114: Beyond Water: Building the Next Generation of Hydration with Lemonday

Speaker A: Foreign.

Speaker B: Hey, everyone.

Speaker C: Welcome to E Drink Social. My name is Courtney Sandora, and throughout this podcast series, you'll be hearing from myself and the Go Social team. Go Social is a PR and social media marketing firm with offices in Denver, Colorado and Louisville, Kentucky. We'll be discussing social media trends and influencer best practices in the food and beverage social media landscape. If you have any questions and want to reach out, you can find us on, um, Facebook, Twitter, and instagram @The GoSocial. Or you can visit our website@goforth be social.com.

Speaker B: all right, we're super excited today to be joined with Ari ses, uh, co founder of Lemon Day. Thanks so much for joining us.

Speaker A: Thank you for having me. This is exciting.

Speaker B: Yeah. So I'm really interested about your brand, but I want to kind of start with you because I always find it interesting to talk about people's journey and how they got into the beverage business. So just tell us, you know, how did you end up being a co founder of a beverage brand?

Speaker A: Um, that is a funny story and a journey, and I kind of just fell into it a little bit. Um, my background, I went to culinary school in Brooklyn, New York, probably around 15 years ago. And I love food and beverages. You know, I cook for my family. As my family jokes, it's the only education that pays off for everyone because I cook for every holiday. Um, and back in about 2020, I was doing a double master's in art school in Savannah, Georgia. And just for fun, I was, I love lemonade. You know, the nostalgic lemonade in the south and lemon water. So I was down there making lemonade, and I started making spicy lemonade.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker A: And then I graduated March 12, 2020, which is right when Covid hit and the world shut down. And I'm like, what am I going to do now? So long, you know, journey kind of short. Um, I start. I was like, you know what? M living at home. I'm going to open up a beverage company, and I'm going to make this spicy lemonade a drink. Turns out there's not much of a market for spicy lemonade, and I learned that through a long journey. And then about two years ago, um, I pivoted both in my life and the company to a bit more health conscious, wider range for a larger group of consumers. And we pivoted to lemon day. Um, you know, I was sitting with a few of my co founders, and we're like, hey, the spice is not working, but the lemon and the lemon water is. And there really is a Wide beverage, um, consumer market out there for more natural, healthy lemon water. And, you know, we just all looked at each other and we're like, I think the pivot found us more than we found it. And, um, we pivoted to Lemon Day, kind of rebranded, relaunched, and, you know, now it's been, you know, six years as, uh, running essentially a beverage company. And I never expected that, and I just kind of fell into it from COVID and this all grew out of it to today, which has been a really wonderful journey.

Speaker B: That's awesome. We. We work with a pickle. Not this isn't quite as healthy, but a pickle vodka brand. And they. Their big push is Pickle Lem. So I know those riffs, um, on lemonade are really popular, but.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's interesting. Um, so. So, yeah. So lemon. Do you, like. Was it hard to find the right formulation? Because I know, like, some lemon can get into that cleaning product kind of territory. So how did you navigate that?

Speaker A: There was a lot of back and forth with our formulator trying to find the right lemon balance. And, um, you know, just part of the fun part of being an entrepreneur and the journey, um, the formulator had a fire in there of, uh, like, home and facility. And then, like, two weeks later, I had a fire in my house. And we're sending samples back and forth via the mail through Covid. So there are a lot of ups and downs trying to find the right balance. And our main concern when it came to our lemons and sourcing them was not just, you know, finding the right lemon, um, you know, juice. It was really finding the. The right balance within the whole beverage. We didn't want it to overpower it. We wanted to enhance the beverage. When we went too tart, you know, you had that recoil, and it was way too much. When you went too light, it didn't enhance the beverage. I like to give the analogy of, like, when you're putting salt in cooking, and it could really bring out other flavors. With Lemon Day, we want the lemon, um, aspect to really bring out the other flavors as well. So that was also part of not just finding the right lemon juice, but also finding the right balance within the beverage itself.

Speaker B: And is the beverage carbonated or no carbonation?

