Elevator Talk: Whole Moon, Solstice, Raya Fruit Water, Hawaiian Soda Co., Elixir Shots

26:08You mentioned Sephora, Ulta, things like that. So I'm curious about what is that channel strategy and where are you targeting first? Honestly, we're a direct consumer right now, all through our Shopify platform and on fair. We are, we have a social media curator that's trying to build our brand. We're doing co-sponsored functions here in El Paso, Texas with health and wellness brands to get our product into the hands of younger influencers in hopes that the Gen Z population will start to utilize it more heavily. Yeah. One thing I did see on your website when I was poking around, I couldn't find your social profiles from your website directly.

26:58I I had to go and look on Instagram and look on TikTok and stuff. So as a brand who's really leading with direct-to-consumer, I would just make sure that all of those pieces are connected so it makes it really easy for that consumer to find you online, purchase you, all of that. We are very green. I am a physician. I'm new to the beverage industry. And yeah, any type of feedback that you could offer would be greatly appreciated. I think Ali has given some great advice and some great insights into what it takes to be successful, you know, on a retail level. I think, you know, this just, this brand just screams direct to consumer.

27:35And I think making that transition from direct to consumer into retail isn't as easy as I think some people might think it might be. So Allie, I mean, what insights, what information, what traction, you know, could Brett share about Solstice Online that is going to convince a retail buyer that it's going to work in their stores? Yeah, it's really hard. I'm seeing more and more buyers or it's really hit or miss how much the buyer cares about your online sales, right? Because we know that it doesn't translate, doesn't directly translate to retail sales. So Brett, I would say the most important thing is getting super clear on your target audience.

28:14You know, you can do that. You can deep dive into that when you're direct to consumer. But then from there, where do they want to purchase your product in store, right? Are they shopping at Whole Foods? Are they looking for you at Ulta? Are you doing mini fridges at Sephora? Are you selling an Air One, right? Like where, where is using that, that robust data that you have about your consumer and then being so clear where they are shopping in person and presenting that case to the wholesale buyer. Otherwise, I feel like the direct-to-consumer sales data doesn't actually matter, right? Unless that wholesale buyer can see the connection, it's lost on them, right?

28:57So that's the first thing, just being really, really clear on your target audience and where they want to purchase your product in store. And then also, you know, I love wholesale, but it's not for everyone. You might even find that you never go into retail. You never develop a wholesale strategy there and your margin is better direct to consumer and you just stay there happily. So, Brett, I would say the other advice I have is you don't have to go into retail. Right. So just just be really clear about what works for your brand and your own financial, your own cash flow. And know that don't be pressured to go into retail just because everybody tells you to.

29:38I think that's, again, really great advice, Sally. There's a brand out there called Dose and spelled D-O-S-E and they're hyper functional and really focused on specific functional benefits like they say dose for your liver or dose for cholesterol. And they're all over Instagram. As far as I know, they're not in any kind of retail, but it seems like they're doing a lot of really good business direct to consumer and via subscription. So I think Ellie's spot on with that. I guess the last question that I would have about Solstice is, you know, who's helping you sell it, right? You know, Instagram is a great tool, marketing tool, but do you have evangelists?

30:18Do you have influencers? Do you have people who can help, you know, amplify that message about what you're doing? We are working with influencers to amplify that message. We are in talks with a few smaller distributors that have large grocer distribution within the state of Texas. We have some C-store connections through the Midwest that we're trying to distribute through solstice in smaller quantities throughout the Midwest and convenience stores, where you have a transient population coming through and grabbing drinks that are obtaining a lot of chronic sun damage through their window glass, through those major transportation routes.

31:00And going back to you, Ali, we kind of developed this product for everybody. It doesn't matter if you're 18 or if you're 65, you will obtain benefit from this drink. And with the consumption of caffeinated beverages and coffee drinks within the United States, I truly feel like it has a role and can not replace sunscreen, but work as an adjuvant to provide better quality skin, less actinic burden, and a more significant reduction of non-mellanum skin cancers long-term. and so we really hope it can take off and do that. I do too. I'm rooting for everyone. I love, the best part of my job is when you see a brand for the first time, meet the founder within the first year that they're in business and then next thing you know, they are a giant success.

