Ciara Launches A Juice to Solve A Common Parenting Problem

0:00Jason:At CLA, we're in your corner and on it. We coach tax strategies and Little League First Base. We help you adopt AI data tools and we adopt rescues named Buddy. We walk your factory floor and jog the local 5K, though sometimes we walk that too. Wherever you're coming from, we're right there with you. Wherever you're going, we'll get you there. CLA, CPAs, consultants, and advisors. Learn more at claconnect.com slash with you. When it comes to launching a business, we talk a lot about having the big idea, the vision. But you know, there's more to it than that. Like setting up your website, your phone number, managing public records, staying on top of compliance.

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1:26Jason:Visit northwestregisteredagent.com slash solvers free and start using free resources to build something amazing. Get more with Northwest Registered Agent at northwestregisteredagent.com slash solvers free. There's ways that I connect to my platform where sometimes something's happening like, oh my gosh, I have to get this on camera. It's almost like your fans and the consumers are like your friends because you're like, they've got to see this. In this case for Frosh, this is so cute. I have to share it because people get to see just how genuine the kids react to it. So there's all those moments, but I think it comes back to just that word I used earlier is authenticity.

2:09Jason:Running a business means solving problems. I tell you how the smartest entrepreneurs do it. Hi, I'm Jason Pfeiffer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, and this is Problem Problem solvers.

2:23Jason:Here's the thing that I think is so magical about entrepreneurs. It's that they can look at something that seems too crowded, too noisy, where everyone else might say, there's no opportunity there. Everything has already been done. And the entrepreneur can say, oh, no, no, no, no. You missed this. Just imagine, let's say, that you're thinking about starting a new juice brand. And you walk to the grocery store and you look at the aisle with all the juices and you say, it is all covered. I mean, what possibly could I do that would make anything stand out on this space? There's already a million juices, every possible flavor, every possible size, every possible I don't even know.

3:05Jason:But the entrepreneur sees something that other people don't. And today I want to talk about exactly how to do that. And we're going to use juice because, as it turns out, there is more opportunity in juice than you could imagine. And this first came to my attention when I had lunch a little while ago with someone who has now become a friend. And I'm so glad that she has Sierra. Musician, dancer, all-around talent. Everybody knows her. What do you have, 35 million followers on Instagram? It's ridiculous. Sierra has partnered with Chris Koch, an experienced CPG builder himself, to build Frosh. Frosh is something that you haven't seen on the market yet.

3:42Jason:Frosh is something you're about to see everywhere. And today we're going to talk about how they are building a juice brand that is different, that is going to get attention, and that is proving what it takes to actually stand out in a marketplace. Sierra and Chris, I am so glad you have joined me on Problem Solvers to talk about this. Hey, Jason. It's so good to be here with you. That was an amazing tee-up, by the way. It was. It was. Thank you. I appreciate it. You are a hype man. All right, guys, tell me where this begins. Because again, like I said, a lot of people would think juice aisles totally covered.

4:17Jason:There's no new opportunity there. But you saw something that others didn't. Yeah, you know, I'll jump out here and then Chris, I'll let you bring it home. But you know, for me being a mom of four, you get to see all types of appetites come throughout the door, be in the house. And one of my greatest challenges, especially for our daughter, Sienna, was for her to consume protein. um you know she really at one point struggled with putting meat on her sandwich and just the basic meal she wanted butter noodles no meat she wanted you know uh rice butter we love butter rice in our house but she loved rice no meat like everything would be like no meat no meat i'm like can we please put some chicken or can we put some steak how about we just try this thing you know i mean all these things you try to convince your kids to do and they're just sometimes really finicky picky eaters.

5:12And so when I met Chris and he was sharing this beautiful concept of frosh, as we know it today, with being the first juice in a box of protein, I was like, sign me up. And of course, the greatest question was also the sugar intake too. I wanted to make sure that there wasn't an over sugary, you know, piece to the juice as well. And so I just checked out all the boxes for moms like myself. And I think that what happens is when you have these conversations with conversations with moms everywhere, you know, obviously our kids are in sports, you know, we got everything from flag football to baseball, to basketball, to soccer.

