Automated Webinar Transcript

 Nancee Halpin: Hi everyone, and welcome to the next session of Highlight Spark Brewing Up Better Beverages. My name is Nancee Halpin and I'm a research director here at Highlight, and I am thrilled to be joined today by two true powerhouse product builders in the beverage space. Mike Fransz, director of Marketing at Nova Naturals, and Kwame Wireko, manager of Strategy and Insights at Suja Life.

Kwame and Mike, thank you guys so much for the time today.

Kwame Wireko: Thanks Nancy for having us.

Nancee Halpin: Awesome. Beautiful. So to start us off, Mike, can you start by introducing yourself a little bit and telling us a bit more about Nova Naturals?

Mike Fransz: Sure. I'm Mike Franz. I'm the Director of Marketing at Nova Naturals, as you mentioned, I spent about the last 26 years in the food and beverage industry, for the past seven years I've been at Nova Naturals. So Nova Naturals is pretty interesting, we're really, this passionate team of people with a purpose. So we're all about developing better for you products. And utilizing those products is an instrument for change, for both people and the planet.

So, you know, at the end of the day, our team is really focused about our, you know, natural and really, you know, finding a place in the market for our challenger brands. And, you know, we represent some of the, the challenger brands to the market, you know, across coconut water with C2O coconut water, Steve's Iced Tea is another brand of ours, that we'll probably be talking a little bit more about today. Mineragua, it's a sparkling water, that we have in our portfolio that's challenging the likes of Topo Chico in the market. And we also have Waiakea volcanic high alkaline water with a purpose.

And so it's it's been really unique here at Nova Naturals to have such a dynamic portfolio, that's focused on really the health of consumers, but also the health of the planet and finding a way to improve both of the lives and also the way that we treat our planet in the process.

Nancee Halpin: That's amazing. Awesome. Thank you Mike and Kwame, what about yourself and Suja life?

Kwame Wireko: Definitely. Thank you. So nice to be here and thanks for sharing a bit on yourself. So, Mike. So I'm, I'm a brand and marketing leader with over eight years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry specializing in brand strategy, consumer insights, and innovation. So previously I've held roles at Nestle, covering several categories, and I'm currently the consumer insights and strategy manager at Suja Life where the focus for us has really been driving data informed strategies to foster brand growth and category disruption.

I think for us, the biggest thing is that journey from being, going from an individual brand to a house of brands really looking at how we can dive synergies across different categories as well, within beverage.

Nancee Halpin: Awesome. Beautiful. Thank you both. So, diving right in, beverage is a really special sector of CPG.

Of course. We know that every category within CPG has its own quirks, its own particularities, its own needs, but seeing as you both have found yourself specializing in beverage, I'm really curious to know what do you love or what is unique and what excites you specifically about working in that sector of the CPG world?

Mike Fransz: I think for myself, it's really, you know, beverage is immediate. You know, unlike most CPGs, like, it's really one of the few categories where consumer can come in, try something new. And really make a decision instantly, you know, whether they like it or don't like it with a strong opinion.

So, that kind of immediacy like really fuels the, you know, not just how they interpret the brand, but also the overall innovation strategy for how the brand can go about creating deeper connection with that consumer. So I think for myself, it's really that immediacy. 

Nancee Halpin: That's so interesting. Yeah. Kwame, what about yourself?

Kwame Wireko: Absolutely. I think what I'll add to that is for me, I appreciate, what I appreciate about the beverage world the most is it constantly tests your ability to deliver on both ends of the p&l. Right? I think I'm someone that, you know, throughout my career, I've always looked for that challenge.

And I think beverage provides a space in which that's, that's very much prominent. On one hand, you really have to develop and market a compelling value proposition, that not only resonates with consumers, but also wins in this hyper competitive, fast moving, landscape. But then on the other hand as well, you've gotta make it all work financially, right?

That's navigating, complex operations, especially in refrigerated and better for use segments where we work, in Suja, we operate in Suja, logistics, shelf life, things that cost can be really tough. So for me, that challenge is really what's exciting and I see that working in beverage, it really allows me personally to flex more both that strategic arm and then also that creative problem solving.

