Founder Feature: Stephanie McGregor of RINGA

0:02A few years back when I ran a beverage company we had to launch using those plastic sleeves to put our designs on the cans. but they looked bad. The sleeves get stretched out. They don't cover the full can and overall, they just look and feel low quality. Lucky for you, digital can printing technology has come so far over the last few years that now you can launch your beverage brand or new SKUs with a fully printed look and it's at similar pricing to those plastic sleeves. Our friends at CanWorks, which is the largest US-based digital can printer, are happy to work with our community at very low minimums, even one pallet.

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0:58You know, one of my biggest pet peeves is when you see something that's cucumber flavored or watermelon flavored and you turn around the can or the bag and that ingredient is nowhere to be found because it's listed under natural flavor. And I think they just taste better. Real ingredients taste better. I think a good example of that is our cucumber mint where we do use real cucumber juice. My favorite thing at demos is when, you know, people tell me they don't like cucumber flavored things and they try our cucumber and they're like, oh wow, that is incredible. Hey everybody, this is Caitlin Bricker, editor at Startup CPG.

1:34We are back with another founder feature. Today we're talking with Stephanie McGregor, founder of Ringa, a moringa and apple cider vinegar infused beverage with no added sugar and no natural flavors. After 20 years as an operator in food and beverage, Stephanie was ready to leave the industry until her Airbnb host wouldn't stop talking about the moringa tree growing on her property. Now she's building a brand that's unapologetically tart, featured in Whole Foods' 2026 trend report, and proving that real ingredients just taste better. From winning a 2025 Shelfie Award to becoming what she calls the Startup CPG Groupie, Stephanie is playing the long game with a product that's on trend without being trendy.

2:16And with that, it's time for me to sip on some Ringa. Enjoy.

2:23hey everybody welcome back to the startup cpg podcast this is caitlin and today i'm here with stephanie mcgregor founder of ringa stephanie welcome to the show hi thanks thanks for having me so excited to have you here 2025 shelfie award winner i'm staring at the can and i'm i never do this i never drink beverages while i'm recording but i'm gonna do it today so here we go I love it. And Beverage Founder loves the sound of that can popping, especially when it's your own beverage. And it's so good. It definitely deserved to be an award-winning beverage. So for anybody that's listening and is not familiar with Ringa, can you tell us very succinctly what Ringa is?

3:09Yes. So we are a Moringa, an apple cider vinegar infused beverage. So Ringa is inspired by the plant Moringa, which is one of the most nutrient-dense plants on the planet, gram for gram. It is a complete plant protein, so it has all nine essential amino acids, fast-growing, drought-tolerant, 100 % viable, has been shown to help support healthy blood sugar balance. And then, of course, apple cider vinegar, we like to say we're unapologetically tart because we don't sweeten with any added sugars. We don't do any sugar substitutes like stevia and then no natural flavors. So whenever I do demos or kind of the quick recap is that we're kind of like a tart seltzer.

3:51The benefits of a kombucha may be mixed with like the benefits of a modern soda or even like a fruit flavored sparkling water like a spindrift. So kind of all of the benefits without any of the negatives in there. I'm a big fan. I love the fact that you're doing the no added sweeteners. I'm just going to go ahead and read the ingredient label. So we've got organic moringa tea, we've got organic raw apple cider vinegar, organic ginger juice, organic lemon juice, organic agave inulin, and organic apple juice concentrate and sea salt. I feel like I say this a lot because when founders are doing this, I think it makes them very stand out, which is why I get attracted to the brands.

4:36But the no added sugar and the no added flavoring, that is a rarity in a beverage. Yeah. Can you talk to me about the decision making that you went through when you decided to formulate? Was this something that you started off with from the very beginning? Was this like a value that you always held or has this evolved over time? Yeah, I would definitely say it evolved over time. My background is that I actually do have 20 years experience as an operator in Start It Food and Beverage. Got my start way back in the day when there were no energy drinks. Actually, I was on one of the first teams that worked on bringing Red Bull to market in the Colorado market and then moved on to glass of vitamin water and then kind of took a couple different paths with some different categories, snacks, confection.