5:52I mean, every sport, you name it, the conversation that we have is the same across the board for parents. Sometimes we all share the same struggles and that is getting our kids to consume protein. And listen, we always talk about, you know, I think for us as parents, the juice thing can be like it's juice. So sometimes you're like, ah, you go juice. But the reality is our kids love juice. Right. But in this case, we're simply saying, hey, we got the better juice for your kids to have, you know, if you want to have if they want that experience. And the protein component has now been there is now opportunity for that.

6:30So Chris, I'll toss it over to you because I know you have all the good bits to you.

6:34Jason:Actually, Chris, before you speak up, I just want to point out something that I heard in Sierra's answer that was really interesting as I'm thinking about the CPG space. So protein in CPG at this point is familiar to everybody, right? The entire industry shifted towards protein. But when you're talking about protein for adults, which is generally where that category is going, what you're thinking about is supplemental. Adding protein for blank. Adding protein because someone is, they're big into fitness or because they're trying to bulk up or whatever it is. But this is different. This isn't protein to supplement on top of.

7:12Jason:This is actually thinking about in terms of a deficiency, that the kids aren't having enough protein. So it's actually going in a different direction for a different audience with the same messaging and language that's become common in the space. So that's a really interesting opportunity to play with. Yeah, 100%. Do you hear that? Sounds like breakfast is ready. Because Quaker's coming in hot with morning nutrition. 100 % whole grain oats and a good source of fiber to fuel the rhythm of your morning and kickstart your day. And that sounds absolutely delicious. Fuel to start whatever's next. Quaker, official sponsor of FIFA World Cup 26.

8:01Chris, I'll toss it over to you on this because he's going to give you all the goods. I don't know. I don't know. See, you teed it up pretty well. I mean, what we what we try to say is the protein element is it's healthy growth. It's bone growth for kids of that age. That's what we were trying to achieve. and how we really even stumbled across this problem initially was it actually all started with with the ingredient so clear whey protein isolate was an ingredient that we were fascinated with over the last two two and a half years or so and it's been something that's honestly been around for a decade plus if not longer but it it's become more relevant in the last two years you see brands like Seek that's really taken off on shelf at Target.

8:48But most of this is catered to adults. I'd say leaning more female. And weirdly what Clear Whey Protein Isolate does is it delivers juicy, better flavors. It's less dense. It's not chalky like traditional whey is. And it's easier to digest. So our thought process was, why hasn't this been used for kids? Because if it can deliver these better juicy flavors that kids want, right? We wanted to meet kids where they're at and juice is where they want to be. There wasn't an option on shelf that had functionality, right? You have options like Honest Kids, which is, I would say what they've done well is they've hit a price point that allows everyone to have access, but they don't deliver any like nutritional credentials that we wanted to tackle.

9:45And then on the other side of the coin, you have something like Orgain Kids, which is an all-in-one nutritional package with protein, but it's a shake. So it's chocolate vanilla. And so as mentioned, I think on this conversation, it's how do you deliver something that has mom's approval, but also delivers that taste that kids actually want? Because as we all know, kids do not compromise with taste. So that's what we were trying to achieve. And fortunately, I think we were able to capture that.

10:18Jason:Yeah, there's something interesting in the parent market. And Sarah, you and I talked about this the very first time you introduced me to Frosh, which was, you know, it's a kind of parent trap, right? People use the phrase parent trap to mean, I guess, the movie with Lindsay Lohan, which I don't know that I've even seen. But when I think of parent trap, what I think of is my own experience as a parent, which is there are the things that my kid wants. and I do not really want them to have it, but I also know that it's a giant fight if they don't have it. And sometimes it's just easier. And so we have basically gone to the store and said, oh, fine, we'll get the juice.

10:55Jason:And so this is an interesting tension point for consumers, isn't it? Because it's a thing that parents have an awareness of a deficiency in. They know that juice is not the best for them. and they also know that their kids want it and they also know that they don't want the fight over it and so if you can identify the solution that makes people feel better about that particular purchase that they're already making anyway it's like you don't have to change consumer behavior you just have to redirect the consumer behavior a little bit towards your brand then you have an opportunity here don't you 100 it really is jason to your point it's about as i mentioned you know it's the better juice the better choice right you know you have choices you can make right and it's like, what choice are we going to make?

