Marketing Happy Hour - Impact-Driven Small Business Marketing | Taylor Prater of Mother Kombucha

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, Taylor. How are you? Welcome to the show. Hi, I am good. Thank you guys so much for having me today. This is awesome. Yes. Yes. So very excited. We are, we're all kind of locally tied in to one another. And I know Erica and I have both just loved the brands you've been involved with for very long and so very excited to chat with you and hear more about behind Mother Kombucha and Made Coffee. And we'll of course get into that. But I have to know what is in your glass this afternoon? What are you sipping on or what are you enjoying most recently from Made or Mother Kombucha? Okay. So it's in the bottle. Um, this is our arise. It's always in arise. This is my afternoon beverage. Yes. So this is our, so arise is a mango peach ginger. It's, um, it's one of our newest beverages from other kombucha. It's part of our alchemy line

Starting point is 00:00:59 and it is just beautiful and I'm obsessed with it and addicted to it. And I hope everybody else is too, because it's crushable and it has a hundred milligrams of caffeine in it, which is rare for kombucha. But the caffeine is from Guayusa, which makes it, it's like a, it's like a slow release. So you don't get jittery and weird, which I tend to, if I have too much caffeine. So yeah, it's, it's lovely. So that's usually, I usually do coffee in the morning, then a ride in the afternoon. Yes. Yes. I too have in a rise with me. Oh yeah. And yes, cheers. And I feel like it is perfect to your point. And it's so funny. I didn't even notice until I looked at the bottle today. I was like, oh my gosh, a hundred milligrams of caffeine, which is great because it is we're recording at three o'clock and I'm hitting that like three o'clock. So it's good to have before happy hour. Yeah. Yes. And it

Starting point is 00:01:51 tastes so good. So it's, it's perfect. I'm a huge fan. What about you, Erica? Oh my gosh. Well, I am not sitting on an arise, but I am sipping on a serene. It's the guava flavor. And I was just feeling a little more serene right now. So I picked this one in the bottle. You're like, yeah, you're like on the opposite mode. So we did a ride and then we formulated serene to kind of be the answer to a rise. So I like to do serene in a wine glass around like six or seven if I'm trying not to drink alcohol. Yeah. Yeah. And Serena is beautiful. Yeah, she's beautiful. So I'm glad you guys are both enjoying they're both part of our new alchemy line. And they're both there are two newest products. So like, love. Oh, my God. Absolutely

Starting point is 00:02:35 love. I'm always down for a good kombucha. So we have one more that we're launching in August. That'll be our alchemy line. So yeah, stay tuned. It's going to be really, it's going to be delicious. Yeah. Love that. Oh my gosh. Well, we cannot wait to try that. And I want to get into the conversation here to tell us a little bit about your journey, getting involved with Mother Kombucha and co-founding Made Coffee, which is a coffee brand based in Florida here that I have had a lot of interactions with. I used to run a coffee blog in the area. So we've been intertwined and just connected for a while. So tell us a little bit about your story. Okay. Yeah. And we always loved that blog and we appreciated all of your support

Starting point is 00:03:22 back then too, because so much of what you and some other people were doing really helped us out um in the community so we always really appreciated that but I guess starting out I went to I went to UCF I majored in marketing um which is kind of wild because I never thought I would actually use it and now I do um but I kind of ignored my degree for the first couple years after college I was like really into the hospitality world and was a bartender and just kind of got like into that scene as I think a lot of people do in Orlando and just really loved it. So I was bartending and managing bars and I got into craft cocktail bartending, which was like a crazy good opportunity for me back then because it actually propelled me into everything that I've done since. So I learned kind of the art of craft cocktail bartending and was bartending at, I don't know if you guys are familiar with it, but Mandarin Hide in downtown St. Pete. So just made like a bunch of really

Starting point is 00:04:15 good friends and connections there. And from there, I got an amazing opportunity to work for William Grant & Sons, which is I I think, like the third largest liquor supplier in the world. But they've got some phenomenal brands underneath their umbrella. So Hendrix Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Telemore Dew, Glenn Fittick, a bunch of Rekha Vodka, a bunch more. So I was the portfolio manager for them for a couple years and just kind of fell in love with brand building. I loved the activations that we were doing. I loved learning how to build a brand world. I loved the liquor industry.

