Beverage Startups
The Story of Sweet’tauk Organic Cold-Pressed Lemonade
“When life gives you lemons—make lemonade!” We consume a lot of liquids in the summertime due to constant heat. The summer season is the perfect time of the year to release your own lemonade brand. So, what could sound tastier than a nutritious, organic lemonade filled with Vitamin C and naturally occurring electrolytes and antioxidants? Today we have a chance to speak with the founder of Sweet’tauk Lemonade—Deborah Aiza.
It seems you put your whole heart and passion into Sweet’tauk. What was your inspiration to start a beverage business?
There were so many new beverages being made but lemonade was staying the same. So I started Sweet’tauk using cold-pressed fresh-squeezed fruits and less than half the sugar. It made a healthier-for-you update to a summer classic.
Every single beverage brand has a story behind it. How did you come up with Sweet’tauk Lemonade?
It seemed that most new beverages I was seeing – green juices and such – were meal replacements. But as you said people need something to drink and enjoy and quench their thirst on a hot summer day. And it was a hot summer day!
Today the major beverage trend is natural and organic. Why did you start to work with lemonade?
It was an opportunity to do exactly that – apply green juice methods and ingredients to lemonade. To make a natural, organic fresh never heated low sugar good for you lemonade.
At the moment, we can try four different flavors of Sweet’tauk Lemonade. Is there any other flavor that you would like to add?
Mango is coming soon and in addition to our low sugar we have recently starting making sugar free versions, sweetened with natural and organic stevia and still with our same tart flavor profile. Our sugar free version of Meyer lemonade is already available in the Hamptons and selected stores in the city.
Even though founders of successful beverage brands always adore their creations, among the variety of different flavors there is always the one they love the most. Which flavor is your favorite?
The nuance of flavor of our Meyer Lemonade is my personal favorite due to the combination of citrus juices and I am proud and happy that we got the classic right.
Sweet’tauk lemonade is only available to the US market. Are you planning to enter other markets?
That would be terrific and we’ve had requests from Japan, South Korea and Dubai – where the is surfing. We are excited to go global. But its only been a year and a half so we are still working hard to meet demand and opportunities here at home. But stay tuned.
It is crucial to know your competitors. Who do you think is the main competitor for the Sweet’tauk brand?
Our main competitors are the hydration beverages in the HPP set. Drinks like coconut water, maple water, and watermelon juice.
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It seems that being unique is one of the most important elements to success these days. What is the competitive advantage of Sweet’tauk Lemonade?
We are America’s first cold-pressed, fresh squeezed, never cooked, HPP lemonade brand. That said – its lemonade. It’s not about being unique its about our updating an American classic.
Sweet’tauk is still a young brand. Where do you see your brand 5 years from now?
We want to be The Next Generation of Lemonade™ We believe that someone who grows up drinking Sweet’tauk’s fresh taste tart lemonades today will serve it to their children. We believe we are here to stay. And if the next five years are anything like the last five months they are going to feel like 50. So it’s hard to say where we will be but is a great journey.
“It is not how we make mistakes but how we correct them.” What main lessons have you learned when starting a beverage business? What would you do differently?
Nothing. Like you said it’s all about mistakes. While it didn’t feel like it I was lucky in that we bootstrapped and raised very little money to get this far. So, it was impossible to make big mistakes. We probably made a lot of little ones but that’s how you learn. As for lessons, a hundred-mile radius is a good place to start and focus on until you have equal resources to apply elsewhere. That may sound cryptic but anyone who has started a beverage business will know exactly what I mean.
What advice would you give to beverage startups?
Meet your peers. Use resources like this. And again – just go meet everyone. Face to face. First hand. Beverage really is a people business. And its personal – you’re making something someone will drink. So go get them to drink it!
For more information visit Sweet’tauk website.