I'm as well trying the best efforts to really craft exceptional products while also driving sustainable long-term business impacts, which I feel like both of those things are just as important.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah. Well I find it so interesting that the way I'm kind of hearing both of your answers is the way that they kind of interlock as well, where the immediacy of someone either liking or disliking a beverage they've just bought could potentially mean you don't win them back if they don't like it, that immediate first impression. Right. But then Kwame, to your point about the hyper competitive nature of the market right now, it means that immediacy is even more important, maybe more than ever. Right.

So, it's actually a very good segue into what I wanted to ask about next, which is you know, very specifically, there's been a huge proliferation of subcategories in beverage. We know that there's soft drinks, kombuchas, we have, you know, lots of things that are really driving overall growth. But specifically in the non-alcoholic space, we know that non-alcoholic beverages are currently making up more than half, I think, of the market worldwide, really being driven by healthier options.

A lot of emerging players that are coming up and kind of bringing new offerings to the table. Brands like the one you both are here representing today, happen to be looking to meet those demands through your innovation, so I'm just curious what you've noticed in your years working in the CPG and beverage world about those shifting preferences.

And then Mike, you had kind of alluded to it earlier, how does that change the innovation strategy or innovation cycle?

Mike Fransz: Yeah, I think, look, the unique thing about this industry is it's dynamic, and it's always changing, right? You have changes in functions. You have changes in wellness, that are required.

You have changes in flavors that are, you know, reflective of that, right? So it's becoming ever more competitive. There's tons of opportunity in the space, but however, it's very dynamic. There are times where it's fluid. So I think as a brand manager, you really have to really understand where the right intersection is for the product, the brand, the messaging. And, and it's even more important to really make sure that it's aligned with the consumer expectations, right?

I mean, that's really where the magic happens when you can, when you have a brand that is really compelling and it's meeting the consumer where their needs state is and they find value in what you're, you're delivering, as a result of that. And that translates into brand love. Right?

I mean, at the end of the day, we all wanna be loved either as individuals or as brands. And that's the truth, right? So I think there's a ton of different choices today, and those choices are great, but the consumers are the ones that are driving all this, and they're a bit more conscious than they have been in the past, in the requirements that they've got around their functional needs and their taste and preferences.

Nancee Halpin: Kwame, what about yourself?

Kwame Wireko: I really love what Mike, just said. I would say if you find product market fit, the rest of it is a breeze, as much of a breeze as it can be.

Obviously there's still things that need to be done, but definitely that's such a huge, huge point. I think, yes, definitely this is a shift that I think we're continuing to see this shift towards healthier offerings. I think for us, what it's done for the way we work and the way we approach the category is that we have seen that real time consumer feedback and things like rapid iteration when it comes to even innovation are very essential.

You see the trends are moving quite fast, even though generally we see this move to this health and wellness. Within health and wellness, there's so many different dynamics going on.

So for us, we've had to become more agile with testing, learning, and adjusting as quickly as possible. We've understood that it's really not about  just innovation anymore, speed, precision, and trying as much as possible to some of what even Mike alluded to, to stay in sync with these evolving consumer needs.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah.

Mike Fransz: Yeah. I think you bring up a really good point, Kwame. It's like, you, you, it's moving so fast, right? and I think the challenge as a brand is how do I really do a rifle shot? Versus a spray and pray, right? Because there's so many things that you can do in today's market, and there's so many ways that you can lose in today's market.

Yeah. If you're not really focused on who the consumer is, how your product market fit really hits within that dynamic of the consumer, and it's really interesting how it can even drive changes across brands.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah, I'm actually very curious. Kwame, you had mentioned, kind of those, the previous companies you had sat at and Mike with your years of experience, how do you think that has differed from the brands that you guys currently represent versus potentially like working at a Nestle and needing to renovate some legacy brands to meet shifting consumer needs that maybe historically weren't there. I'm just curious kind of what your thoughts are on the challenges for a brand like the ones you both are at right now or maybe for some of the larger historical CPG houses.

Kwame Wireko: Yeah, absolutely. I think for me, one of the things that was very significant about that move from kind of like big CPG to more of like a medium sized range. Just even the availability of data and information, you know, when you're going from working at, you know, say in the pizza snacking categories or meals categories that are a bit more established in that sense to you, leaning more towards the health and wellness beverage segment.

Sometimes even the availability of information can be a bit of a hurdle, so that's where I think, for us, for my team and I, we're really looking at those avenues where we know consumers are interacting in those critical touch points, and we're trying as much as possible to gather as much data and information from those avenues.