Starting point is 00:04:53 It was really fun. It was really exciting. I met a lot of cool people. So I was doing that. And while I was doing that, I had a good friend and also coworker from Mandarin Hyde. He started making cold brew. And this is before cold brew was even a thing. Cold, I don't even know if it had launched at Starbucks yet, like maybe simultaneously

Starting point is 00:05:11 with this. So really nobody knew what it was. I mean, there was iced coffee, but not really a lot of cold brew, especially in Florida, because Florida can tend to be late to some things. So he was making it and it was awesome. It was so good. And he was really excited about it. And he kind of came to me and said, Hey, would you help me out with marketing?

Starting point is 00:05:28 I know you're doing all of this with the liquor brands. And he'd been to like some of my activations. So I said, yeah, I was like, that's really cool. I kind of at the time thought maybe it would be, I don't know. I don't know if I thought about it in a freelance mindset then because so long ago, but I thought, oh, I can kind of treat it like a brand in my portfolio and just kind of help him out and do some things and started doing that. We were in kegs then and sold into some local businesses and realized pretty quickly that it could actually be something. We were looking at a couple of brands on the West Coast and feeling

Starting point is 00:06:00 inspired. So we ended up putting our cold brew in a can. And then I realized that I was going to need to quit my job if it was ever going to be anything. So I quit my really awesome job and kind of jumped headfirst into maid, which is crazy thinking back then, because a lot of people say, Oh, what if you knew? What if you knew now? Or what if you knew then what you know now? And I was like, Thank God I didn't because I don't think if we sometimes if we know what's ahead, we would be so scared because it's so much work or, you know, maybe some things go wrong or whatever. So I went in like completely naive and which I think is kind of sometimes the best way to go into entrepreneurship. But yeah, so I quit my job and we started kind of rocking and rolling with made. I mean, we, you know,

Starting point is 00:06:46 met with public, got into public, um, got some really good distribution and really built a brand for, I don't know, I think five, six years. Um, I'm not with them anymore, but I, I left like two years ago. So yeah, it was about six years of brand building and all of that, which was really fun and one of the best experiences I've ever had. So from there, I met the team at Mother Kombucha. Tanya is the founder and Tanya and I have been friends really since like day one of building our brands. She had started Mother Kombucha maybe two years before we started Made and she really was like my rock all through it, we could vent to each other kind of talk to each other about being females in the industry, and you know, different challenges and all of that. And when I was deciding that I kind of wanted to continue on from made her and I started talking a lot. And she was like, you know, I've

Starting point is 00:07:39 always really wanted us to work together. And so I, um, I became the mother of marketing at, um, mother kombucha and it's been, so I've been there for, I guess, yeah, two years now. And it's just been incredible. It's a female, female led team and we just have such a good time and the products are beautiful and amazing. And I just, I kind of feel like I've really landed where, where I'm meant to be. Oh my gosh. So cool. So cool. And yeah, as Erica said, we've had the chance to kind of collaborate over the years, which has been cool. Uh, just working in the restaurant and hospitality space and just seeing a local female led brand grow so much over the years has been such an honor to watch. So, uh, so exciting to see that. But I'm curious, you know, today

Starting point is 00:08:26 with your work with Mother Kombucha, what marketing strategies have you found most effective for growing a small business in the beverage industry? I know there's a lot of brands out there and noise and everything. So what are you guys doing to kind of stand out in your space? Yeah, there really are so many brands now, which when we, you know, when we started made and mother, when we started it, it just, it wasn't like that. Right. I mean, when we started made, we were one of like three canned cold brews in the United States and now there's, you know, three in St. Pete. Right. I mean, not really, but you know what I mean? And then for kombucha, I mean, we were still teaching people about kombucha and what it is. But, you know, majority knows kombucha and, you know, have an opinion on it.