32:02So Brett, I'm rooting for you and please let us know how we can help in any way. Just reach out anytime. You can send us a note to askatasteradio.com or just send a note on LinkedIn. I'm sure Allie would be happy to hear from you as well. But good luck with everything going forward. And please, please stay in touch. Thank you guys so much. I appreciate your time. Great stuff. Let's keep it going with Spencer Bednarik, who is the founder of Raya Fruitwater. Spencer, it's great to see you. Hey, Ray, Ali. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. It's a pleasure to have you. And I love any brand that has my name in it.

32:38So Raya Fruitwater, you got thumbs up for me, my friend. And Spencer, tell us all about what you do. Awesome. So yeah, our genesis, our big starting point was in 2017, we launched an Australian coconut water in the United States. We were 24 years old. We had no idea what we were doing. We did all self-distribution. We took a U-Haul up from Seattle and drove up to Bellingham. And then we had cars lined up. We threw the cars in the cases and we went out and we sold our product. I ended up sending a random email to a distributor. I didn't even know what a distributor was and they're called Dickerson Distributing.

33:19They were cool enough to take us on. They knew that we didn't really understand the system but they knew we had a lot of hustle and so they worked with us. We did that for a couple of years and we built our distribution from Seattle all the way down to Northern California. At that point, we were thinking about creating our own brand and we really thought that the coconut water, what we found running our own, I mean, we ran probably a thousand demos and I think any founder should be doing that because you get so much feedback. Even if you have a billion dollar brand, just getting that direct feedback, especially in different areas of the United States is crucial.

33:53Like a comic, just because your material is good in one place doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be good in the other. So we did that. And what we found is that not everybody likes coconuts. If you go to Southeast Asia, people grow up with coconuts. They love coconuts. And so we really wanted to expand the category. And so we founded Mellow Water Melon Water in 2020. And very similarly, everybody was chomping at the bit to get it, which was great. We'd been talking to the distributors for a long time about this. And we eventually grew that over about a two and a half year period to national distribution, very weekly in some areas.

34:28But we still had, you know, three accounts in Mississippi, two in Texas, you know, so technical national. And then we ran into some trouble during COVID and specifically with the imports of our product. And so we ended up selling that brand. And so we really looked at that brand. We took a little bit of time off and we wanted to know how we could improve upon that. And a big aspect of that is we felt that Mela was one dimensional. It is juice, but you're just offering people watermelon. It is a demographic that's still larger than coconut water, but it doesn't mean that that category has finished, doesn't mean we can't expand upon that category.

35:08And so that's what we want to do with Ray of Fruit Water. We wanted to expand into every category. And so we decided to launch with the coconut water to create that bridge for the consumer. And there is a large demographic out there that's just looking for a delicious coconut water. But we decided to expand into different flavors that we thought provided the best taste. And so we have passion fruit punch, pineapple lychee, and tangerine yuzu. And we think our product tastes fantastic. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel. We're just trying to expand the category out to a demographic of consumer that we previously weren't reaching, weren't touching.

35:46We launched two days ago, so we're brand new. We've been flying around. It's been a big mess. But that's how it is with all new products. and so we've decided we've launched with eight eight dsds now i think two of them have actually picked up the product the other six are waiting on it um we've i did two months of of pre-gaming uh my business partner west flew to new york to pitch to whole foods on the 20th i'll be going to colorado to pitch to sprouts um you know fingers crossed on those we we mostly run the dsd network We appreciate the intimate connection that the DSDs can bring to the market with the merchandising, floor stacks.

36:27And especially for a self-funded brand, you know, we don't have deep pockets. So it's important for us to really build those emotional connections with our retailers, with the store managers. And also, I think you can get into some trouble if you expand too quickly where your brand is not fully critiqued. I already see problems with our label. I already see problems with the formula. You know, if you unfortunately you have to at some point pull the trigger and go into mass production and it's going to taste a little bit different. We're still very happy with it, but there's things to improve upon as we move forward in the industry.

37:02So we plan to start with those initial DSDs. And then we're in talks right now with distributors in Denver, as well as Chicago. And we hope to we hope to expand. We've gotten 50 sample requests over the last two months. So we just got those out the door. That was first day's agenda. And so we've started the talks with other distributors around the country and select markets that we think we could be successful. You now have 51 and 52 sample requests because you got one from BevNet for sure. And I'm sure Ali is going to hit you up for some samples as well. Yes, I have a lot to get to. And I'm sure Ali wants to ask some questions.

