What are those like time tested, um, elements of health and wellbeing that nature really embodies. And part of that is fermentation. And so, you know, a lot of people are learning about gut health, they care, but it's still, frankly, I still think it's early. That's interesting because it has been such a hot trend, but you're saying from your point of view of really focusing on probiotics and gut from the beginning, it may have not even connected the dots as much as natural is doing now.

12:13Yeah. I mean, I think there's so many factors and one of a big factor is the market, your consumer, what are people understanding? How do you meet them where they're at? And I came into this, I'm like super nerdy and like in the weeds and gut microbiome health. And I thought that's what people would care about. Like this is 12 billion probiotics and it's like super amazing for health. But what I realized is there was a mismatch between the product that we were offering and like the probiotic content. Um, I mean, it's so core to what we do still. Like I still really deeply care about delivering something that's amazing and rich in probiotics, but it's not the thing people go to the beverage aisle for.

12:58Caroline Brain:I was going to say, because it was almost, is this a sparkling water? Is this a better for you soda? Is it a non-alcoholic beverage? Like it could have fallen into a few different areas. And I'm sure talking to retailers, that was probably a lot of education or a lot of back and forth, I would assume of just like, where does this product actually go on the shelf or in the fridge, I should say. totally nailed it on the head. Yeah. It's like so versatile. It's so applicable to so many different things and everyone kind of had their own way of embracing it, which is beautiful, right? Like some people love it as a non-alc option, myself included.

13:39Some people love it for the probiotic efficacy. Some people love it. It's just a midday refreshment. That's like, like all these different things. And so it kind of led us to lose focus. And I think to like, it's such a crowded industry. And so you kind of just fall into the wayside. You're not like known for one thing that people understand.

13:58Caroline Brain:That's the other side of being so applicable in many different ways. It's like that old saying of if you try to market to everyone, you market to no one, right? Because you're not just getting known for one thing, especially for an emerging brand. So what helped you land of like, no, nature of soda. this is the thing that's going to make us stand out. Yeah. Yeah. No, great question. And like, you're totally on the mark in terms of all of this, but our genesis to that was, yeah, this problem of like, we know we have a great product. It's resonating with people, but there's too much education that we have to do.

14:33Caroline Brain:Right. And so we actually went through a CPG accelerator called SKU at the end of last year. Yeah. And like that, we kind of led with that problem. It's like, we want to dig into this. We want to figure out like how we can, you know, not have to educate someone because that's just so hard and so expensive and just almost impossible. It's a whole other game. It really is. Unless you have multi, multi-million dollars of marketing that you could just burn. Right. Cool. Exactly. But if you don't, then you got to get creative with finding a different way. Yeah. So yes, we exactly, we kind of sat into the accelerator with that problem and with guidance from them and just like a lot of iteration, we really, again, got to know our customer and was like, how do you guys see this product?

15:28What do you like compare it to? Um, how do you use it? Like really just did a lot of interviews, a lot of testing, a lot of like guerrilla marketing, and data collection. And the overwhelming feedback we got is like, is this like an Ollipop or a poppy? Like those are two things that are so massive. And obviously, you know, there's some obvious things that lead to that. We're in a standard 12 ounce can. It's a light and refreshing drink. It's healthy. It's like gut health related. And we were like, yes, but also no, because you know, it's light, it's refreshing. It's good for your gut health, but we are like grounded in natural ingredients and being made from nature and are like actually potent in probiotics as opposed to prebiotics.

16:15Caroline Brain:There's all these, you know, little characteristics that differentiate us overall, like we're natural. And we found that that was really the thing that our consumers are like evangelical consumers loved because you flip over our ingredient panel. It's super clean. Like we're not using any artificial sweeteners, no stevia, no erythritol. That's rare. No, like even natural flavors, which anyone who's like well versed in this is knows a bit dubious. So we're just guided by that. And we just find that the people who really love us, like believe in those same core convictions. And that's the consumer we want to talk to.

16:56Caroline Brain:Love how you're connecting the dots. So tell me a little bit. I know that this is a big question, but just like the idea around what you kept from your old packaging to what you brought into your new packaging, because you could see the link, but also it's telling a slightly different story now. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. We worked with this great agency called Boredom Kills Creative, who's out of the UK. Who is so cool. Yes. They're so cool. They've done so many cool brands and it's just been a joy to work with them. Alex and his team have been fabulous and helped guide us in that. But yeah, there was so much, like we said, like so many people loved our packaging and we got that all the time.

17:34And I was like, there's so much here that's great and strong and I don't want to lose it, but we need to strategically, yeah, tell a different story, speak to them about a different thing. But we really wanted to keep our, you know, somewhat like whimsical, free-flowing groovy vibe because we're a very, that's like really what we embody as a company. I mean, I think I personally love that sort of stuff. Right. Um, but definitely everyone who's part of the team has kind of that openness and maybe it's like that West coast, just like kind of totally, totally.