Speaker A: It is not carbonated. Uh, we initially went back and forth on it, but I think being still, um, is really the right, uh, position for the company and the right flavor profile. When you're too carbonated and too lemony, it just trickles up to your nose, and then you're Sitting there, you know, and you're like, ooh, a little too cringy, you know, puckering. Um, that's part of the right balance. We wanted to make sure we were not puckering, but enhancing the flavor.

Speaker B: Okay. So in terms of how people use their beverage, like, who is your consumer and kind of how does this fit into their beverage world? Like, when would they choose this product?

Speaker A: One of the biggest pushes when we pivoted was that we really wanted lemonade to be for any time of the day. There are other lemon products that are energy drinks, um, or mocktails or cocktails, like the pickle lemonade. Those are really, I guess, for nighttime and energies for the morning. Lemon days for every day, anytime. Personally, I wake up in the morning, I need that hydration right away, you know, to start my day. If you're someone going for a workout in the morning, lemon day is perfect. Get your electrolytes and prebiotics in with just clean, healthy lemon water. And, um, it really sets the right tone. If you're a business person. You know, we're seeing a lot of uptick with midtown, um, Manhattan, you know, the. The financial sector. Uh, people just wanted like a clean drink in middle of the day that wouldn't necessarily keep them up at night. So if you're that 3pm and you're like, uh, I just need a few more electrolytes to get through the day. Lemon days are answer. And at night, if you're out with friends or you're just, you know, eating dinner, having a, you know, being hydrated never hurts. But our main purpose is for every day, all the time, as opposed to the energy, you know, lemon drinks out there, or the mocktail, you know, category. We're very much the hydration lemon water for just when you're on the go, when you need it.

Speaker B: Yeah. So it doesn't like, you're not seeing a split in gender or age really, or, um, across the board.

Speaker A: I would say initially, though, this is changing. I think more females are drinking it in the morning and men in the afternoon. But that might be like a select sampling because, you know, those are a lot more. My friends who are telling me, like, you know, the hands on or, um, I've been doing a lot of demos within stores and locations and hearing firsthand, and a lot of, you know, a few mothers have said, oh, when I'm doing that carpool in the morning and I don't want a coffee, you know, and overdo it, I just need, you know, that that's when I grab a lemon Day. And then there are a few guys who have told me, like, oh, after work, at the gym, I pound it. And I'm like, great. Um, there's no really, um, rhyme or reason. It's just what we're hearing firsthand. And, you know, as an entrepreneur, you have to go out and hear firsthand, whether it's your friends, family, or just people in demos. And I didn't expect that breakdown. It's just like a funny finding. But, um, I think that's going to switch just as our sampling grows. But that's what I'm hearing more. The northeast New York City region. Um, but yeah, there's not a specific, uh, more breakdown of that.

Speaker B: So I just saw a post and you would consider yourself a functional beverage, is that correct? That's fair. Okay. I saw a post today that it was talking about functional beverages and, and it was a, that it was a functional beverage. But they were kind of knocking the industry in the sense of they're like, you have to over explain everything so much and there's so much education. Do you run into that with Lemon Day, or do you feel like it's pretty straightforward with your product?

Speaker A: That it's a little bit of both? I would assume when we launched about two years ago, there was a bit more educational need. Right now the, uh, consumers and the market, the education is out there. And I've seen a real firsthand shift of people, you know, coming to me already having that knowledge within, like a demo at a supermarket. They already. I don't have to break down what electrolytes are and what are prebiotics. They know it. But, um, one of the biggest, um, pivots we just did as a company was about six to eight weeks ago, we pivoted from a bottle to a can and became shelf stable. And that also we did a small redesign on our can. And the biggest thing is we put our functional attributes clear, simple, and to the point on the side panel, because they were missing before. And, you know, someone could pick up a can now and read immediately. Within three to five seconds, you have this much potassium, this much magnesium, this much, you know, salt, this much fiber. Great, I get it. So making your ingredients clear and simple, I think takes a lot of the educational hurdles away and, um, just lets consumers know immediately what they're, what they have in their hand. And that helps a lot too.

Speaker B: So when you said probiotics, would you say that kind of the main benefit is gut health?