37:39Just in terms of the nutritional value, Spencer, if you could just quickly tell us about calorie, sugar count. Definitely. Yeah. And we're not going to be the best in this category. We do have 20 grams of sugar on average across our four SKUs, but it's juice. That's what happens when you put real fruit juice in your products. We have no added sugar. We have potassium. We do add Himalayan salt, pink salt for anyone who's a big runner out there. It turns out you do need salt. And so we put some of that in here, which is a point of difference from Mela. We really are pivoting into the hydration, taste good hydration aspect.

38:11And not everybody out there wants a sugar-free beverage. We're trying to apply to the largest demographic possible. And we saw a lot of success with that with Mela, where, I mean, we spent countless nights, you know, freaking out about the sugar in our beverage. But it's just not what every consumer wants. There you go. All right. I would agree with that. I mean, like, you're spot on. And I think Ali agrees. But Ali, I mean, it seems like Rhea, you know, the focus, so much focus and so much of just knowing who they are and what they want to be and what that consumer wants. But, you know, what are your initial thoughts?

38:45Is this a product you would reach for in the grocery store? Sure. I mean, why not? You know, I'll try any product, right? So I think that's a little bit of an unfair question. But Spencer, I really appreciate the, it makes so much sense now why Rhea seems so professional right out of the gate. You know, your website is beautiful. You're, I'm actually very curious about what you want to change about the label. you know, everything right away. I was like, Oh, this brand seems quite established. So for you to come in here and say how young you are really, um, it makes sense now given your, your history in, in the beverage industry.

39:22Also, I love Mela. So, um, yeah, good job there as well. So a couple of questions for you first, I want to know about the choice to call it fruit water when you just said it's juice. Like what? Tell me about that, that conscious. Yeah, that's a great question. So I think I think two things. One, what is what is coconut water? Is it is it water? It's it's definitely not. But it's just a term that we use. And so what we try to do with Rhea, we are about 40 % water on any of our beverages. And so we're trying to lower the thickness of juice down to more of a water, something that's very similar and has a similar taste profile to coconut water in a sense of its viscosity, its thickness on the tongue.

40:08You know, if you go and you drink 100 % mango juice, you're not going to go run a marathon. You're not it's I'm not going to say it's gross, but it's too thick. You know, it's too thick for that type of thing. So we brought it down to a point, a bricks level that we felt that that it it really just hits the tongue and you feel hydration immediately. Yeah. And that I mean, that's what I was attracted to. Right. Like I'm not a juice drinker, but the idea of a fruit water, I was like, oh, yeah. you know, I imagine this is lighter. This is, you're right. It doesn't have that same viscosity. Really appealing to me.

40:43Okay. Next question. Spencer, what do you want to change about your labels? I'm so curious. Well, so what we did is we brought in like 20 cases and we were, cause everybody requests different amounts of samples. So we're breaking down boxes. We're putting it in FedEx boxes and doing this whole thing. It was really confusing looking from a top-down perspective, which one was which. I had a nightmarish time trying to figure it out, and I'm sure we shipped the wrong samples to some people. I have a can right here. If you look at the top, we don't have a ribbon. So unless you're looking directly at the product, it's not inherent which skew.

41:21If you know the product like I do inherently, intimately, then it's okay. But I think for consumers, when you're merchandising, distributors are just throwing that on a shelf. that your panel is not always going to be set up perfectly. And so we just need to keep that in mind and really make sure that the consumer understands we communicate that we are different flavors. Otherwise, they may just assume all four flavors are coconut-based and go, eh. Yeah, yeah, that was my immediate thought as well, looking on the website. I originally thought that they were all coconut-based. And, you know, I just think about it from that grocery stockers perspective or, you know, your distributor.

41:58They also are moving really quickly. And if they can't tell, if they can't differentiate between the four SKUs fast, you're bound to have, you know, misrotation or like, you know, misalignment in your stocking. So, okay. Yeah, that makes sense. Makes sense. Which SKU do you think is going to be the best seller? Pineapple lychee, I think is fantastic. I thought that out of the gate. With Mellow, we made a ginger flavor, which we thought was going to take off. Or I thought it was the best. And it was the worst. So we'll see. I think it did include a different demographic that we wouldn't have originally.