That's kind of, I encouraged us to develop new techniques of looking at things. We've leaned a bit more into the idea of in-home user tests and even more natural observation types of techniques to really try to get as much information so that we can actually meet the consumer's needs as accurately as possible.

Mike Fransz: Yeah, I think that's really, that's a good point, you know, utilizing data to inform your, your decision making is so key in today's market, right? I'm experiencing it with one of our brands Steaz. Steaz is a 24-year-old tea brand. Interestingly enough, 24 years ago when s Steve's launched, it was the first organic ready to drink tea brand to hit the market and launch through Whole Foods.

Today, you know, we've been going through a little bit of a reexamination of the brand. Quite frankly, you know, our company, had really kind of come into Steaz by purchasing the brand about nine years ago. And one of the things through this entire process, I wasn't even with the brand at that time, but one of the things I've uncovered, kind of, I know anthropological kind of frame of mind is like the brand lost its why along the way.

You know, we talk about really that product market fit and making sure that, you know, when the brand started, it was all about people, planet, and product. And really ensuring that it was hitting on those, those three key things, and it was the first organic brand. 

During this process, I think part of it, the, the discovery was that the brand had kind of lost its why and some of the heart of it. So I think for us, we actually reengaged the previous founders, we did a non-traditional approach, to this piece and said, look, if you were in charge today, how would this brand operate?

You know, humbly as a marketer going back and saying, look, I don't know all th history here, but what are those things that Genesis, that really drove it? And it's really interesting because when you pair the history of the brand, with the inform, you know, study that you've got along the way of what's hitting and what's not working for the brand, it really can help drive a dynamic change.

And I'm happy to like say we've gone through this process over the last year. We actually. Brought in these founders of the brand, and really got educated on the why behind the brand, but then also started to utilize some of the in-home usage tests and the messaging testing along with the positioning testing to really help us understand like is it the right product market fit for where the brand is? And, we're actually about to take the brand in a flow through, so meaning the current SKUs are gonna flow through. So it's really challenging in that you've got this brand of 24 years. There's, you know, there's definitely a fit for the market in some capacity, but has kind of lost its why.

So we retested all of our messaging, all of our, all of our new product packaging and attributes. We even went as far as doing some, you know, taste testing and against core audiences, right? Both Steaz current drinkers. And then ready to drink tea shoppers to understand like, where's the depth here and where can we go with it?

And I'm actually happy to say Steaz is gonna flow through a new form of tea. It's gonna be first now in regenerative organic certified tea in a ready to drink format. And it'll be flowing through into Whole Foods and, and other retailers later this year. And we just got last week our regenerative organic certified certificates on our entire line.

It's so exciting, right? But we also, with that being great stewards of the brand we're tasked with ensuring that our new products, like are changing out a t after 24 years is no easy task. And you really have to get it right. And I'm proud to say like, I think a lot of the testing that we've done to ensure, you know, is this is, you know, we did some alienation studies to ensure like, are we, are we going to self-destruct here?

You know, how do we ensure that we're really making the right decisions from a product taste and delivery standpoint. And I'm actually happy to say like we've been able to do it and are very proud about what we're about to bring to market because I think it sets a new stage for Steaz. I think it sets a new stage for our brand.

So anyway, very exciting, but it's all driven by the consumer. Right? Right. It's all being driven by the consumer.

Nancee Halpin: Yep. Yeah. First of all, thank you for the Highlight Spark exclusive. Very exciting news and really excited to see more Steve's options on shelves truly, and also really plays very well into the pieces we know about kind of analysis, paralysis and flavors, and there's so many options. So we actually do have a live interactive session, because this is for our viewers, coming up later where we're gonna be asking, everyone to be predicting the beverage flavor of the Summer. So maybe then in September we'll have to come back and rewatch and see if our prediction came true.

But to both of your points, it could change in 24 hours. And actually it turns out to be the number one flavor of the summer is something we weren't even considering, right? So I think keeping up with that rapid shift, is a huge feat for both of you, and you seem to be doing it with a lot of poise, especially in 2025.

Consumer trends shift in every category, every single day very quickly. So, awesome. I think we can move on to the next, and actually, Mike, you were, leaning into it a little bit, which is thinking about both of your product categories in cold pressed juice and other offerings, as well as the ready to drink tea from Steaz.