Speaker A: With that, it's gut health tied with hydration. So you're Getting the electrolytes and gut health and just the lemon water cleanse, you know, the lemon water flavoring and, uh, the natural attributes of lemon water as well. But all three of them work together, so it's kind of a balance of all three. Um, you know, there are a few other beverages out there that they're fibers, fiber. Um, uh, just a much higher maxing. Exactly. Um, to the point where it's like, whoa, okay. You know, that. That's a bit more, um. I think when it comes to that, a few consumers are afraid, like, can I drink more than one at a time with lemon day? We don't have that issue. We want to support you throughout the day. So you could have 2, 4, 6, 8. Like, there's no limit to how many you could drink. We're here just to be that supportive hydration drink with, you know, the added benefits of the gut health. Prebiotic. Uh, prebiotics.

Speaker B: Yeah. Do you think that people buy it for the flavor more? And, oh, by the way, the other things, like, kind of side benefits, or do you think they're. They're coming into the brand for, like, the electrolytes and probiotics?

Speaker A: Um, I think the electrolytes and probiotics are the draw in, and the flavors really help seal the deal. And, um, you know, you could do unflavored fiber prebiotic water with electrolytes, and I think that would not sell. You know, people want to eat something tasty or drink, uh, something that satisfies them throughout the day. Um, most people know about lemon water already. It's been, you know, the lemonade nostalgia. I mean, I'm someone who. I'm my own consumer. When I created lemon dye, that journey really was like, I love lemonade. I love lemon water. I just don't need, you know, 180 calories in my lemonade with old sugar, you know, and all that. So I wanted something healthier for myself as well, and I still wanted it to taste really good and nice. Um, so it's, you know, a balance between the two. But the functionality definitely does draw people in immediately.

Speaker B: So when you. Because I. I'll do this at home. Just, you know, even cut up a lemon and put. Put it in my water. Different thing. But when you say lemonade, I go to, like, pretty sweet versus, like, just putting lemon in my m. My water. Which. Which more are you on that scale?

Speaker A: Originally, I would say growing up, I was the sweet, overly sweet. I have a bit of a sugar, you know, um, cravings, and I have a lot of candy and, you know, that's fine when you're 14 and you're, you know, running around all day, but the minute you get older and become an adult, you're like, oh, I cannot sustain this, but I still want to feel like I'm getting something satisfying. So Lemon day is not overly sweet. We really are, um, you know, tone down that sugar. And that's what I learned from the first company till now. The first company who had way too much sugar, learned on the job, learned a little bit, you know, in a crash course, and heard that feedback loud and clear. And now, um, I really like the fact that I have something tasty that does satisfy me. And it's also functionally good for me, but it's not over the top. It's very well balanced, very subdued. We're not here to make you, like, you know, have like, a orange crush. You know, from back in the day. I would drink, like, four of those a day, and, um, I think I turned into one. Yeah,

Speaker B: no, that. That's good. I just feel like, in general, you. You can drink more when it's not as sweet. Right? Like, there is. Yeah, those products, or if it's too sweet, you just. You're like, I can do one, and that's it. Um, but so in terms of. You mentioned sampling, in terms of retail channels, what has been most successful? Well, for you?

