Owl’s Brew is a company that produces tea crafted for cocktails. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Owl’s Brew co-founder and COO Maria Littlefield to learn more.
Maria Littlefield’s Background
Littlefield started her career in marketing, and it was there that she met her co-founder, Jennie Ripps. And Littlefield said:
“Fun fact, she actually hired me the day that I moved to NYC as an intern! More on that to follow.”
“I’m originally from Martha’s Vineyard. I went to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs and currently live in NYC. I have two young boys, ages 2 and 5 months.”
Formation Of Owl’s Brew
How did the idea for the company come together? Littlefield shared:
“Jennie (my co-founder) and I met when we were working at a boutique marketing agency. It was during our time there that we started to wonder why we always felt so horrible after a drink or two… and why did everything taste so fake? We were shocked to learn that all these canned cocktails and hard seltzers were made with chemicals, fake sugars and additives. This started us on our journey to founding Owl’s Brew. We believed that there was a better way to drink.”
“Jennie was a certified tea sommelier, and we started making cocktails (in buckets!) with tea and botanicals for friends after work. They were light, refreshing and delicious, without any of that weird chemical aftertaste. We launched our canned version of our cocktails, Boozy Tea, in 2020.”
Favorite Memory
What has been Littlefield’s favorite memory working for the company so far? Littlefield reflected:
“It’s hard to pick one! Building a company is a journey filled with tons of incredible memories. However, I think some of my favorite memories are still from the early days when we were just starting out.”
“One time, we were doing cocktails for a Fashion Week event at a renowned department store in NYC (that will remain nameless!). At this point we didn’t have a product in a can, and we were making cocktails from scratch in large buckets (think fresh-brewing tea, adding a splash of juice and spirits).”
“Our main question to any venue was always if they had a place for us to batch and water we could use on site. This lovely department store said ‘of course’ to both. However, when we got there, they only had an automatic sink! Now you can imagine what filling up buckets for a 500 person event with an automatic sink looked like…long story short, we made sure to ask more questions about the source of water going forward.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Littlefield explained:
“Owls Brew is a best-in-class, award-winning, boozy beverage. Every barrel is handcrafted in small batches with fresh-brewed tea & botanicals, using only the highest quality ingredients. All the flavors are light & refreshing and spiked to 4.8% – 5% ALC/VOL. Founded by women, Owls Brew embodies a commitment to excellence and craft.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges has Littlefield faced in her sector of work? Littlefield acknowledged:
“As an entrepreneur, you have to get very comfortable with attacking challenges and bottlenecks and pushing boundaries. Every day is a new set of wins and challenges. The recent pandemic provided a whole host of supply chain issues and one recent one was that there was a CO2 shortage, so we quite literally couldn’t carbonate our product. We were luckily able to find another source fairly quickly, but you just never know what each day will bring!”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Littlefield cited:
“Since launching in 2020, Owl’s Brew Boozy Tea can be found in 20+ states and at incredible retailers like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Erewhon, Jewel Osco, Harris Teeter and more!”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Littlefield highlighted:
“We’ve won over 20 tasting awards for Boozy Tea, and my favorite moment is still when I get to see people try our products for the first time. Their reactions remind me why we created Owl’s Brew.”
Revenue
After asking Littlefield about the company’s revenue information, she revealed:
“Owl’s Brew Boozy Tea has grown 997% over the last three years.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Littlefield assessed:
“The current beyond beer and ready-to-drink (RTD) market is around $3 billion, with the RTD market growing rapidly.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Littlefield affirmed:
The taste! I think there are a lot of other things that people also get excited about, but the number one thing is always taste. We are committed to using the best ingredients to make our boozy beverages, and a ton of thought, craft and care goes in to every single one. Jennie (my co-founder) still develops all the flavors in her kitchen.”
“What may surprise readers is that this is NOT how most other canned beverages are made. They are made in labs and at flavor houses, using chemical concoctions that are designed to mimic the taste of raspberries or mangos or pineapples and sugar substitutes that give the impression of something sweet, but leave you with strange after tastes.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Littlefield concluded:
“Our goal is to be the most trusted beverage brand, and we hope to continue to grow, innovate and create delicious drinks that people can enjoy and feel good about what they are consuming.”
