Words by Virginia Myers & Megan Smith<\/strong>
\nPhotography by Jesse Fox<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010, Heather Howell was wooed away from her job in talent acquisition for a Fortune 100 company and charged with the task of taking a small farmer\u2019s market product to a nationally recognized and distributed brand. She had no beverage, bottling, distribution, or start-up experience. A deterrent for some, perhaps, but Rooibee Red Tea\u2019s investors believed this former Division I athlete, no stranger to competition, was the secret ingredient to the tea\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

The million dollar question for any brand stepping into the marketplace is \u201dhow do I get recognized?\u201d Heather, now Chief Tea Officer of Rooibee Red Tea, knew the company\u2019s only chance of a little known tea leaf product becoming a household name was to focus time and energy on three objectives: strategic store presence, stellar people, and spot-on public relations. \u201cMy first goal was to find the best team I could in the food and beverage space,\u201d Heather said. \u201cI knew we needed hearty team members to take Rooibee Red Tea to the next level. The beverage space is dog-eat-dog and there are some big dogs there reluctant to give up market share. To survive in this industry, you have to be scrappy.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read more of this article, subscribe to CAKE&WHISKEY magazine or purchase the single issue\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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