Starting point is 00:09:10 And there's so many brands out there. So a lot of what the marketing strategies we're using, you know, it is different when you have like a local brand, a small startup. The budgets aren't big. Right. So we we brand on a budget. So a lot of what we do is community driven, right? We were born in this community and we really feel like we can build super fans from community facing events. So starting there, we do a lot of activations. St. Pete and Tampa Bay in general are so good for like local markets and local activations and everybody's doing just really cool things that are really synergistic and we love to be a part of. So for example, we've had a long running partnership with Saturday morning market, right?

Starting point is 00:09:51 We've been at Saturday morning market for 10 years, you know, we're 10 years old and we just have been able to build this base of super fans from Saturday morning market. They come every, you know, they come every weekend and we can get in front of them and test new products and do all those kind of things. Recently, we partnered with IndieFlea and we were able to create that partnership. And it's just been a beautiful partnership, right? Where, you know, they started in Tampa this year as opposed to just St. Pete.

Starting point is 00:10:18 So we're able to get in front of a whole new crowd of people. And then really people are coming from all over the state to IndieFlea. And we don't have a, you know, a brick and mortar. We're just in distribution. So it's really amazing to be able to get in front of the customers or people who don't know us and introduce them to the product. We really feel like, you know, people have a lot of opinions on kombucha. Some people love it. They're obsessed with it. And then some people are like, oh, well, you know, I tried it at one point and I really didn't like it. So we love the opportunity to be able to get our product in their hands and maybe change their mind.

Starting point is 00:10:48 And we see a lot of success with that because we do, there are a lot of differences with Mother Kombucha from the other kombucha, especially the mass marketed ones on the market. So for in-person, we really like the local activations. And also, so we have an ethos that mother, it's grow where you're planted. So really digging in locally and, you know, giving that respect to all the other local businesses and highlighting them and just everybody who's in our community. But also, we can take those learnings and then move on. And if we want to open up another market, we can kind of replicate what we've done here and like what our successes are. So, but as far as, so that's in person, as far as online, we use social media so much to reach out,

Starting point is 00:11:31 you know, it's, you know, people have their opinions about the platforms, but it's really such a great way for us to connect with our customers online. I mean, we put out, you know, we put out educational videos, we highlight other companies, we try to talk about the fun things that we're doing internally, so people can really just connect with us as people, not just a brand, which I think is really important. It's a good way for customer feedback. I mean, people, you know, they DM us all day long, just about, hey, I tried this one. I love this one. This one's my favorite. And, you know, Tanya and I are both on our Instagram and can answer the messages. And instead of just like an automated response, we actually talk to them. And you know, it can kind of be overwhelming sometimes, you know,

Starting point is 00:12:09 because you're constantly on, but it's really nice to be able to talk to our customers. And we try to run campaigns. And we do a lot of, you know, different fun things with the kombucha from like kombucha mocktails to, you know, kombucha ice cubes or whatever it is. So those are probably our two main strategies right now. We do a lot of stuff in store too, for our retail partners, which is also fun. And it kind of ties into, you know, getting people to taste the product. That's really cool. I would actually love to hear a little bit about the retail marketing aspect, if you can speak to it, just like how I haven't spoken to anyone on the podcast about that. So I'm curious to hear from you. Like what kind of strategies that you implement for those like retail activations, because I know

Starting point is 00:12:53 a lot of people listening are probably curious, too. Yeah, so so our big partners are Whole Foods and Publix. And we really feel like demoing is the way to get customers to try our product. So we have a demo team and they go into the store and really they have a great time just talking to people. And it really kind of invites people in because now there's probably, you know, it depends store to store, but there's multiple kombucha brands on the shelf. So being able to have a team member, and they all work directly for our team too. So being able to have a team member in store that can tell you about, you know, what we're doing, what we're doing at the, you know, at the kombucha brewery, what we're doing, you know, for social responsibility, what we're doing, you know,

Starting point is 00:13:38 to help the environment, explaining the different flavor profiles of our products, or explaining why kombucha is good for you, And then having people taste it, it's really, it's really been the best strategy for us. You've got, you know, I know there's that old adage like liquid to lips and it's really is true. So our demo strategy is pretty intense. Anytime there's a new store opening, we're trying to be in there to support those, you know, the team members on the floor and just our partners and really just

