Sara Stender Delaney came to the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast at A-B Tech with a vision—an idea she wanted to morph and mold into something new: draft tea. A working mother in Asheville, Sara wanted more fun, healthy, nonalcoholic options in the Beer City. Since then, she has put her skills, passion, and determination into creating Sarilla, an award-winning nonalcoholic beverage in cans and kegs made with organic, fair-trade Rwandan tea. Sara is also the founder of Africa Healing Exchange, a nonprofit organization that helps survivors of the Rwandan Genocide heal from trauma.

Sara joins me today to share her ‘purpose first, products second’ vision and her mission to positively impact the world through Sarilla. She describes how the Sarilla brand and team have grown. She explains why she checks for an area’s water pH before moving into a new facility. She discusses her hopes to show other entrepreneurs how to make a positive change in people's lives while growing a brand. She details the challenges involved in getting your products in a grocery chain. Sara also ruminates on the future of Sarilla and highlights the company’s efforts to go beyond the product by using its brand as a platform to inspire young women and girls.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●      Sarilla’s mission and how it’s making a positive impact on the world

●      How the Sarilla team has grown

●      The new Sarilla tea packaging and Sara’s favorite Sarilla drink

●      Learning the nuances of consumer behavior and how products represent values

●      Booze Clues: a drink with a creamy-clean mouth feel versus my local grocery store’s brand

●      The difference between distilled water and spring water

●      The dangers of growing a company too fast

●      The future of Sarilla and how they’re growing their business model

Connect with Sara Stender Delaney:

●      Sarilla

●      Africa Healing Exchange

●      Sarilla on LinkedIn

●      Sarilla on Instagram

●      Sarilla on Facebook

●      Sarilla on YouTube

●      Sara Stender Delaney on LinkedIn

Consuming the Craft 

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

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