5:27But what that gave me was a real opportunity to see what's in our food, looking at manufacturing and ingredient sourcing. You know, not that there's like natural flavors. There's nothing inherently wrong with natural flavors. Some of them truly are natural. And from a labeling standpoint, labeling something like a natural flavor gives you the opportunity to swap out that natural flavor, which can certainly be good if you think about sourcing or like during the pandemic when there was an ingredient shortage. But the negative side of that is that I do think manufacturers can swap in and out ingredients and not necessarily be transparent to consumers about what that natural flavoring is or even the source of that natural flavor.

6:11A lot of those blends are proprietary and you couldn't even figure it out if you asked. And so seeing that through the course of my career and becoming more educated myself as a consumer when we did decide to launch Ringa and we wanted it to stand for something more than just a product in a can was really about that transparency of labeling. You know, one of my biggest pet peeves is when you see something that's cucumber flavored or watermelon flavored and you turn around the can or the bag and that ingredient is nowhere to be found because it's listed under natural flavor. and I think they just taste better.

6:49Real ingredients taste better. I think a good example of that is our cucumber mint where we do use real cucumber juice. My favorite thing at demos is when people tell me they don't like cucumber flavored things and they try our cucumber and they're like, oh wow, that is incredible. A real cucumber, imagine that. Yeah, and that cucumber is so good. But it really just highlights the use of real ingredients, our philosophy and commitment of trying to be as transparent as we can. And we could label things differently if we wanted, but we choose to actually state the name of the ingredient so people know exactly what they're putting in their body when they choose to drink Renga.

7:26It's interesting what you're saying about these flavor houses and the manufacturers of flavors and the proprietary blends, because I have heard from some founders that when they go and they're talking to these flavor houses, they can't actually find out what the ingredients are in those flavors. So they are proprietary even to the manufacturer of the product. So if Ringo was to say, hey, I want to put ginger flavor in my can, you might not ever find out what's actually in that flavor that's then in your product. So this piece of transparency that you're talking about is so ultra important. And I think we're going to start seeing a push for more transparency in food, in beverage, in supplements.

8:14and you're kind of hitting on all of those things with your product, if I do say so myself. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, we're playing a little bit of a long game on a couple different facets with Ringa. I think one is that we have chosen to intentionally be tart. If you look at all the data, it says that people want to remove sugar for all sorts of reasons. One of the biggest ones being that added sugar and sugar is, you know, a main culprit for a lot of chronic health conditions that people suffer from. But, you know, what people say and what people do are two different things. When we are out sampling, I think people like the idea of no added sugar.

8:52But when they taste what no added sugar tastes like, it's a little bit of a departure, sadly, because sugar has just become so prevalent in everything that we consume that we are addicted to it. And so it's people warming up to what that flavor profile looks like. I think it's people being more educated on what is a natural flavor. Sometimes it means natural, sometimes it doesn't. I think a lot of consumers are confused just from being in the trenches and hearing a lot of that feedback. You know, and I think that's by design. I think a lot of the manufacturers are trying to put claims or assert things on their packaging, which may or may not be true.

9:29And consumers are somewhat left trying to figure out what that means. And so we just have tried to get out in front of that by having a super simple ingredient deck, truly ingredients people can see and pronounce. And then having that conversation around the tartness. And I think people have gravitated towards the low no sugar space, but then they find out they don't really like the taste of stevia. The jury's out on the actual efficacy and true health benefits of things like erythritol or other sugar alcohols. And the more and more conversations we have with people is just that They actually appreciate having something that's ready to consume that they can read every single ingredient.

10:12They know what it is. And then kind of getting back to tasting real food in the food that they're consuming. So I have a big question for you. The star ingredient in your product, Moringa. How did you first get introduced to it? Because it's kind of become your whole personality. Yeah, I'm like, who knew five years ago that I was going to essentially dedicate my life to this plant that I had no idea even existed. But as I mentioned, I have been in the space for 20 years. The last company that I was working for, I unfortunately had to help wind down that business in 2022. And after being in the space for so long, you know, and I like to say having some real positive experiences, you know, some of the brands I worked on did exit and do continue to be probably items that people still purchase today.