Starting point is 00:14:03 connecting with new customers. We also run promotions, which I think is really good. And I think it's, you know, the team members on the floor and just our partners and really just connecting with new customers. We also run promotions, which I think is really good. And I think it, you know, really helps to entice people to try something new. You know, Publix is big on those BOGOs. So we've always, we've always tried to be a good partner to Publix and participate in that program. Yes, I've definitely taken advantage of one of those bogos once or twice for Mother Kombucha. Clear the shelves. Yeah, clear the shelves. Yeah. But it's just good. It's good for discovery. You know, people see something on bogo and you know, they go out and they try it, you know, maybe the price point they would have been hesitant to try before because they weren't sure if they like it. And that allows them to say, okay, you know what, I'm going to go ahead and try this. And then maybe they become, you know, a super fan. So

Starting point is 00:14:46 it's worked out really well for us. Yeah, absolutely. And I love that you spoke to the demo strategy, because I think that brings the local aspect that you love so much of in person to those different stores. And so then you're able to really interact with your consumer and in a really great way. It really does. I just had, and we have people tell us a lot there, you know, maybe they have found us in Publix, maybe somewhere else, you know, in Florida. And they say, I had no idea you were local. You know, we have it on the bottle and everything, but not everybody reads the labels, like people like myself who obsess, you know, over labels. So it's really fun to meet people. I just had somebody this morning at Creative Mornings, they came up and they said, they're like, we had no idea you guys were local.

Starting point is 00:15:25 We knew, you know, that it maybe was in Florida, but we didn't know that you were brewed right down the road. So it's always really cool to meet people and be able to talk to them about that. That was so cool. And you mentioned this a little bit when you were talking about having these interactions with your consumer and kind of sharing what the brand is up to. But sustainability and social responsibility are some core values for the brand is up to, but sustainability and social responsibility are some core values for the brand that you work for, Mother Kombucha. How do you integrate those values

Starting point is 00:15:52 into your marketing initiatives and what impact do you hope to have on your community and the world at large in those initiatives? I know a lot of people out there who are listening probably have similar values for their brand, but they're not exactly sure how to like communicate those best. So any tips there is probably going to be really helpful for someone listening. Yeah, we really, you know, it really is at the core of everything we do. You know, and that comes top down from our founder, Tanya. Really when Tanya started the company, she was just replicating everything she was doing at home. So, you know, if you're, if you're feeding your kids,

Starting point is 00:16:30 you know, organic food at home, why wouldn't the product you're making be organic, right? If you're recycling at home, why wouldn't you start recycling, you know, in your business? So we are a B Corp, which is a huge part of our marketing strategy. And we're very proud of that accomplishment because for a brand, you don't see a lot of brands our size getting that certification. So B Corp is basically a global organization and you have to hit certain marks and certain parameters in your sustainability for your facility and also health and wellness for your employees. A company like a Patagonia would be a B Corp. And their their slogan is doing business as a or yeah, using business as a force for good, which we love. So we are a B Corp. I believe we've had this certification a little over a year. Or maybe it's been almost two years. I think it was right when

Starting point is 00:17:21 I started, but it's really exciting. And it really gets us in to a community of these B Corp brands that are so lovely and like minded. And everybody's really working towards this greater goal of creating a better world. So as far as marketing goes with that, we try to do a lot of education on what a B Corp is, because some people see it on packaging, like we have it on ours, obviously, we want everyone to see it and recognize it. And you see it on packaging, but maybe you don't know what it is. We try to just do education, not just that we are a B Corp, but what that is. So maybe, you know, maybe a emerging brand or maybe an established brand might see that and say, oh, we could do this.

Starting point is 00:17:57 Or maybe this is a goal for us. So we put a lot of that in our marketing. And then we also partner with a lot of B Corp brands. We love to partner with like-minded companies. And it's really been amazing to see how some of these other companies are like striving to be better and things that they're doing to even go above and beyond the B Corp certification. So we'll do product giveaways, collaborations. We hope to do in-person events at some point.