42:33You know, it wasn't too much cannibalization of sales with that skew. But I think the pineapple lychee is fantastic. And just the two days I've been running routes out here trying to get accounts, I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from it. Spencer, we're just about out of time. But if you can, in 30 seconds, tell us the price point per can. And also, I'm curious about the package format, can versus bottle. honestly frankly i'm just in love with what a can does uh on the shelf i love the branding i love that when you add skews you're you're building a billboard and i fundamentally believe that you know at the end of the day you do want to get sell through but if you want to expand into this market especially self-funded your product needs to be able to stand on its own on the shelf and sell itself and so if that's what your your primary marketing drive is you know we do demos we do do marketing, you know, but 99 % of the time, that's your marketing.

43:30That's your billboard. I think the cans do a fantastic job. That's why we go with 500 milliliter as opposed to 330 milliliter. We want those big cans in there. We want it to be beautiful. We don't have to look premium. I'm not sure if I answered your question. No, you absolutely answered my question. The only other question was about price point. Price point. So right now we're at 349. We try to keep price consistency across the board we we uh yeah yep 349 outstanding well i really enjoyed learning about raya i i feel like there's so much more about the brand that i got in this conversation than i thought i was going to get so uh it's really amazing launch as ali pointed out everything looks really pro spencer and it's easy to see why thanks so much for joining us on the show.

44:17I definitely hope to keep this conversation going, whether it's just on a phone call or if you're going to be at BevNet Live in LA in December. I remember being introduced to Mela back at our event. I think it was, I want to say three years ago or maybe four years ago and fantastic stuff. So I'm expecting just as much excitement and enthusiasm for Rhea. Awesome. Thank you guys. Allie, thank you for your questions and Ray, it's a pleasure to be here. All right, let's get to our next guest for this episode of Elevator Talk. We have Gina Ho, who is the co-founder of Hawaiian Soda Company. Gina, it's great to see you.

44:52Aloha, everybody. I'm a little fangirling right now. I remember when we first got started in our CPG journey, I was just mass watching everything that Ali had put out there. Ali, I have to say you, you really helped us better understand the perspective of how to really reach our retail buyers. And Ray, Taste Radio is like the podcast to be on. So I am so, so honored to be here with both of you, titans of CPG. Well, Gina, we're actually going to give you 35 minutes to speak inside of the regular 10 because you're kind of awesome. I wish we could. Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm sure Ellie is just as thankful as well.

45:39I, you know, I think what you're doing right now with Hawaii Soda Company is really, really interesting and so differentiated. And thank you so much for joining so early in the morning for you. What time is it there? A little before eight. Okay, so it's not terrible. Not crazy. No. Okay, okay, okay. It's still relatively early. Please tell our audience all about what you do. Yeah, absolutely. So Hawaiian Soda Company is real fruit soda made from real ingredients. We, you know, being here in Hawaii, there is an amazing, vast history from the sugar cane plantations, tropical fruit. And, you know, one of the things that we felt was missing in the Bev world is just drinks that marry that beautiful juxtaposition of better for you, but also indulgent tasting.

46:34And so my husband and I, we worked to develop a soda that was true to our roots, right? We took real fruit juice. We use 40 to 50 % fruit juice. There's no added sugar in our product. all natural ingredients. And we really just wanted to capture the beauty of our island home. So we started Pedia in this product 2020 during the pandemic. And we spent a good two and a half years trying to develop something that really spoke to home. We wanted to make something that was better for our community. I think a lot of the local beverages that call Hawaii home, there's so much added sugar, right? Like again, there's this huge history of small bottling plants, why Louis soda works, loves.

47:18There's a huge history of soda here in the islands, but we kept asking ourselves, why is there so much sugar in everything? You know, we drink our local drinks and we call it juice, but it's like 2 % fruit juice. And so we said, you know what, let's do something better for our community. And when we first started, we had really set out to create just a regional brand here for home. And what we found when we launched was visitors from all over the world would go home. They'd send us messages and go, Hey, I discovered you when we visited Hawaii for our honeymoon, for our wedding, for our vacation.

47:51And now I'm home and I'm missing that sip of paradise. So how, how do I find you guys? And, you know, a light bulb went off and we said, okay, well, you know what, what, what is it going to take to really take this from a regional brand to something that could potentially have the likes to go nationwide. Does the consumer really, does our brand really resonate with everybody that's out there? And I think one of the beautiful challenges that we've had is trying to think about how do you take that regional brand and apply it to consumers across the country? Because as Spencer mentioned, just because something works at home doesn't mean it always translates everywhere else.

