Tom First founded and ultimately sold Nantucket Nectars, then spent years working with emerging food and beverage brands. Working closely with the kombucha industry, he saw a need for a more approachable option for gut health. The idea clicked at a family dinner when a bartender served carbonated mocktails made with fruit juice, herbs and spices, and Tom wondered why no one was making soda that way.
He launched Culture Pop in 2020 with $200,000 from his own money and one friend's capital, made the first run at a small factory in Saratoga, New York, and started selling out of his car during Covid the next day. An early crisis hit when the facility turned out to have yeast in its production lines. About six months in, cans began exploding in the warehouse and on shelves. Culture Pop destroyed a lot of product and quickly moved to a new facility.
Culture Pop is sweetened only with fruit juice instead of refined sugar or high-intensity sweeteners like stevia. Tom expected that to be an enormous advantage, but many shoppers don't realize what's in other products until they're told. The brand has grown 50% to 100% a year since the start and is now sold nationally across major retailers. His advice: hire people who are better than you at what they do and give them room to do it.
Have an idea? Build your website for as little as $1/month: tidd.ly/4wZP9sI
- Tom First founded and ultimately sold Nantucket Nectars, then spent years working with emerging food and beverage brands. Working closely with the kombucha industry, he saw a need for a more approachable option for gut health. The idea clicked at a family dinner when a bartender served carbonated mocktails made with fruit juice, herbs and spices, and Tom wondered why no one was making soda that way. He launched Culture Pop in 2020 with $200,000 from his own money and one friend's capital, made the first run at a small factory in Saratoga, New York, and started selling out of his car during Covid the next day. An early crisis hit when the facility turned out to have yeast in its production lines. About six months in, cans began exploding in the warehouse and on shelves. Culture Pop destroyed a lot of product and quickly moved to a new facility. Culture Pop is sweetened only with fruit juice instead of refined sugar or high-intensity sweeteners like stevia. Tom expected that to be an enormous advantage, but many shoppers don't realize what's in other products until they're told. The brand has grown 50% to 100% a year since the start and is now sold nationally across major retailers. His advice: hire people who are better than you at what they do and give them room to do it. Have an idea? Build your website for as little as $1/month: tidd.ly/4wZP9sI