Teas has an interesting challenge that is, people are very familiar with iced tea. We know what it is. We kind of have an expectation of what it should be when I drink it. Kwame cold pressed juice, obviously having blown up in popularity over the past decade, but maybe not as entrenched or has as high of a household penetration with consumers, right?

So I'm curious what kind of the unique challenges are there in innovating for something that is very familiar to consumers versus a category that's still finding its popularity and its education amongst shoppers.

Kwame Wireko: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think for us coming in to this code press use category and seeing like the evolution we've had so far, it's been quite an incredible journey.

You know, when we first started, we were one of the initial, you know, household names at the time within consumers that were looking for that product format and that benefit specifically. And now we've seen that he category has continued to grow. So for us, that gives us, it's like proof of concept for us in a sense of, okay, this thing worked and now we wanna see where we can take it to in terms of that next level.

But in terms of time, just, you know, you hit the nail on the head. It really is, was just the awareness of not only what the product is, but how to even use it in a sense, and what are the benefits as well, right?

We can do as much as we can to communicate that, unpack and through the various areas marketing vehicles as much as possible, but to some extent, even for a product like that, it needed some level of demonstration where we needed to show not just proof points of the benefits and how they've improved the lives of consumers, but how consumers have been good there, right? In terms of like the different things that they did with it, not just drinking it, directly, but even, you know, fusing it into their routines and their day-to-day life.

So for us, the, the main thing for us was to really meet our consumers at those critical points where they were going to interact with our product the most. We understood that consumers that would be interested in a product like this, like those initial like innovators, right? The consumers that would initially be leaning more towards the cold press juice space.

We knew the different kinds of media they're interacting in with and we also knew the places where they were shopping. So it took some time since, to some extent moving from the traditional big more classical brick and mortar retailers to, you know, places like Whole Foods where we knew that okay, this, where that consumer is going and understanding what it's gonna take to really meet that consumer there.

And now that it's become more of a, it is a category or a subcategory that's getting more into that mainstream space as well, we are doing our best to adjust and continue to meet our consumers where they're going now today.

Nancee Halpin: Awesome. Mike, anything as well for you and, and especially even outside of Steaz, but the other Nova Naturals brands, just kind of the challenges of, to your point, how do you not alienate people who love your iced tea?

Mike Fransz: Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, it's a delicate procedure if you would, right? Because no one wants to have to change the brand. It's not, but you do have to adjust the brand, so that it makes sense for consumers that are continually shifting, right? It's all about, you know, really sticking with your core consumer, and then also, how do I take more consumers within the category on this beautiful ride with us, right? But that's, not a nice theory, Mike, but how do you get there is through data, right? It's through understanding, it's through really developing, you know, a strategy, if you would, that's ingrained in, you know, a process of understanding, okay, our consumer, our core consumer lives and operates like this.

And here are the consumer touch points and where we interact with them, just like Kwame said. And not just interact with them, but can create an emotional connection with them so that there's this, you know, love back and forth of, of our brands going into their household, and we want, we want to really be the right evangelist for the brand, right? and being the right evangelist isn't just talking about your brand, it's really making sure that at the point of connection it's real. Right?

Nancee Halpin: Right.

Mike Fransz: And the way that it becomes real is in the setup process. Believe it or not, it's not just in going out and meeting a consumer, it's actually in the setup process like. how thoughtful are you about your brand? How intentional are you with those points of interaction, with the consumers? And at the end of the day, does the product make sense for the consumer needs set? Because they'll determine if it doesn or doesn't, so you, you gotta really make sure you do your research and that you have everything properly set up and aligned.

And that's part of the unique science behind the data, the process, and really making sure that you can bring things to market. And we use data in different ways across our, our different brands. You know, we do different types of in-home usage tests, for new products and for new offerings.

But we also utilize some consumer panel data to inform us on, you know, how we're doing against both our competitive sets,  and then just like Kwame mentioned, like, you know, why this retailer and not this retailer really understanding the makeup of the consumer at the retailer. Because I would love to say we're everywhere and everyone loves us, but that's just not true.

That's just not true. The consumers that enter different store sets have a unique quality and desirability of things that are unique to them and better, you know, different retailers. The same way you have to have product market fit. You have to make sure that you're triggering and the levers for the right retailer at the right place, for the right consumer.

And there's better fits for different brands at different retailers, right? So it's really unique. You know, I'd love to say there's one size fits all, but with the proliferation of, you know, brands and functions and different needs from the consumer, it just means that there's more competition for what I would call the share of mouth, right?