11:39Are we going to go like, we got to be, you know, you got to be as mindful as possible when your kids want to do the things that bring them joy and comfort. For me growing up, I enjoyed having, you know, good juice, right? I mean, or tasty juice, right? When you become a parent, you become way more aware of like what's going in those juices, right? And then also too, it's more so access, right? We live in a world that's way more conscious of overall health and wellness. Back in the days, we didn't have this level of, you know, consciousness that we have now as it pertains to the options we can make with our food and the things that we drink and consume.

12:17And so that's the exciting part, right? Is that knowing what I know, knowing how I grew up, but also knowing how I want our kids to grow up and the choices we want them to make, we want them to make the better choices, right? And so it's an exciting, you know, opportunity, I think to, to be a part of this, you know, with Chris and team and to build what we've built and, you know, to share it with the world. I'm super pumped because it genuinely came from a conversation, from experience, but also conversations that us parents talk about, you know, it's super authentic, you know, to all of us on the team and understanding where there's just opportunity to give the kids something better to consume.

12:58There's just so much opportunity here and we're super excited. And we've just got, we got started on DTC, which was really cool. We sold out first day on DTC, which is pretty awesome. I'm super proud of that moment because I know what it's like when you're trying to launch a brand to the world and the kids are speaking, you know, I, Sienna literally, no lie. I wish I would have videoed this. She grabbed her little sister Amora's little tiny backpack and she was going to have a play date with her friends she grabbed two juice boxes two sets put them in the bag with a few other individual ones like i'm taking this over to my friends i'm taking it to morgan's like you know she was she's so excited she's so proud she's literally a walking ambassador because she's having a great experience and all the kids are like that so that for me is very inspired it's very exciting like i feel like really pumped that the kids are like wanting to champion it.

13:55And they're like, they're wanting to go out there and tell the whole world about frosh. Like that's the best thing to see as a mom. And then obviously being a part of, you know, what we're building.

14:05Jason:You know what? It's funny that you say that because my kid, so you guys had sent me some product and the first thing that my kid fixated on, uh, was I told him that it's, it isn't in stores yet. And he was really excited about that because it meant that he had something special. But then also just because it's new and it's different, I have found that when other kids come over, my kids now introduce them to the brand because it's like a fun thing to show them, which gets me to the question of how to bring this out to market and do some consumer education here. The kids are going to be excited because it's a product that they like and it feels special, but the parents need to be bought in on what you've been telling me, that this is a better product, that it solves a problem for them.

14:53Jason:And I wonder how you think about that and how that conversation has been either going or teed up and how you've been thinking about introducing it to the market. Because again, like I said earlier, the idea of adding protein to something at this point isn't, you know, it's throughout the industry. It's just very new to this particular category and this user, which means that you have to either start the conversation or shift the conversation in an interesting way. And I wonder how you're thinking about that. I like that a lot. I love shift the conversation. It's both. It's starting and shifting, right?

15:31Because it is a new introduction to the Juice platform. You know, so there is an educational moment that has to be had. But it's also something that people shouldn't overthink, right? It's literally, like I said, you know, before it's like, Hey, this is, our kids are going to love the juice, but Hey, let's give you the better juice option here of choice. Right. And then of course, let me tell you why. Right. Let me break it down for you. Like, cause that's, these are all touch points that all of us parents relate to. And so I think there's so much opportunity and I'm excited to use my platform to also, you know, vocalize that.

16:05I'll be honest with you. I'm just discovering something so cool within the community of kids and our kids that I'm like, we should just let the kids talk. Because to be honest with you, they are talking like any, I took it to CNS Black football, you know, game the other day. And literally I have the cutest video I'm going to post it. One kid decided to make his own infomercial. He goes, he walked with you. He goes, this is a keeper. So I was like, wait, what he was like nutritional and then he decides to do like I said oh my gosh I gotta film you he decides to make this cute commercial he's like this is why you should get the juice like you know but all the kids there were some moments I just couldn't get a camera but all the kids literally were like talking about and they all had different sound bites and I'm like this is exciting like this actually it makes you feel good about something that you know is truly good, right?