11:02And then I had some great learning experiences. So maybe brands that were still great brands, but for one reason or another, just weren't able to make it for the long term, kind of in this brutal world of CPG that we find ourselves. So in 2022, when I had to help wind that business down, I was pretty emotionally devastated, was pretty burnt out, and honestly was thinking of leaving the industry altogether. Decided to let the dust settle a little bit and decompress. Told myself I was going to take six months off and just kind of be open to whatever was going to be next. Part of that journey was my husband and I went to Baja, Mexico, and we rented an Airbnb.

11:43and the Airbnb property that we rented, the host had a Moringa tree growing on her property. And because it's drought tolerant, you know, it survives and thrives in the desert. And for two weeks straight, we just got the nonstop pitch about how incredible Moringa was and how kind of the pitch that I use at at Ringa. And it was like at that moment I turned to my husband. I was like, I think the universe is trying to tell me something like I'd never really been inspired enough to start a company, a brand of my own. I've seen firsthand the blood, sweat and tears that go into building brands, good brands that don't necessarily always make it for the long term.

12:21And so I just didn't know if I ever had that in me. But, you know, once Moringa kind of came into my life, I decided that this was going to be my next step. And we got back from that trip in Baja and started working on the formulation. And here we are. I have questions. My first question that comes to mind for me is, does your Airbnb host know what you're up to now? I don't think so, but we've talked about sharing our story with them and honestly, like had no idea if it was even going to work, if people were going to respond. We've talked about going back down to Baja and bringing some ringa and sharing it with them.

13:02And again, kind of honoring that inspiration, kind of like an origins trip or something. So stay tuned. maybe that will happen. Please do keep me updated. I would be like, I want to be a fly on the wall when that happens. My next question for you is, it sounds like you weren't familiar with Moringa prior to that trip. Am I right? Correct. So where did you begin to source Moringa and then make this product? How did this come about? Again, kind of having the experience that I've had, I was lucky enough to work with our production team, sourcing team, operations team at previous businesses. When we started formulating in 2022, it was kind of this functional foods were just starting to hit the radar in a big way.

13:51You had ashwagandhas. You had a lot of supplements kind of making their way from the true supplement space over into grocery. you know, had functional as a buzzword, really finding its way into practically everything that we are consuming. And so it was just a function of reaching out to ingredient suppliers and telling them what I was looking for. Certainly not the first Moringa focused brand out. There's there's been Lisa Curtis of Kuli Kuli and our good friends over at True Moringa who, you know, have also seen the power of this plant from a human nutritional standpoint, but also, you know, really helping developing countries where Moringa grows, kind of commercialize it and get it out there.

14:36And so I feel like we caught the tip of what I still think is a building crest of Moringa and functional ingredients. And everything that we do at Moringa will obviously be inspired by Moringa. We have visions and hope at some time to be vertically integrated. As the world sadly is becoming warmer and drier due to climate change, Moringa is growing in more places than where it's typically indigenous to. Domestically, you can actually grow it in parts of Texas, Florida. It's growing in Hawaii. It's helping to revitalize the ecosystem of Maui even after the fires. So yeah, I mean, it's definitely out there.

15:19It's, I think, a new and rising ingredient. And I think, you know, more and more people are finding out about it. So it's becoming a little bit easier to source. But what's so very cool, you know, if you go to any of these trade shows, supplier shows, you can learn so much about ingredients that have been used. I love that you mentioned true moringa because that is where I first got introduced to moringa. I actually helped bring true Moringa onto the shelves at Cambridge Naturals when I was a buyer. So hi, Emily, if you're listening. But it's funny because I don't think I have had a food or beverage experience with Moringa other than Moringa.