48:28So fast forward to 2025, we've launched to the mainland. We're in about 1500 doors now, mostly centered in Hawaii and the West Coast. We're dipping our toes into Texas, the Midwest. And, you know, I think that as we grow, we're trying to really be intentional about the partnerships that we create. I think that there's so much opportunity out there. We get a lot of retailers asking to carry our products, but we want to make sure that every step that we take is carefully calculated, right? Like, is this partnership what's right for us today? Is it what's right for our retail partner? You know, back at home, you can find us everywhere in almost every single channel.

49:07You can find us in, you know, natural, conventional, convenience, hospitality, food service. We're everywhere here. But on the mainland, you know, it's baby steps, right? We're trying to figure out where does that, how does what we do at home translate to the rest of the mainland? So I am super, super interested to hear your feedback, Ali and Ray and super glad to be here. Yeah. Well, thanks so much again for being here, Gina. And one channel you didn't mention is the club channel, which you are in as well. And you broke into some club channel stores here on the, in the mainland, so to speak. Talk a bit about that.

49:43Yeah, absolutely. So we just launched into Costco. So we're in all seven Costco's here at home in Hawaii. We're also in a select number of Costco's in NorCal and SoCal. They're doing fabulously. We are super, super excited to break into this channel. It was definitely a long road coming. And I think a lot of Ali's wisdom has made those conversations successful. So I'm eternally grateful. Well, Ali, the next five minutes are yours. I have one question. I'm curious if it's going to be the same question you ask or one of the questions you ask, but please take it away. I'm like, Ray, what's your question?

50:18You go first. I'm really curious. It's about a word on the can. So I'll just give that hint. Oh, no, I don't have that question. Okay. Well, please go ahead with yours. And then I'll ask the question if you don't ask it at the end. Yeah. Gina, I have the same question that you have, Gina. How are we going to make it work on the mainland? So what are you finding right now? Like you were saying baby steps and really having that filter of whether or not a retailer is a great partner for you. So what are you finding is working here? Yeah, I think for our brand, because it says wine and soda, it just grabs you, right?

51:01Our cans are beautiful. We were very intentional about our packaging. but what I think is really resonating for our buyers and also our end consumers on the mainland is just the authenticity of the product and then also the flavors right so hog passion orange guava is just it's a flavor that when you think about Hawaii you're going to have a pog if you come here having that variety of flavors is really oh how do I put this I think that's what's capturing people, right? It's the flavors. But also, I think the other part of it is when you think about Hawaii as a brand itself, why do you travel to Hawaii, right?

51:41It's about escaping your daily life and being transported to paradise. And I think one of the things that really, really resonates for people drinking our brand every single day is it's exactly that. It's an escape to paradise, right? It is a better for you soda because it's lower in sugar. It's all natural. It's made from real, real food ingredients. And yet it's a full flavor experience, right? You don't feel like you're compromising. And so when you take a sip of Hawaiian soda, it feels like I'm being transported to a beach. And that's like that beautiful memory that I think really captures people.

52:15And the other beautiful thing is it's a great non-alc option, but it's also a really mean mixer. And so I find that we have a lot of resignation. A lot of restaurants, hospitality, they use us as a mixer as well. And so we do, you know, with certain retailers, they'll kind of cross merchandise us in the alcohol section. And I think that really does well as well. Yeah. And I, building off the brand that Hawaii has already established is, makes so much sense, right? They have such a history and you're right, that, that escapism that we think, or that I think about when I think about a trip to Hawaii, can really, yeah, you can really build off of that.

52:54And Ray, I understand where you were going, I think now. And yeah, my immediate question was, let's talk about the word soda, right? And you know, my assumption here is that you probably get some pushback from those retailers about the word soda and this idea that craft soda is a diminishing, potentially a diminishing category here. So what feedback are you getting from buyers and what does that conversation look like assuming that the word soda is important to your brand. Yeah. So we actually had a humongous, like long drawn out meeting about this several times. One of the biggest pushbacks we get from buyers is, well, you have so much fruit juice.

53:40Why are you not a sparkling juice? Like, why don't you sit next to Izzy? How are you different than these other sparkling juice brands like San Pellegrino and Izzy and all that? And I think fundamentally, when we created this brand, our thought was, you know what? Hawaii has such a history and heritage of soda made from real fruit juice. And this is my husband's childhood, right? Like he would go have prime rib with his father on Sundays in Kaneohe, and the bartenders would make him soda from real fruit juice and sparkling water. And to him, that's what soda is. And so then you really have to ask that question about why is soda such a dirty word in our country?