16:58You know, the kids, they do it for you. So I think we're going to be able to have a lot of fun and the content that we'll create through the Frost channels, but also my channel, the LeBrand's channel, who also champions the brand as a part of the team, the co-founding team. You know, I think there's going to be so much opportunity there. And I've also got to shout out our ambassador committee in general, right? We have a really great group of, you know evangelists that are going to walk out and like really saying to the top of the mountaintops about their experience as well which is so cool to see how all of us parents can relate and we're all connected in some kind of unique way through frosh through the juice right so um it's it's exciting i think there's just so much opportunity um you know to be able to express who we are and i love that we get to enter the marketplace with a different perspective You know, I'm excited about that opportunity as well.

17:57Right. I think what we've been trying to show the market are the occasions. Like what are the moments where these show up in the everyday life of parents, right? What we've identified are you see it at pizza parties, birthday parties, sporting events, after school snacks. and I think a big one that we've identified is what we would call like the lunchbox dilemma right the lunchbox goes to school they take a bite of the protein it comes back half or maybe not at all eaten but our whole solution is well at least they had their frosh right frosh is in many ways can be acting as food so if they can if that can deliver their five grams of protein that's a win right our whole kind of slogan right now is the win-win win for mom win for the kid and so I think moments is how we're going to start showing up in in the marketplace to see and really like give an authentic experience for for every parent to understand oh this is where this is where it shows up this is how we're seeing this product so I think that's that's a big piece for us that we're going to start focusing on

19:10Jason:I really like that you said that because I think that is a overlooked selling point. And the reason I say it's overlooked is because I think too many founders think it's obvious, and therefore they don't lean into it enough. They think, oh, well, people understand what this is. They know what it's for. You don't need to tell people when to consume a product. But by way of example, guys, I once talked to this founder. This was years and years ago. I don't know that this product exists anymore. But he had made what he called the Ben and Jerry's of peanut butter. And what that meant was it was like peanut butter, like jars of peanut butter, but with lots of sugary stuff in it.

19:53Jason:So you might get a jar of peanut butter with little graham crackers and chocolates floating around in it or swirls of caramel or something like that. and and I said you know this is very interesting it's an interesting thing you're bringing to market but when am I supposed to consume this is this am I eating bowls of this like ice cream like Ben and Jerry's am I putting this on a sandwich is this a snack is it dessert are you telling me that I should like what when am I supposed to have this and he didn't actually have a good answer for that he sent me some product and then I watched exactly how not communicating the use cases leads to confusion because it showed up and then like I wasn't sure exactly when my kids were gonna eat this or when I was supposed to bring it out or like what So that you've identified these use cases is really useful because now you get to direct the conversation that you're having with your consumer about where and when this fits into their lives.

20:43Jason:And so I imagine, and I'd love to hear you unpack this a little bit more, because I think this is such an important part of communicating the value of a product to your consumer. Like, how do you take those use cases of those occasions and then translate them into messaging? Like, how are you doing? Is it that it shows up in the way in which you talk about it on social? Is it that this directs the assets that you build for marketing? Where do those show up, and how are you driving people to say, aha, I know exactly when I should be bringing frosh into my life? I guess this is a good segue to how do we market the business.

21:18So I would say, and C can also speak to this, right? We've brought on some incredible partners that have incredible platforms that they've built that speak to mom. And so how do we start incorporating those moments in their lives that would live on social? And so that would live at the highest level across someone like Sierra and her family, as well as the LeBrants and their extended family. But then I'd say a big component for us was how do we then build that community of moms and dads and families that see those moments and replicate those moments across social. So we're trying to create community and we want those moments to live within the community.