So you really need to make sure that you fit well within the consumer target that you're trying to talk to.

Kwame Wireko: Yeah. I really like, sorry, I didn't mean to cut in there, but I like what Mike said a lot about need, you know, it reminds me of something that we used to stress a lot back when I was in Nestle and the accelerator was the focus on the job to be done versus even the solution that's doing that job.

This idea that if you're trying to, let's say hammer a nail into something, a hammer can do that. You know, there's other tools there that can do that, but at the end of the day the focus should be, you're trying to hammer this, you're trying to get this new into something to bind something together.

Right? So for us coming into the category, knowing that obviously we're coming into a format that was maybe more nascent and was not maybe well as established as other formats could produce. The format may have been nascent, but the need for functionality, the need for that specific type of nutrition wasn't then, right.

This is something that people have needed for, for a long time now, so we had to really focus on that and understand what they were using today, what consumer using today, whether it was supplements or anything else that was an alternative. What they liked about those things, if those things were driving the deliverable satisfaction they were looking for.

And those were kind of like the pick points that we really focused on to really drive home how our format the code, press, juice, beverages, could get to that need and get to that need better than whatever that we're using today.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah. I love that. I think that's incredible and it really, I'm very inspired to hear, obviously I'm very happy to hear that you like to use data and insights as a researcher, I love that! But also I think what I'm hearing really from the both of you through many of your answers, is pulling back to the heart of the mission, committed to the mission, remaining aware of what your end goal is. And I think that speaks really well to what you were just talking about, Kwame, which is what is our job to be done?

Of course we wanna, you know, sell a lot of beverages and get people to like us, but are we looking to enrich their health and nutrition? Are we looking to provide them with things that they may not have had filled in a newer format before? Right. So I like hearing you guys really speak about the innovation amongst consumer trends driving those shifts, but also remaining committed to who are we and what did we build this company and these products for?

Mike Fransz:  Yeah, I, I wrote that down, Kwame. I love that line, man. What is the job to be done? I mean, that is such a, not, it's not just quotable, but it's actionable. I love it. You know, I'm taking that back. I'm learning here today too, so thank you.

Kwame Wireko: Mike, we gotta get some T-shirts going. We gotta put on T-shirts and hey, what's the job you done?

Nancee Halpin: That's pretty good. I like that. I'm also picturing like an equation formula of like, you have the nail, you have the hammer, or you don't have the hammer, but what are you missing?

But does that actually equal a solve? No. Maybe not. So no, I love, I loved the hammer and nail example because as I was sitting there, I was just thinking, wow, the whole time Kwame's talking, I'm thinking where's he gonna get the hammer from? But that's not. The focus. Right? That's the exact example you were just trying to share.

Right. So, I love that approach in business. I love that approach in CPG products as well. I think something I see a lot is people craving authenticity in a very digitally ubiquitous world. So hearing you both speak to the consumer and wanting to meet their needs in a way that feels comfortable and familiar to them, it's very heartening.

So I love to hear that. I think that's amazing. Yeah, go ahead.

Mike Fransz:  Oh, and you just, you just spoke to authenticity and it just triggered that. Yeah, thought on one of our brands, we, C2O Coconut water, you know, like we've been in the coconut water game now for 14 plus years.

We're the number two coconut water brand in the United States, we have a little bit, we've always been a little maybe, self-focused on our package, like it's not traditional. So like our 17.5 ounce can has these very unique ribs on it and part of that is because it comes from Thailand where they have the best coconuts in the world, right?

So the product tastes absolutely amazing, but we've always been a little self-conscious of, of our ribbed cans because it's a little bit different than the market. It's not sleek and sexy and all these things, and what's really interesting is as a marketer, you're like, oh, we need to change that, and it was so interesting.

We just did this data study, and not even data study, it was actually a consumer, uh, study and quant study. And then we got into the qualitative portion of that and we went, oh my goodness our consumer loves the ridges. Why?

Nancee Halpin: Wow. Yeah.

Mike Fransz: Why? Because of authenticity. It adds that. For how they see coconut water being meaningful to them with this unique source from Thailand. So it, we almost were like, oh my goodness, did we, did we mess this up? And we didn't, we were so worried about like, did we make the change or do we not make the change? But as a marketer, like just having that kind of informed decision from the consumer's perspective.

