Ep. 81: How a Tech Perspective Helped Hint's Kara Goldin Build a $100 Million Brand

A tech executive-turned-beverage entrepreneur, Kara Goldin has incorporated many of the lessons from her career in Silicon Valley into the development of Hint, an unsweetened, flavored water brand that she launched in 2005. In this week's episode of Taste Radio, we spoke with Goldin about how her experiences in the tech world helped shape the business strategy for Hint, which markets a variety of still and sparkling water products and is nearing $100 million in annual sales. Goldin also explained how she overcame early challenges of a food and beverage industry long dominated by legacy brands, Hint's development of an highly successful e-commerce platform and her belief that a company's "ability to stay close to the customer and understand what the customer thinks about your product is really the key" to winning. Also included in this episode: a conversation with Billy Bosch, who is the co-founder and CEO of protein drink brand Iconic. Bosch discussed his journey as an entrepreneur, offering insight into lessons learned and key takeaways from the past six years. And in this week's Elevator Talk, we spoke with Mikaela Ray is the CEO of Mikaela's Simple Devine, a maker of gluten-free biscotti cookies. This episode is presented by Sovereign Flavors. Show notes: 0:55: Gassed From NACS: Jon and Ray recently returned from Chicago where they attended the annual National Association of Convenience Stores show. Packed to the walls with the usual plethora of energy drinks, salty snacks, soda, and jerky, the hosts talked about some of the new products and brands that caught their eyes, including a few from the deluge of new coffee products exhibited at the event. 7:47: Interview: Kara Goldin, Founder/CEO, Hint -- Goldin discussed her path from a career in tech to the remarkable success of Hint. Included in the conversation are words of wisdom from her 12 years as an entrepreneur, including why brand owners shouldn't "spend too much time around the naysayers and instead "focus on getting traction." She also talked about Hint's powerful direct-to-consumer platform and what she sees as the future for a brand that's nearing $100 million in sales. 40:02: Interview: Billy Bosch, CEO/Co-Founder, Iconic Protein -- Billy Bosch is the co-founder and CEO of Iconic, a protein drink brand launched in 2011. In our interview, Billy discussed the trials and tribulations of a brand immersed in a fast-evolving market for protein drinks. 1:00:04: Elevator Talk: Mikaela Ray, CEO, Mikaela's Simple Devine -- a maker of biscotti cookies that are gluten-free, kosher, Non-GMO and baked with all natural ingredients. We met up with Mikaela at Expo East 2017 and talked about the launch and development of her business. Brands in this episode: Starbucks, Monster, Dunkin' Donuts, La Colombe, High Brew, HeyDay Cold-Brewed Coffee, Bowery Coffee, Califia Farms, La Colombe, Forto, Stok, Caffe Agave, BodyArmor, Aquahydrate, +Red Elixir, Hint, Iconic Protein For sponsorship opportunities, feedback and suggestions, contact [email protected].