Starting point is 00:18:24 The B Corps are, you know, all over the country and all over the world, but we're all kind of talking constantly, like, how can we do, you know, a meetup and invite the, you know, consumers? And so we're kind of working on that. But yeah, we do a lot of collabs online, a lot of giveaways. And yeah, we just try to put, and even aside from B Corp, you know, locally, Water Warrior Alliance is one of the brands that we sponsor for their cleanups. You know, we give all we partner with Edible Peace Patch. I almost forgot their name.

Starting point is 00:18:53 Edible Peace Patch. They use all of our ingredients for compost. So we do a lot of highlighting of them, too. And it's just it's just incredible because we're really inspired by these companies that are doing really good things. Oh, my gosh. So cool. We, yeah, we love hearing brands that not only are providing a solution to their clients

Starting point is 00:19:13 in whatever area that that may be, but also standing behind their values and doing more for the planet, for others, for their communities. And so love hearing about that. It's so, it's important, because the way I kind of think about it, it's like, okay, so you you have to work, right, most of us, right. And if you choose to start a business, or you know, you want to work in one of these companies, like why not work for one or start one that can use it for good things? Right. So I just love being in, you know, involved with Mother Kombucha, because I think everybody kind of on the team really feels the same way. We also do paid volunteer hours for the team too, which we all

Starting point is 00:19:50 try to take advantage of and it's just like really lovely and nice. Yeah. I take it outside and do like a beach cleanup or, you know, we partner, we've partnered with CASA and just all kinds of things. So it's really nice. It's really nice to have those opportunities. Oh, that's so good. Yeah. It's kind of like that, that legacy work, you know, we kind of hear that from time to time, like obviously the little things we do day to day in our careers is like good and it's, it's for big impact, but it's like that deeper meaning, like what, what am I not only doing to push this brand forward financially, but like, what am I doing to create a lasting impact just overall? So thinking about how you can really create a bigger legacy behind your brand. And I think that's just an important asset

Starting point is 00:20:32 to think about no matter what you do, what you create, what service product or whatever, like you can have this bigger legacy behind your brand. So just discover. Absolutely. Yeah. Being fulfilled is important. And I think, you know, if you can do those types of things, it's very fulfilling. Yeah. 100%. Well, I want to ask you, you know, because you've been in the corporate space, you've been an entrepreneur, uh, being a woman in that space is always very interesting, right? And we have a lot of, we have a lot of professionals listening to the show. And so I'm curious, any tips just overall, you know, courage is something we're actually talking about this on a, another episode earlier

Starting point is 00:21:12 today, but just like any tips for women, whether it's achieving your goals in a corporate space, in an entrepreneurship space, women for building courage to do that thing, to really stand up for their goals, to go after their goals, anything that you've really learned along the way that you'd want to share? They didn't see it, but I took like a big swag of my rise, you know, like gear. Yeah. How do I say all these things in a concise little package? Um, you know, honestly starting made when I did, you know, I was, I was young and, you know, I, I really went through a lot with it.

Starting point is 00:21:48 All my partners were male and it was just, it was a huge growth and learning experience. Um, I think top takeaway, right. And I'm still like trying to tell myself this every day is just to trust your gut. You have to, because I, you know, when I first started my business, I really would, you know, you would go and you would talk to people, whether it be a mentor, a partner, or somebody that was like an expert, quote unquote, expert, right in their field. And you just immediately think you say, Oh, my gosh, I'm so new to this. Like, of course, of course, they know more than me. You know, of course, they're, they're saying they're the

Starting point is 00:22:21 expert. Of course, they're the expert. I maybe I maybe I don't know as much as I think I do. And you know, whatever. So I and I, I don't want to say I made a lot of mistakes that way. I think I just listened to other people and their opinions, instead of really following what I knew to be true. And just like my instincts, right. And I think, you know, I've had so much time to reflect on that. And I just think so many things would have been different, I would have been happier. And I think, you know, I've had so much time to reflect on that. And I just think so many things would have been different. I would have been happier. And I think, you know, my brand would have gone in a different direction and maybe the direction that I really wanted it to if I just stood up a little for myself or really, you know, because you doubt yourself, right?