18:10Caroline Brain:It totally read West to me in the best way. Okay, good, good. I love to hear that. Um, but yeah, so we wanted to keep that like overarching feel, but again, and bring in more nature, bring in more imagery of the ingredients, because that was something that we were really leaning into. Be a bit more clean. Something that was a hard change for me to make was to strip out a lot of the color. We're now like more of a cream based can with a lot of greens and we have some pops of colors, but before we were like crazy, like different colors, all blended together. But that was, again, you got to, everything's timing related.

18:51And when you look at the landscape of what's on shelf, like everything is screaming at you. It's all super bold and bright colors and playful. And that's cool. But we're like, we really, we believe that we are so different in just how this product is made and what it can offer to our customer. And so we're like, we really want to stand out. So we took a different route, but still believe that we like, we're communicating energy and playfulness just in a different sense.

19:19Caroline Brain:Absolutely. What has been really helpful for you as the founder to allow yourself to take feedback, know you have to shift, know you have to reposition, even though you love the original packaging, but you knew in the heart of hearts looking at this as a founder and as a business person, like, okay, I see that we have to make certain changes and it looks incredible. But I would just love to hear that advice that maybe you gave yourself to be open to making those changes because I feel like so many emerging brand founders could get very romantic with like it has to look this way or it has to be done this way and changing and shifting is really hard just for humans in general.

20:03Caroline Brain:So what was the pep talk you told yourself that you could share with an emerging brand founder who's maybe on that cusp? Absolutely. Yeah. No, I had to go through a lot of self-inquiry, self-work, I think, to get to the place that I am. And I think that's part of my advice is part of being an entrepreneur and building a business is you have to understand your motivations. Yeah. And like, I'll say lots of therapy has been involved in just understanding why am I in this for the first place? And who am I myself? Or am I serving someone else? And, um, trying to, although relatively somewhat impossible, like, you know, quieting your ego and being like, if, if you're going to do right by your customer, you have to do it for them, not for yourself.

20:50And so what's, what's the thing that's going to serve them the best and not just make you feel like you're smart or you're talented or any of those things. So I think it's really listening ultimately is like, stop trying like, and that's a hard thing, right? Entrepreneurs like probably get a lot of people to start businesses, get off the ground because they're like speaking up and being forceful. And that's a great point. That's a great point. Right. And so shifting, yeah, shifting that dynamic of then like, OK, taking a backseat and being like, what do I need to learn? What do I need to hear?

21:25What maybe have I gotten wrong? And like it's so much more beautiful. Also, I think to be collaborative is a is a big learning that I've had and a big joy that I've gotten to lean into with this new stage. Like at the beginning, like I was making all those decisions. Right. And like that was cool when you then saw it on shelf. But now it's me and these other people and we all get to share in that. Right. So that's just been inherently something that I didn't know going into this that was really, really special. And I'm like, this is the way.

21:57Caroline Brain:So cool. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. I genuinely have been looking forward to having you on. And I know I've even DM'd you a few times of like, I am so excited to nerd out with you because I've just seen how you've launched to now the repositioning new branding. And I'm really excited for your brand. I feel like you have all the ingredients and genuinely, it's a great tasting product. So just congrats on all of it. Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure. I so appreciate this opportunity and you doing what you do, like giving people like me, this platform is incredible.

22:34So really, really thank you.

22:36Caroline Brain:Well, my absolute pleasure. and I will be posting all about my drinks. And again, I'll let my girlfriend share with me. But thank you again for coming on and sharing. Thank you everyone for listening. This was such a great insight and I'll see everyone on the next episode. Bye. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you. This episode of the Emerging Brands podcast was made possible by our sponsor, Hummingbirds. hummingbirds is a platform that connects everyday small creators with brands to drive user-generated content build buzz at specific retailers and capture competitive market share it's a tool that i recommend to all of my clients and one you should absolutely check out head to hummingbirds.com for all the details if you're new here hi i'm kelly bennett a brooklyn-based brand strategist working with first-time CPG food and beverage founders.

23:36Caroline Brain:I have a front row seat of what makes an emerging CPG brand stand out because you're not just building a product, you are building a brand. And you want to make sure that is one that consumers love and retailers remember. That's where I come in. I've recently advised brands like Frankly Good Coffee, She's the Sauce, a new non-alcoholic cocktail line that's coming to market soon, and a hormone-conscious deodorant because food-adjacent brands count too. If you are bringing a new product to market, please reach out at withkellybennett.com. Thank you so much for listening and sharing. You can follow me on Instagram at withkellybennett, and you can follow the show at Emerging Brands Podcast.

24:24Caroline Brain:Thank you again, and I'll see you on the next episode.