It can almost change your, it changed how we see our product, right?

Nancee Halpin: So yeah, kind of put it on its head almost. You know, that's a very different thing that to your point, you were thinking, well, it doesn't look like the other ones, it's not as sleek and smooth, right? So what are we doing? But that was actually such a value add to a lot of people.

So I think that's such a great example. That's really, really cool.

Mike Fransz: Yeah, it's pretty cool. So we're looking at how do we differentiate that but still also modernize in certain areas because there's different channels now for different packages even. So, yeah.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah, I, as you brought that up, I also was thinking about the Tropicana.

Kind of refresh that, you know, felt, I think people said it felt, you know, that the original was too dated. It, didn't look like the newer logos and things, and then as soon as it came out, the uproar of removing the familiarity, the trust, right, that they already have built in that brand as well. So, I think that's such a great example, Mike, of like, we have our own feelings about things, and we have our own perspective of our company, our brand, our things that we own. But truly, what is the group at large happy with? What are they saying and what are they noticing that maybe we didn't before? I think that's my favorite part of research and insights is helping uncover things that maybe weren't even a hypothesis in someone's head first.

And so speaking of not tweaking that, can, I actually am gonna kind of flip it on the other side. And I'm curious, you know, in prioritizing consumer-centric innovation and development, can you name an example or a story of a time that you did make a change based on some research that you ran or insights that you uncovered that maybe helped you feel confident, no, we need to shift it in a different direction.

Kwame Wireko: I was just gonna say, I think for us, a good example would be our recent launch. We recently launched, this skill called Sunrise Greens, to Kroger, and this is literally fresh, because it's a couple weeks, only been a couple weeks out in market.

But I think the journey of what the product development looked like, really speaks to this question because we had originally set out to position it as just another sweet green juice. In essence, we wanted it to hit all the different things that the sweet Juice consumer within the green juice space was looking for.

And then just for context, right? Within green juice, it's a bit of a skill that we usually develop within. So we go from the earthy to the sweeter, obviously difference in taste profile, but also difference in terms of kind of like the health and nutrition of the item itself. And we, once we identified that gap within industry, we wanted to fill that gap with this product.

However, we spoke to consumers across, there's several different medium, and consumers led us to uncover a big opportunity, the opportunity to basically position this item as a better for you orange juice substitute. We saw through speaking to those consumers that they, the consumer that would've liked the product like this within the sweet green juice segment over index with the consumer that currently also shops within the breakfast beverages or the orange juice segment as well, in terms of the things that they were looking for.

And we saw that, that consumer shopping in orange juice today, their needs were not being met, especially when we, we thought about, from the health and wellness side of things. So that insight inspired us to not necessarily pivot completely from lunch and the sweet green juice, but to be a bit more into that breakfast location, larger format, highlighting functional benefits like vitamin C and then ultimately meeting consumer's needs around taste, health, and then also what exactly do we're looking for within that occasion. And we ended up having a much more compelling, competitive proposition and retailers loved it. We've gotten a lot of good feedback so far, and we called it, it's like the first green oj, and we're really excited to see how, kind of like it does in market, but that's one of one way where we, we pivoted a little bit and change directions to fully capitalize on opportunity based on consumers feedback.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah, I think that's so cool because it reminds me of Mike, what you were talking about earlier, which is the unique relationship, not only between your brand and consumers, but your brand and retailers and those retailers, consumers. So hearing you talk Kwame about how it impacted, like maybe in store location or just the way that you are getting people exposed to it in a grocery store, which has its own science of how grocery stores are mapped out, right, is really exciting where it didn't have to be, Oh no, this formula wasn't it? No, it's, it.

We know people like it and they want it, but we just have to message it in the right way based on the information we know about these people. So I I love that. Mike, what about you?

Mike Fransz: I think for, I think for myself, really is with our C2O coconut water line.

We have, we've traditionally sold in single serve 17.5 ounce cans, since our inception. When I, when I came into the brand, I, you know, was, I was looking at, you know, the different things happening in the greater marketplace, across sparkling water, across soda, across all these different things.

And kind of, you know, for me, I was the task for the mission for me was really how, how can I share this amazing beverage that people love? They love our 17.5 ounce cans with more people, but, and the issue really was, it kind of hit me like not just at shelf when I looked and did a survey of the stores and then across different categories, but it also hit me at home.