Speaker A: Yeah, we originally launched, um, a year and a half ago, only in brick and mortar stores. Um, we launched cold chain, which is. Just means it has to be refrigerated, and it makes it a bit harder to ship. Um, you know, then you have to pack it with ice and keep it cool. We also wanted to launch pretty small, just to know if we needed to pivot, you know, get that quick feedback and learn from the consumer immediately. So we sold about 80, 90,000 bottles in a year and a half. Um, just essentially on the east coast and a little bit of Southern California. And, um, we're in about, like, 100 stores, you know, but cold chain about again six to seven weeks ago, we pivoted to cans, which makes it shelf stable. Now that we built a strong foundation, we really could grow tremendously. So we launched sales direct, um, to consumer. From our website, we increased our store locations to about between 3 to 400 now. Really growing Southern California, the Midwest. And for, uh, me, a New Yorker, I'm like, what is the Midwest? Um, but I finally, I took out a map and I'm like, oh, those states. Um, I'm just joking. But, um, the Midwest is really growing. Like crazy. And the east coast, um, you know we're from Maine to Florida now hitting stores. So it's really been um, really good growing I would say. We recently, now that we um, pivoted to shelf stable. We also are expanding our social media and um, you know, going out on Instagram and tick tock and stuff and really pushing that um, aspect because before since we couldn't ship direct to consumer, I, you know we, we did not want to spend money on um, influencers would be pushing people to a website that couldn't deliver. But now, you know, four weeks ago we're finally up and running, have those shipments going out, um, with about you know, $500. We did $2,000 in sales, you know, on Instagram immediately. So you know, that was just like our test advertisement, um, advertising and just seeing what works and that immediately paid back. Um, we got a great return on investment and we are definitely gonna pivot and grow through social media. But there is something very important to launching I feel in a brick and mortar. Real people who pick up a bottle or can, who feel it, who see it and you could get that direct feedback in person when you're sampling or doing a demo, you know, just how do you like it? Oh, it's not for me. That's okay. You might not be our target consumer, but the person next to them is. And um, you learn a lot from that real interaction. And I love social media but sometimes seeing it in real life, in reality you just get that feedback right away and it's really helpful.

Speaker B: Well, I'm originally from the Midwest and I would tell you we're, we're super nice so we probably would never tell you anything bad.

Speaker A: The Midwest is unbelievable and um, very different than the New York interactions. Yeah, like, hey, do you want to try this? And they're like, what are you doing to me? You know, immediately like, how are you? You look hungry. Do you need something to eat? I'm like, no, I'm offering this to you for free. You know, you help me. Um, so there's a lot of. The Midwest is much, much nicer.

Speaker B: Well, uh, that's, that's awesome. And so when you, you um, mentioned Instagram, are you kind of driving just from Instagram posts to your website or have you set up like an Insta, the Instagram shop feature on there?

Speaker A: We um, this is really hot off the press. Uh, it's about three to four weeks old. So because our three pl is just you know like a well oiled, oiled machine up and running, I Always like, to give the analogy, um, it kind of feels like lemonade has been running on a treadmill and someone throwing lemmings, and then we have to juggle those lemmings as we're running. Um, so we have been pushing people to our website and we are, or have already this week, done the Instagram store. Um, there are three co founders, um, me, Jake, and Courtney. And Courtney's in charge of all the social media aspects. So she is dealing with it right now. And every, like, hour or so, I get a new update. Like, this is being boosted. Four more sales came in, and I'm like, oh, my God, whatever she's doing, keep it going. She's amazing.

Speaker B: That's awesome. That's awesome. Do you think you'd ever consider Amazon? This one?

Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, we, um, literally the meetings in, like, three days, you know, everything is coming together. Um, absolutely. I think our biggest pivot, when we went from cold, um, chain to shelf stable, that opens up so many more sales channels. And that, for our company, was the biggest pivot out there. Um, and, you know, moving to a can allowed us to lower our shipping cost. Allow. It really allows you to ship direct to consumer, um, you know, with the proper margins out there. So literally three days, four days from now, keep your eyes open. We will be on Amazon, um, you know, very shortly.

Speaker B: My husband has, I think, a reoccurring Amazon order for liquid death. And I'm always seeing this box come in. I'm like, oh, come on, you can go to the store and get it. You don't have to buy for sure. I mean, people do it, you know, So I think that'd be a great channel for you. So, um, you mentioned social was important or is becoming more important with the whole can? Is there any kind of, like, do you have any thoughts on content that performs really well? Are you, like, a trend fan or, you know, what kind of social do you think does well for y'? All?

Speaker A: Yeah, um, I think with most food and beverage brands being authentic, um, I know I'm going to put myself more out there. You know, it's not always, um, fun or feels good when you think you look, you know, like an idiot after a workout, and you're like, God, I'm sweaty and gross in my hair. But, you know, that's how people live. And when you're after a workout and saying, hey, I grabbed a lemon date and this is part of my routine now, and it's extremely helpful. Um, real life means consumers can just get a glimpse into it. And I Think authenticity goes a long way, and that's something we're going to be pivoting our social media to and really diving deep into.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, I agree. And as a, as a company founder myself, I feel the same way. I'm always like, oh, I don't want to be in front of my camera, but, um, no, you got to do it. So, um, in addition to social, um, what other kind of marketing tactics? You mentioned sampling. Are you. You all do anything else?