16:02You mentioned another brand, but it's just not something I feel like I see. Do you have any guesses as to why that might be? Because it is, I mean, you're saying it has all the amino acids. It's a superfood, even though I kind of hate to say that, but it is. It is what it is. Do you have a feeling as to why that's happening and why we might not be seeing moringa as much as we probably should? Yeah, if you've ever taken moringa in large doses, it can be an acquired taste, quite bitter, quite earthy. And it was one of the reasons also why we decided to use apple cider vinegar, which we know can be an acquired taste as well.

16:43But we felt that it really paired nicely with the moringa. Kind of on a side note, what's very interesting is when you actually eat raw moringa leaves, they're quite nutty. And then once you dry them and use them in a powder form, they become pretty bitter. So we were challenged with formulating and just trying to find that balance of something that was delicious. Because we're playing in the grocery space, not necessarily supplement. What we wanted to avoid was the, I'm drinking this or consuming this because I know it's healthy for me, but I don't really like the experience. We kind of talk about that being the plug your nose and gulp it down and off you go.

17:22So our whole philosophy is this idea of microdosing Moringa. Just like you don't eat all of the food in one day that you need to get your nutrients, you don't have to consume supplements unless you're going for a specific dose or for specific reason at one time. So we dialed it back a little bit. And what we really wanted to do is focus on nailing the taste, nailing something delicious, nailing something refreshing that people could consume multiple times throughout the day whenever they're thirsty or want something delicious. And on the side is the fact that you're getting something, you know, that is healthy.

17:58It's better for you, better for the planet. And then as we continue to grow the ringa product mix. If you're like me, I drink at least three ringas a day. That's already putting me over a gram of moringa and I enjoyed consuming it versus having to take it at that higher, maybe unpleasant dose and not necessarily enjoy what I'm consuming. So we have whole idea and vision of creating not just beverages, even beverage extensions, and then line extensions, brand extensions across the entire CPG platform that again, heroes and incorporates moringa, but uses it at a more palatable level for people so that you're getting those benefits, but don't necessarily have to consume something that doesn't taste good.

18:40It's funny because I feel like there's this sentiment, at least in the herbalism world, where if something is very bitter, it's either poisonous and not good for you, or it's very good for you and for your system. So even though I can agree with the gulp it down and go on your way, There is something, I mean, dare I say medicinal about this when you take these herbs and eat these plants that do have that bitterness, that astringent kind of feeling to it. Yeah. That's so funny. We'll be right back. Are you going to crush it on Amazon this year? It's such an important channel, but it's so hard to do alone and most agencies are a total ripoff.

19:23We can't afford$5 ,000 a month and a commission on our sales. They just don't get it. that's why i love our partners at daybreak they are full service meaning they do the creative work the listings the logistics and of course all the ads all with the most reasonable retainer out there i work with them personally i'm so grateful we have such a good partner to recommend out to you our community they do evaluate your product first to see if it might be a fit so if you want them to have a look email them startupcpg at daybreak.agency and they'll do a free audit for you. Good luck, everyone.

19:57I did see, even though there's this talk about vinegar, maybe it being too tart, you did get featured by Whole Foods Market. They're predicting that a trend for 2026 will be vinegars. How did you feel about seeing Ringa gracing the pages of this feature? It was pretty cool. I'm not going to lie. And totally out of the blue. We did know that we were launching with Whole Foods in the Northwest as a forager brand, but to be included, you know, in their next big things kind of global trend report was awesome. And certainly this isn't the first time vinegar has been a trend. I loved that they called it the OG functional food because vinegar has been around forever.

20:41We use apple cider vinegar, but acetic acid is the compound found in all vinegars, no matter what they're derived from, you know, again, which has been used for centuries due to all of the compounds, the amino acids that are in the acetic acid and how helpful it can be for overall gut health and immunity. I was actually pretty excited that vinegar is what they chose because obviously our inspiration is Moringa. So that means we have a ton of upside on Moringa as the awareness of Moringa continues to grow as well. And our product actually hit on a couple trends in that report. Fiber, everyone's going for protein right now, but really fiber is the macro people don't get enough of.