I was bringing home these 17.5 ounce cans and doing my own little IHUT with my children, right. We're all data scientists in some ways. Yes, I have an N of five, I have five kids, so we were trying,

Nancee Halpin: Every opinion counts, right?

Mike Fransz: But every opinion counts. Right. So, yeah. What was really interesting was I started sharing these 17.5 ounce cans with my kids, and they couldn't finish them.

Here's my 14-year-old. She couldn't finish one. Wow. Here's my 13-year-old. He couldn't finish one. He was finishing them after soccer, but he wasn't really finishing them. And I'm like thinking about this. I'm like looking at our total, you know, consumer set and the age of our consumer set. And I'm going, well now when I stepped into this, it was seven years ago that.

That we had started, so now our consumers aged up seven by seven years. How do I make coconut water more relevant to the consumers of today and their kids? Right? Because everybody out there needs hydration. And so looking at some of this feedback, we started to learn through data and also through some consumer studies that, gosh, you know, people love smaller packages.

There's a need for a smaller package type. We have a great tasting product, but it's not resonating across the family. How can I grow more share of, of mouth, but then more, more mouths within a household? Yeah. And so one of the things that we did was we, we were the first really to put coconut water in a can in a fridge pack.

And we launched our fridge pack three years ago in a small test market. It's now the, the leading dollar growth item in the category across the board. It is a phenomenal product, and we're only getting more, you know, sub subcategories of that product coming out. But it's really interesting.

It's really helped us build consumer trust because now we're entering the home and we're getting a one to many sampling that can be shared out at parties. Or taken very easily to soccer practice or, you know, developed and placed in a cooler re really easily. And it's so easy and convenient.

They just grab one right out of the package that fits right into your fridge. It's very, very easy. Right. So there's, there's a lot of benefits there, but what's really interesting is, you know, not only is it just a love of consumers, but they're also sharing it, right? So what was happening was people would come in and buy our product at the time, two for four, right?

But what happens is you get two of these things. You spent four bucks on it, and mom and dad don't wanna share it. That's mine. Because last thing you want is your kids taking half of it and then leaving that other half to spoil. So what, so what occurs when you have an 8-pack? Hey, you want one, and you promote internal sharing within your household.

So it was really, really interesting on that dynamic. But when it comes to getting more placement in the store, that's where, where the rubber really hit the road. So not only do we get informed on the consumer side of things, but we also got, you know, some of the proof in the pudding with the dollar value being driven through the category.

Which has allowed us to get more floor space on display in store, and, you know, beyond shelf activities. So it's been really a dynamic, product for our set.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah no, that's incredible. And I think one of the most interesting parts about the work that I get to do is similarly, understanding, okay, is this the right consumer for my product?

Maybe, but what happens when they take it home? What happens then, right? How can we help understand or measure the impact of your brand truly beyond someone that I might not be able to reach with a market research panel and run a survey, but I can understand through whoever is primarily responsible for shopping in the household.

How do they like this brand? What is their frequency of shopping? Who are they sharing it with? What events are they bringing it to that might then share that shit? Spread that share of mouth as well. So no, I think that's, I think that's really insightful because it's one of the most important and exciting parts of the work that I do on the research end is it doesn't just stop with whoever pays, whoever hands over their credit card.

Right? It goes so much further than that. Beautiful. So we have a couple of minutes left. I wanna shift gears tiny bit and ask very specifically about your individual brands. So Kwame, specifically about Suja life, you know, the past several years. I know personally I've seen its explosion in popularity just through the way it comes into more stores, especially across New York, small delis, every corner store, things like that.

It's been an incredible journey and I'm just curious to hear what are plans for continuing that success on shelf and maybe where can people find a bottle if they've never tried Suja life before?

Kwame Wireko: Definitely. And that New York region specifically the sales person that leads, that is a very close buddy, so shout out to him, but definitely, yeah. So we, we've had, you know, I think I mentioned before, we've had an incredible journey. When we first, when Suja first started, we started with Suja, cold Press juices, and it was really built on a commitment, a high quality ingredients and functional wellness, right?

Those were the things that we lean into, to really drive that resonance. And then also of course, support from strategic retail relationships that helped us scale quickly and then established or further established that credibility with consumers. Since then, we've evolved into a house of brands with Suja and Vibe shots.