54:20And does it really need to stay that way? I don't think so. I think that soda is a very approachable word that it's okay for us to create a new definition for it in this day and age, where I think people are looking for wholesome foods, wholesome beverages, and looking for quality of ingredients, right? And so, yes, we have definitely struggled with that. I think some buyers look at it, even our Costco buyers, right? They're like, oh, whoa, there's a lot of fruit juice. Let me move you to the other department because it's past that threshold. But I think it's important to note that when I think about sparkling juice as a category, I feel like it's kind of stuck, right?

54:58But when I think about the soda category, I mean, Walmart rolled out this whole modern soda category. And I think we fit squarely into that. It is better for you. Our cans range from 50 up to 90 calories, depending on the skew. And there's no added sugar, all natural. And it really hits like a soda. I think one of the most important things that I, important feedbacks that I got from one of our buyers was he said, this is the first better for you soda that actually tastes like a soda. And I think that's really where it hits home for our consumers. That's an important point of differentiation because there's a lot of consumers who don't love the taste of, quote unquote, better for you sodas out there.

55:42And so if your product actually tastes like the, quote unquote, real thing, I think you've got a huge advantage over other brands that are trying to sell the same thing. And I think having a button that says 70 calories for can pretty much right underneath where it says soda also helps people understand what they're getting into. Do you know, I can't believe we ran out of time. I started to give you 35 minutes. So you just got to come back on the show at some point. Absolutely. I'd be happy to. Thank you once again for joining us on Elevator Talk. Please stay in touch. I don't know how often you come out all the way to Boston, but we'll be in L.A., like I said, for BevNet Live.

56:16So that might be an easier trip to see you IRL. That would be amazing. Thank you so much, both of you. Quick break. If this episode has you thinking about what's next in food and beverage, explore BevNet and Nosh Insider, our subscription platform with deeper insights from the BevNet team. Visit tasteradio.com slash insider to learn more.

56:38All right. On to our final guests for this episode of Elevator Talk. We have James Saif and Dr. Lena Delbrook, the co-founders of Elixir Shots. James, Lena, great to see you. Hi, thank you for having us. So excited to be with you. Yes, very excited to have you. We had Elixir shots in our cooler in the office, I want to say a few weeks ago. And I'm not ashamed to say, I think I grabbed 90 % of them and hoarded them and put them, took them home with me because I love functional shots. And I really, really love what you guys are doing with Elixir. Please tell our audience all about what you do. Thank you so much.

57:14Yeah. So I'm Dr. Lena Delbrecht. I'm a primary care board certified physician. I worked in Kaiser for a few years and there was a lot of patients that wanted like lifestyle, natural medicine type of alternatives instead of prescription drugs. And I totally agree with that. I have a passion for preventative medicine. And so I wanted to recommend turmeric, but there's a lot of problems with powders, pills, extracts as far as tolerance, safety and purity. So cold press juice is really the way to go when it comes to turmeric, the closest to nature. But everything on the market is mostly watered down or it's not enough turmeric.

57:53And so that's when we decided that, you know, we should create our own. And so we started juicing back in 2020. Just my husband, his family has a family farm in Kauai, organic regenerative farm that grows red Hawaiian turmeric, which is a premium strain, extra high in curcuminoids, the most, you know, active ingredient. And so we got a great response from our first, our family and friends. It's just been super effective for them with things for like inflammation, fatty liver, cholesterol, blood pressure, you know, all the usual things that afflict our standard American diet induced issues. So we created our first shot, which was the immunity shot.

58:39And that has, I like to say more roots, less fruits. So it's not a watered down fruit shot, right? It's got enough turmeric and ginger in there to really make a difference. And it's only got two grams of sugar naturally. And that's the way all of our shots go. Every SKU, we got six SKUs right now, like matcha, cacao. They are all based around a superfood that people can really benefit from. And so we use super premium clean ingredients and keep it, you know, not watered down. and they're fresh pressed every 30 days. So it's, like I said, the closest to nature that you can get, really easily absorbed, really well tolerated.