Starting point is 00:22:55 Somebody's doubting you. It says, no, it's not this way. It's this way. And you go, oh, gosh, OK. All right. Yeah, you must be right. Or then you're scared to stand up for yourself because you're like, oh, what if I'm wrong? And I feel like now I feel like I'm like, even if I was wrong, I would have rather done it

Starting point is 00:23:07 that way. Right. Even if it didn't work out because some of it didn't work out the way they wanted it to. Right. Or from that, that advice. So I really think trusting your gut is very important. And then trusting yourself enough to speak up for yourself too. Yeah. There's so much more. There's so much more I could say, but I know, I, I feel like we could have a whole separate episode just about that. And it is so important to, you know, remember that you have value and that you can bring a lot to conversations because a lot of women entrepreneurs and just women in business and women working in general, just there's a lot of what is it called imposter

Starting point is 00:23:47 syndrome and things that come over you that it's just like, man, how do we get over that? But it is important to just stand up. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think too, with the imposter syndrome thing, which, you know, I guess we all have it. Like, I'm glad they finally put a name to it. Right. Because I think we were all feeling it. We just didn't know what to call it. But I think talking to other women, too, is really important. I've been really lucky to have really close knit groups of friends. And then also in the business world have women that I really admire. And we can just commiserate and, you know, pump each other up and just talk to each other for real, you know, no errors, no pretenses, just like for real, get lunch, get coffee,

Starting point is 00:24:31 like get a drink, whatever it is. And I think that is so important because then you realize that you're not crazy and it's great. And then everybody's fighting the same battles. And, you know, I really think, you know, you don't even have to say have a mentor. I mean, mentors are great, but just like talking to your network and, you know I really think you know you don't even have to say have a mentor I mean mentors are great but just like talking to your network and you know women that you trust I think is so important yeah absolutely could not agree more and you kind of touched on this a little bit with that last answer and also some of the things that you shared earlier about like if I had known

Starting point is 00:25:00 that things were going to be this way I might might not have started because, you know, it was tough and there were challenges along the way. But is there anything else that you know now in your career that you wish you knew a little earlier on? We love to ask this question. There's a million things that I wish I knew. But yeah, I think it's just, you know, trusting in yourself, because you're going to make mistakes, right. And I think when I was younger, I was a really, I was really afraid to make mistakes, because I didn't want to disappoint. And I think if you're, you know, if you're thinking about doing that thing, or, you know, switching jobs, or maybe like taking a year off, or, you know, doing freelance, or whatever it is starting a company, then you just need to trust

Starting point is 00:25:45 yourself and go for it. I wish I'd done that more early on in my career. But you know, everything's worked out as it should. And yeah, I just think you've got to trust yourself. That's great advice. Well, I'm bummed that we're at the end of this conversation. I feel like there's so many other things that we could chat through. But I know, I feel like I want to ask you guys a million questions oh my gosh well we'll have to have a chat separately too and we'll just riff off back and forth but um we want to let everyone know where they can find you follow along with what you're up to and um what the brand is up to at mother kombucha so um you can follow us mother kombucha on instagram just at mother

Starting point is 00:26:22 kombucha we also have a linkedin under mother kombucha we've tried just at mother kombucha. We also have a LinkedIn under mother kombucha. We've tried to start a TikTok. You can totally follow us there, but I'm not super up on it yet. So, you know, it will be there. Myself, my Instagram handle is, it's at TayTayTay, T-A-Y underscore T-A-Y underscore T-A. And then I think it's four Ys. And then it's much easier on LinkedIn. It's just Taylor Prater on LinkedIn.

Starting point is 00:26:48 Amazing. Well, thank you so much, Taylor. So fun to hear behind the scenes of a local brand that we've loved for so many years. So thanks for popping on with us and sharing everything today. Yeah. Thank you guys so much. It was so nice to chat and I'm glad we finally did this. Yes.

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Marketing Happy Hour - Impact-Driven Small Business Marketing | Taylor Prater of Mother Kombucha

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