21:22Like 90 % of us don't get enough fiber in our diets. And so I do like that there's this move back to more holistic ingredients. I mean, it doesn't honestly get more basic than vinegar. And I think it just goes to show like what we were talking about earlier in the segment that people, I think, are reaching for real. They're reaching for ingredients they understand. Highly processed doesn't just mean things you see in a bag, like isolated ingredients are extremely highly processed as well. And I think people are starting to realize that just because it gives you the macros you're looking for doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy.

21:58Those can also be extremely highly processed products that don't necessarily benefit you like eating something whole foods derivative would. Totally. I feel like our bodies are probably like, okay, this tastes good. And then once it goes down into our stomach, like, okay, what do I do with this now? And then enters gut health and all the things inflammation. I mean, I'm not an expert. I'm just like making an intuitive assumption on what's going on. Yeah. I don't think you have to be an expert these days to be like the rise of these ultra processed foods in all formats, right? And then kind of the current health epidemic we find ourselves in.

22:38And again, if you just got back to eating real food produced by nature or as close to it as you can, I think we would probably find ourselves in a different situation. I would have to agree with you. So I have some questions for you about your participation in some start of CPG events. I feel like I see you everywhere I go. you're flying in for events you are everywhere can you talk to me about your strategy and what is enticing you to attend startup cpg events grocery runs etc all of the things i'll have to say again being in the space for so long it's been so cool to see the emergence of an organization like startup cpg i tell everyone it's literally the first thing i say when people ask me a question like, have you signed up?

23:33Are you a part of Startup CPG? Because it really is leveling the playing field, being a small, independent, emerging brand, but then also being, for a lot of us in the community, self-funded, doing it yourself. And you need help. You need help. And the resources that the Startup CPG community has put together literally is second to none. And for us, 2025 was the year to go for it. So we committed to trying to be at as many trade shows, as many opportunities that we could. Because if you're going to do a trade show, even flying, getting a badge, even if you walk the show, very expensive and there's no guarantee that you're going to get share of mind with the buyers that you're looking for.

24:20At the grocery runs, it's a much more intimate space, extremely affordable, especially if they're happening in your own market. And then you're really getting that face time, you're getting that discoverability that you might not get otherwise and at a fraction of cost. I think where a lot of people, a lot of founders I meet need to realize is it's a long game a lot of times. A lot of these retailers have published reviews. It takes a year of hitting the pavement and writing emails and doing sample and doing all the things. But I think you can certainly accelerate that timeline and in some instances get immediate either distribution or feedback that previously used to take so long and was honestly maybe only attainable if you had the big booth at Expo, if you had the broker.

25:08I have a little bit of knowledge in this space, but for people coming in who don't know where to start, it's really providing an accelerated path for discovery at all the events in the community that Startup CPG has put together. Wow, music to my ears. You send people to Startup CPG when they're starting a brand. Now, Now, if anybody has questions about grocery runs, I'm sending them to you. Perfect. I could not have said it better myself. It's amazing. I mean, you basically, Ben, are like, I was going to say groupie, but that is so inappropriate. I mean, if there was a startup CPG groupie, I'm the poster child for it and happy.

25:50Say so. We love it. Before we wrap things up, I would love to just touch a little bit more on your operator's experience. 20 plus years in the CPG industry, do you have any pieces of advice going from winding a business down to now starting your own brand? Anything that you would take from those two experiences and share with other founders? Yeah, I mean, I think my first piece of just insight is that there's no one way that these brands have success. I think there is a playbook out there. But I think the ones that break through are always the brands that take that playbook and do something different.

26:33The whole zig when others are zagging mentality. and that I think that it's important to be patient. I think one of, and I'm not a patient person, so I have to remind myself of this all the time. You have to learn how to say no. You have to learn how to set boundaries and it's hard not to chase every opportunity because you have to show growth and CPG is expensive and economies of scale and all of the things that everyone's balancing all the time. with building a brand. But I've seen it time and time again, where people make the wrong decision, or they're not educated enough in the decision that they're making.