Hardware Podcasts

Health-Ade Kombucha: Daina Trout (2020)

How I Built This · 9 Jan 2023 · 57m

What this episode covers

Daina Trout, co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, explains how a failed attempt to create a natural hair loss treatment pivoted into a kombucha brand after a farmer's market opportunity arose. Starting in her Los Angeles apartment closet with Justin and Vanessa Dew, she details the early struggles of scaling production, securing initial funding from First Beverage, and navigating the challenges of getting refrigerated products into retail stores like Erewhon and Gelson's. The episode highlights the transition from a side hustle to a $250 million business, culminating in a major investment from Coca-Cola and the eventual acquisition by First Beverage.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
GlaxoSmithKline, Erewhon, Gelson's, First Beverage, Coca-Cola, U.S. Bank
Products
Health-Ade Kombucha

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