Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders Paddy Spence, CEO & Amy Taylor, President of Zevia — Can-do!: The benefits of being nimble in the beverage industry
Carbonated beverages and health don't often go hand in hand, but Zevia intends to change that. By using plant-based ingredients and all-natural sweeteners, Zevia eliminates sugar, GMO's and artificial ingredients from the equation. They deliver drinks that fly off the shelves, both in-store and online; they rank as the number-one sold beverage on Amazon. But their commitment doesn't stop at great taste. CEO Paddy Spence and President Amy Taylor are passionate about consumer health and eliminating plastic waste. Together, the two of them have developed a company that goes way beyond the can.
During the COVID pandemic, as with many beverage companies, Zevia has found itself facing many difficulties, like aluminum shortages and customers who don't want to shop in person. But through their resilient nature, nimble structure, and "can-do" attitude, Paddy and Amy have gone from strength to strength. Advancing on scalability, developing in-store strategies and strengthening the balance sheets has made Zevia one of the major players in the beverage market.
On this episode, we discuss Zevia's commitment to health and sustainability and how its agile strategy has positioned it well for the future. We'll talk about how Paddy and Amy dealt with supply chain issues and how they partner with retailers to position their brand in-store, as well as their strategies to engage new demographics. Listen on for a refreshing conversation!
Highlights:
- Removing sugar from their products and using non-plastic materials (2:24)
- Creating customer convenience (3:38)
- Developing consistent platform strategy (4:20)
- How Zevia is all-inclusive for both the customer and investor (7:18)
- Building an accessible product for customers (13:43)
- How Zevia are both premium and affordable (19:11)
- Getting the market to understand their context and mission of their product (23:54)
- Providing a product for the new generations that has great taste but is also healthy(27:23)
Links:
Zevia Executive Leadership Team
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, ross@lowerstreet.co