Speaker A: Yeah. So sampling and demos are really important. Um, it really gets, you know, for the. For the entrepreneur. It gets great feedback immediately, and it gets, you know, the word out there. Um, we also have been going to a lot of shows. There are food and beverage shows around the country. Tapping into those as well. Just help helps, you know, spread the word. And we've just really consider ourselves very lucky and wonderful. Um, you know, when you create a product that consumers like, they will let you know and they will find you. Um, so it's just, I mean, recently I got an email from someone who's like, hey, this store is out, and I live in Upper Massachusetts. And I was like, I've never heard of this town. And I'm. I'm from the Northeast, like, where. And, you know, the fact that they reached out, it really means a lot to all three of us, the co founders. I share all those emails, and we're like, hey, we're gonna ship you a case for free. Like, thank you so much. Um, but, yeah, it's just wonderful to hear from people.

Speaker B: And, um, it's like, it's like your kid, right? Like, I mean, it is. It's for sure. And your. Your can design's really cool. How did you guys land on that? Was it similar to the bottle or was it totally a departure?

Speaker A: Um, the logo is the same. We realized that the, you know, one of the things I think a lot of co founders get stuck on is we are so used to the product, we sometimes are blind to the blind spots. And, um, one of the things I did is I kind of took my co founder hat off and I look, you know, printed the label flat, the original label, and was like, okay, clear my mind. What is this telling me right now? And I also took, um, my nieces and nephews, and I'm like, what do you think this is? And if a kid can't get it, that means it's not clear. So it's very helpful to have nieces and nephews or, or friends, kids. And, um, you know, we worked with a great designer Michael, who's unbelievable, and he helped us recreate the. The hierarchy and the messaging just to be clearer. So I find it very refreshing every few months to, you know, check in time where I kind of take the, hey, I work for this company, head off. And what if I saw this on a shelf? What would I think of it? And, you know, reflect on, um, on the label. There are still, you know, probably three or four things I'm missing because nobody's perfect. But right now, it's a great label. We are so proud of it. And, um, you know, as consumers also tell us more. Um, you know, you learn exactly what's being missed. Another great example is the first company which was Spicy Lemonade. I had about three to four emails a week of people asking me if it's spicy. And I'm like, it's in the name. Spicy Lemonade. I don't know how to. Yeah, I don't. I didn't know how to respond, but I realized, like, you know what? I think it's clear. They may not realize it's clear. And they're asking me, what level of spice? How much will this, like, actually taste? I was like, okay, take my, like, ownership hat off. Put my consumer hat on, you know, and think from their eyes. So I took a lot of the lessons of the first company and brought it into Lemon Day, and really, you know, that helped a lot, um, in just picturing and imagining what consumers are seeing and what they're not seeing and trying to fill in those gaps.

Speaker B: Yeah. And I commend you because I think a lot of people, you know, if something doesn't go right the first time, they kind of don't just give up and go back to the corporate world or wherever. And so the fact that you picked yourself back up and, you know, did it again, that's impressive.

Speaker A: Thank you. Yeah, it's a really fun journey. And, um, food entrepreneurship, food and beverage is really a wonderful, exciting, um, you know, industry. Um, when I go to the food shows and I see what other people are doing, I'm like, oh, my God.

Speaker B: I.

Speaker A: How did I not think of that? Oh, my God. I want to try that. And then, you know, every food show, you leave with bags of, uh, like, goodie bags from everyone. And it's really wonderful when you. When, you know, you see another brand do very well, and you're like, I actually know them. We're friends. I have their number. I could text them, like, way to go. And then I have a few friends who saw a few ads on, um, instagram who, you know, one of them runs a chip company. And he's like, your ad came up on my Instagram. You're, you're, you know, you're doing well. And I was like. And then I asked him, what do you think of it? What am I missing? And he'll give me feedback, you know, so it's, it's really just a fun industry. And, you know, when one, one thing failed, but something amazing grew out of it.