59:21And we use premium ingredients, the premium strains. So that's a little bit about how we got started. And I'll let my husband here, James, tell you about recent updates. Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Ray. It's an honor and privilege to be here. As you know, I listen to your show every day on the way to the gym. Anytime I'm in my car, I'm always listening to your podcast. So thank you for having us here. Yeah, as far as recent updates go, we just finished our third roadshow in Costco in Orange County. We did two in Hawaii last month, and they said that we've done record-breaking numbers. So really excited about the success and exceeding the sales expectations.

1:00:02Buyers are very happy, and we've learned a lot from the customers at the roadshows. We've heard, you know, the grams of sugar is something that's very important. we just we're in the middle of closing out our convertible note we bootstrapped the company ourselves for five years so we're excited to get some more capital to help us feel the growth and we are currently working on a rebrand of the packaging as well as the website so i would say major updates are growing with costco convertible note website and packaging great stuff great stuff And as I mentioned, I love these shots and I'm an avid and constant consumer of juice shots and functional shots.

1:00:44What's the price point, James, per shot? Yeah, so price point is$3.99 per shot. Okay, so in line with what we're seeing in the market. it. Ali, you know, I feel like, you know, shots are definitely having a moment in that it's a really easily accessible way to get nutrition without having to drink, you know, 12 or 16 ounces of liquid. You know, do you see it that way as well? I mean, do you see grocery stores expanding their shelf space for functional shots? Totally. And what I'm seeing too is I think that we had such a boost in the past few years of refrigerated functional things, you know, even starting with perfect bar way back when, right.

1:01:27That, that retailers are now understanding that that refrigerator space can capture that audience who is looking for functionality. And it doesn't have to be like you said, to your point, right. A full size beverage, right. I mean, I just said a couple folks ago, I don't really drink juice, but I'll certainly drink a little, a little shot, right? I'm actually curious if you're finding with your consumers that they're consuming them daily, or is it more of a boost when they're feeling, you know, under the weather that they need a little extra? Yeah, well, we're finding that a lot of people, they want to take these superfoods for the chronic issues that they have, like inflammation, you know, cholesterol, blood sugar, all that stuff.

1:02:09So daily is what works best for them. And, you know, we got people at Costco coming back 20 minutes later, you know, like I can already feel a difference in my knees and my feet. Like I feel less inflammation. I can move better because it's just so easily absorbed and it makes such a difference in their, you know, immediate experience that, um, they want to take it daily. So they're, yeah, most people are taking it daily. Yeah. And I'm thinking, I'm just thinking about that retail shelf and the small little shots on it. And just imagine this constant challenge in getting people to discover your product on shelf, right?

1:02:51When you're only a couple inches tall. So what are you doing around product discovery and targeting those new consumers in retail? Yeah, great question. And that's actually one of the reasons for the rebranding. We're very, very fortunate to have amazing partners, co-partners, HPP, an advisor we brought on board who has a lot of experience in retail. He actually has his own brand in every single Walmart nationwide. So we're very fortunate to have him as a partner to help us and guide us on what we need to do to really stand out on the shelf. We're looking at like a new blend color that helps us stand out.

1:03:27So, yeah, just we're really excited for this new rebranding. Lena, she's a doctor and she's amazing. You know, we've done everything in house. She did all the packaging herself, which. Not a designer, but you know. Wow. Yeah. Good job on round one. Yeah. Which customers love, you know, like, why are you changing your packaging? We love it. But we're kind of just trying to take advice from people that have been in this industry for a long time. And we really want to stand out on shelf. And we're finding that when a lot of people, they try it, they can taste the freshness and the potency and then they can feel the impact.

1:04:06So trying it and doing the taste testing. And now we're at Costco, we're doing the taste testing there and it's really, you know, helping to boost our sales. And we have the number one reorder rate on Shopify for shots. and it's yeah because people once they try it always the second third day they come back to buy like seven ten case packs you know because they don't know if we're going to be restocked there yet and so they they come back once they try it so i think that you know placing it in the right place paying a little bit more for that end cap and then doing the taste testing that's where our angle right now with costco yeah as many demos as possible exactly so oh yeah and And those, you said you're coming off three roadshows too.

1:04:48So we're there from open to close, you know, Lena will get off for a couple hours to hang out with the kids. You know, we have a couple of little ones, but yeah, we're there from open to close. We're so passionate. It feels so good to be there and, you know, hear that feedback from these consumers and just provide a great product that helps people, you know, feel better in their immune system. Well, and the feedback from the buyers too, from the wholesale buyers that you're exceeding sales expectations. And, you know, those buyers really notice when you show up and do demos and do the roadshows and all of that.