22:05And that's what we're currently building for right now. Yeah, I think the greatest thing is like, Jason, I mean, it really is all the above. again, you always have this thing where you're able to like, you can pinpoint stuff in such a beautiful way that it's like, yep, that, that, yep, that's how we do it. But yes, we are, we're going to use our platforms, right? I mean, I had a fun time. I put this video of CNN and I the other day and, you know, she's silly because it was like a blooper kind of moment. We were making a sandwich, okay? So the sandwich part hasn't been shared just yet, but, you know, we were preparing like our lunch, you know, box basically.

22:43And so it is again, to Chris's point, you know, being able to share through our platforms and different ways that we genuinely use the product, right? You know, as you mentioned, there's going to be the birthday party moment, you know, you're just going to be preparing lunch moment. There's going to be, you know, just a simple having fun outside day kind of moment because Frosh lends itself to any moment of a kid's life basically, right? So it's really being able to simply, you know, showcase all the opportunity and range that you have. I just think we're going to be able to have, it's going to be so much opportunity for us to really showcase or share how you should enjoy and experience.

23:23Jason:I think, by the way, just note to the listener that while you guys were answering, my microphone disconnected and now I'm probably sounding a little worse, but we're just going to muscle on here. So that's what happens. Sierra, on that point, I would love to hear, and I bet every founder would love to hear your thoughts on how best to use your social channels to drive brand engagement. And the reason is because every, I mean, you guys both know this. At this point, every founder has to be a content creator. Whether they like it or not, they do. And we know that they have to. And it drives many of them crazy.

24:01Jason:And you, I mean, you have a massive, massive social following. So what you say lots of people are paying attention to, and that is the thing that other founders are building towards. But you didn't get that out of nothing. You got that by really understanding how to connect with people on social and how to make them feel not just like they're following you, but that they are along the ride with you. and I'd love to know how you're thinking about that in particular now when you're either talking about Frosh or thinking about how you're going to be rolling out that engagement and because I bet that you have to walk a fairly fine line and I don't want to put words in your mouth so you start talking when I shut up here but you have to walk a fairly fine line between making them aware of the product but not making them feel like they're being sold to and I wonder how you're thinking about doing that and what your advice is for other founders?

25:00Yeah, I think the thing is just being authentic. You know, it really is. You know, like I said, the video I put up for the, actually the cutest thing too was Baby Amora. She was the first video I shared of Frost before we even released it, you know, to the public. And she had that juice cart flipped up and she does it every time. Like she always starts with the straw and the straw is gone at some point. And she's like, bump this straw, I'm flipping this cart, this box up and it's on like popcorn. as we would say, oh, my popcorn, you know, so I think that it's honestly just being authentic, you know, to the moments that happened in my life and my kids life and our family's life.

25:40I found that to be the best way to build with my fans and to build my base. You know, it's been really cool, to be honest, as a as you have to focus, like you said, content is key, right? So So as an artist, I came from the era where mystery makes history. So it was a great reworking of my mind to even start a Twitter, as we knew it back then, aka X, and an Instagram and a TikTok. To think of that back in the day, it's like, no, you don't do that. You got to keep something special. And then I also started to realize through media experience that if I don't talk, no one's going to really get to know me as me and what I want them to know.

26:25If I let people talk from me, now I leave a lot more room for people to create their own story and perception. So it's like, Hey, let's run towards our fears or the things that make us uncomfortable. And let's start the platform. Let's start the chat. Let's get these conversations going with my fans, because if it's not for my fans, I wouldn't be here. That's just the reality. And it's my fans that are going to keep me going and I'm going to keep lifting me up and supporting me. And I'm like, When I became an independent artist, I was so proud that I had worked years before becoming independent to build my base.

26:57Right. So I was in this unfamiliar territory with still a lot of familiarity because my relationship, my fans was there. Like I really worked to foster that relationship. And it was all from authenticity. I got to give my fans a greater glimpse into who I was as an artist, as a woman, you know, as a mom now. You know, it's it's such a unique world to partake in. But it's so much opportunity in this world if you just simply find your voice and your platform. So for Frosh and any brand that I promote, it's like there's no difference because the key thing for me is the authenticity piece. I don't push things that I'm not authentically connected to or don't believe in.