And then now our newly, launched Slice, this is our Better for use Soda, which is now Yeah, in major national retailers. And while the formats themselves have diversified. Really, the mission hasn't changed, right? Making wellness successful and enjoyable, enjoyable has been something that's been a constant for us, no matter how much the diversification.

And now we're focused on becoming that brand led organization. How do we invest more in marketing and storytelling to build that emotional connection that Mike had referenced, and then on that, and leverage that to scale up. And so that for us has been the biggest thing and you, and it's testament to the way the organization is evolving, where our brand led teams are being built out and we have more and more folks joining us that will help us drive that, um, brand first expansion and growth diversity and across our categories in terms of where you can find us in all major national groceries across the country.

And then of course your online as well. And yeah, definitely. Please feel free to send as many selfies as possible if you do see any of our items on shelf, especially with a slice, where we're really excited to see the interaction feedback we're getting so far.

Nancee Halpin: That's, that's been a really exciting one as someone who grew up with the original slice, that's been a very cool thing to see, so congrats and good luck with all of that, truly. And then Mike, you know, thinking about Nova Naturals, you talked to us a little bit about Steaz, about C2O, several brands under the umbrella and portfolio, but you know, I'm curious, we talked a little bit about renovating an existing product, or excuse me, a familiar product.

I'm curious how innovation at Nova Naturals changes from something like an iced tea versus a coconut water, which isn't a new product, but is newer in popularity as well. Similar to cold pressed juices at Suja life. I think in the last 10 years of health and wellness, coconut waters come up as well.

So I'm curious maybe how your innovation changes between the two and how you'd like to see that continue moving forward.

Mike Fransz: Yeah, I don't think there's a one set thing for either brand. I think it's very unique to each brand. C2O is experiencing tremendous growth right now, and it's just built on its authentic roots and really developing, you know, high quality coconut water and now organic coconut water and delivering it to people and formats that, you know, fit their need and, and deliver upon that.

You know, moment of hydration, does and does it in just a great tasting way at a great price. And you know, I think we really fit that market need for, you know, minimal ingredients, high quality and just great tastes, you know, so when you have all of those key things, it's like. Really just expanding on it, you know, is a way of to building trust and we've got a few things that we're working on.

I can't give away our whole innovation pipeline, but we have some very fun products coming out in the next few years, and we're taking, we always take kind of a long approach, with our innovation. And it has to be structured in a manner which is gonna drive, you know, not just total value for the organization, but also value for the consumer.

At the end of the day, it's about the consumer and finding the right product market fit to little, deliver on those needs. So, I'm confident that our team can do that, with C2O. We're passionate about people, we're passionate about our products. And we really try to deliver, the best products that can have an impact on the lives of the people on the planet.

So, for us, you know, we're the sky's the limit. I think Steaz is really turning a corner in a dramatic way. I. Where, you know, we've renovated this 24-year-old brand. We've brought the founders back into the core story and we've really repositioned it, utilizing thoughtful data and insights to be a market leader again in the, in the marketplace.

While doing this in a format that helps really deliver on the value of our core consumers. And expands really uniquely across the category. So we, I think that brand is really uniquely positioned for growth.You can find Steaz at Whole Foods as well as C2O at Whole Foods.

But, you know, you can find C2O at a majority of national retailers as well. But we do have some unique offerings. So, you know, I think, there is not a one size fits all when it comes to the consumer, the data and the insights, but I kind of, I kind of look at it as an obstacle course race, right?

Where it's not just about making it through the race. Yeah. But it's also about, you know, getting up and over the different challenges that each brand faces every day and really making the most of the opportunities when you have them on course. Yeah. And so, you know, when you maximize the value of that, you're gonna finish strong, both in consumers, love for your brand, and also on your balance sheet.

Nancee Halpin: Yeah. That's incredible. I know I speak for everyone at highlight when we say that we're really excited to see what both Nova Naturals and Suje Life are gonna bring us this year and beyond. Unfortunately we are about out of time, but just wanna thank you both again so much for spending this time with me today for the great conversation.

I wanna thank all the viewers for tuning in. I hope you're enjoying Highlight Spark and stay around for the next session, and definitely just reach out if you guys have questions about Suja life or Nova Naturals and where you guys can find it.

Thanks so much guys.

Mike Fransz: Awesome. Thank you. Thanks for having us, Nancy, and nice to meet.