1:05:24So just having that physical presence is so important as you're building your brand. Yeah, absolutely. It's an honor to be in there. So we're, you know, we don't take it for granted for a second. We show them that we'll work really hard and we'll do everything we can to continue to exceed their expectations. And, you know, we've heard feedback from buyers and the CDS managers saying they've never seen numbers this big before in Hawaii. They said, do you guys realize how much you sold today? You did$9 ,000 today in a road trip. We've never seen that. And we just keep hearing that. And we came here to the mainland and we're hearing the same feedback.

1:05:59So it's nice to know that it's not just a Hawaii thing, but it, you know, it is working. And, and yeah, we're, we're very happy. So. Well, I think Ali alluded to this or just said this, you know, people are considering new and natural ways to enhance their immunity, their general health all the time. And there's just a growing number of people that are reaching for juice shots and functional shots as a way to do so. I think in the JuShot set, one of the things that is a little strange is trying to figure out which brand is right for whom. Do you choose by the package type? I mean, you go to Whole Foods and there's four different shot brands and you differentiate.

1:06:40I'm differentiating them by their package type. How do you try to stand out with that label? What are you trying to really amplify on that new pack that's going to help you stand out among those other brands? Yeah, well, I think one of the things is that we're more roots, less fruits, like I said, you know, so it's very low in sugar. We don't water it down with a bunch of fruit juice. And also with people's self-function, they sell like immunity and all that, you know, but we're actually getting a lot of people who are switching over from powders, pills and extracts. And those, they're just label it as turmeric ginger, you know, that's the primary thing.

1:07:17And like I said, this is the closest to nature you'll get with turmeric and ginger fresh pressed. So that we're finding that, you know, highlighting that hierarchy before, because it's good for so many things that that may be the next kind of angle to go for. So really focusing on ingredient as much as you do function. Yes, exactly. I can't believe we're out of time. This is crazy. Thank you so much, first of all, for your patience and being the last guest of the show. But you know what they say, you know, you save the best for last. But in general, I'm not knocking on anybody else because we had an incredible show.

1:07:53You know, I just feel like Elixir Shots has a great runway. I mean, as do all the brands that appeared today. But, you know, it's great to see what you're doing. I can tell you're looking to, you know, constantly iterate and get better one day at a time, which is really cool to see. Thanks so much. Yeah. James, Lena, thank you once again. Please stay in touch and let us know how we can help in any way. Yeah. Thank you so much. And Allison and Ray, all the feedback and looking forward to connecting more. So appreciate it. Absolutely. Absolutely. Allie, as advertised, just a phenomenal episode of Elevator Talk.

1:08:32A lot of different brands out there, very differentiated in what we're seeing for this next generation of beverage companies. I can't thank you enough for offering all the feedback and advice and insights as to how they can scale from here. Thank you so much. As I mentioned, you know, I would highly recommend folks get in touch with you and your team. Certainly Instagram is one way to do so. But what's another? Yeah, our website, foodbizwiz.com. That's very easy. You know, the tricky part is knowing that we don't have an H in Wiz. Just, you know, B-I-Z-W-I-Z. And, Ray, so we've got a really great download that's connected to a lot of what we talked about.

1:09:10It is our 100 buyer knows checklist. And it's 100 reasons why a buyer is going to say no to your product line and how to turn it into a yes. So you can either find that just for free on foodbizwhiz.com or if you DM me the word rebuttal, our Basil the bot will auto DM it back to you. So rebuttal. I only have one more question for you. Can we get you on like every week from now on? I would love that. But Ray, I can't wait to see you in person in San Francisco in September. It's going to be a whole lot of fun. Yes, it will be. And thank you so much again for mentioning that. Tasteradio.com slash San Francisco, our meetup in the city on September 18th.

1:09:52It's a can't miss event, as well as San Diego on September 16th and London on October 2nd. IRL is the best way to connect with folks. And so, Ali, even though I haven't met with you in person yet, it's going to be a thrill to see you next month. Same. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for joining us. And thanks so much to all the entrepreneurs who participated today. Thanks to everyone watching or listening. And thanks to our amazing team at BevNetNosh and Taste Radio, the best in the business. Signing off for everyone, I'm Ray Lateef, and we'll talk to you next time.