Speaker B: Yeah. I kind of want you to try the spicy again, because it sounds really good. I love everything spicy. But. Well, what's next for the brand? Any new flavors?

Speaker A: Yeah. Um, so when we pivoted to Cannes, we originally launched with four flavors. We had our original, um, flavor, our strawberry lemonade, which is our number one seller, uh, by far. Strawberry lemonade is outpacing all of them. We have our mango, which is one of my favorite, and we had our watermelon cucumber. And when we pivoted to Kangs, we launched two new flavors about five, six weeks ago. I, you know, when you're in the thick of it, you forget what diet is. Um, and we launched cherry lime, which has been received very well, and lemon peach, um, which is really, you know, people have been writing to us that it's wonderful that that lemon peach balance is great. Um, we are open to any new flavors where we're sticking with those six right now, probably for the next five to eight months. But there are a few more flavors in R D, and if any listeners have any ideas or something we're missing, we are always open to hearing from people directly. You know what? Someone emailed us about a lychee lemon, and I was like, okay, let me try that out. Um, we're leaning towards, like a raspberry lemon. You know, leaning into that. I think that might be the, the number one on the horizon coming up. Um, but, you know, flavors, uh, the R D part of it is so much fun when you're working with your formulator and you get all your samples and you're trying it and, you know, hey, this, this is too much raspberry. Bring it down 10%. You know, that aspect of the, of the development is so much fun and wonderful.

Speaker B: So from a competitor standpoint, I mean, do you consider someone like a crystal light, even, like, on the radar as a competitor?

Speaker A: No, not really. Um, you know, they're, I, I would, I don't know if their ingredient list by heart, but I, I, they're not healthy. Is so, you know, really Lemon day is, is clean Ingredients, really clean. So we're more in the, you know, clean, hydration, functional beverage category. Um, you know, someone like Snapple, you know, but that's overly sweet. You know, if you're looking for something a little bit more subtle and functional, come on over to Lemon Day. We're here to be with you, you know, every day.

Speaker B: Yeah, I haven't thought about Snapple in a long time. That used to be like everywhere.

Speaker A: I mean as a kid, I think there's one year in summer camp I had like seven or eight a day and I was like, you know, 11. And then I think by like week three in sleepaway camp, I just was like, why am I running around? Why am I not feeling well? Why am I, you know, a bit too many? Um, but I wish I could tell that 11 year old, like, look what you're going to create now it all comes back.

Speaker B: That's so awesome.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: So, um, well, yeah, like as we wrap up, just let, let everyone know where could, where can they buy Lemon Day?

Speaker A: Yeah. So we are in between about three to 400 stores, um, on the East Coast. If you go to our store locator on our website, you will find um, all of our east local east coast locations there. Um, we are in process of updating our Midwest and Southern California. We earn about, you know, 70 to 80 stores. Um, buy now in Southern California, Mother's Market and the Midwest, uh, Kowalskis, wherein, um, which is a great supermarket chain. Um, and you could buy directly on our website. Uh, which reminds m me that we have a special, uh, code for any of our, any of your listeners. Um, if you put in Go Lemon at checkout, you will get a discount. Um, so you could order right from our website. And um, if we are in a location that you cannot access it or don't have it in your store, just please reach out to us. We are growing like crazy. So we are opening up new stores, meeting with new distributors, you know, left and right. We are aiming to hopefully open in the next few months in Texas and really do a big Texas push. So if you're somewhere, um, in the US and you want Lemon M Day, just reach out and we will work on getting it right to you.

Speaker B: Awesome. And Your website is drinklemondday.com yes, it

Speaker A: looks like Drinkle Monday and everyone laughs about it, but you never forget it. Then, um, and you know, I get a few emails, hey Drinkle Monday. And I'm like, okay, you're close. But, um, it's Drink Lemon Day. Um, which is great. And just remember, you know, make every day a better day with Lemon Day.

Speaker B: Oh, I love it. I love it. That could be a jingle. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story and your journey with us, and really looking forward to trying it.

Speaker A: Thank you.

Speaker B: Take care.

Speaker C: All right, everybody, that wraps up today's episode of Eat, Drink Social. Thanks for listening. If you have a story to share or know somebody that does, feel free to reach out to us.