Four years after launching Kollo, Nicole Dean is already making a name for herself in the beverage industry. Nicole’s inspiration bloomed from a trip to Japan, and upon returning home she found it difficult to find bottled tea without preservatives and sweeteners. That’s when the idea for Kollo tea began. Kollo is cold-brewed for 24 hours prior to being beautifully packaged in their French glass and contains zero calories and no additional sweeteners, flavorings, additives, or preservatives. Learn more about the two-ingredient (premium tea leaves and filtered water) brand and treat yourself to this luxury iced tea.
When and why did you start your company?
“Kollo launched in 2017 in Los Angeles, California. First and foremost, I was personally searching for a high-quality, unsweetened iced tea that actually tasted like freshly brewed tea. I don’t tolerate coffee particularly well, so at the time I was brewing beautiful loose-leaf tea at home and storing it in a glass bottle for convenience and portability. I happened to take a solo trip to Japan after finishing graduate school and learned an incredible amount of information about the history and traditions behind green tea. Upon returning home to LA, I was struck by the fact that it was difficult to find a high-quality, ready-to-drink tea that did not contain any sweeteners or preservatives. I took a leap of faith that if I was looking for such a product, perhaps others were as well … and thus, Kollo was born.”
What has your career path been like?
“When I founded Kollo, I had zero experience in the food or beverage world, so the learning curve was incredibly steep. My educational and professional background is in science and healthcare. I went to school to be a physician but ended up dropping out of medical school. From there, I was at a loss for what to do next but ultimately decided that I would transition into the more business-oriented side of healthcare and went on to complete a master’s in healthcare administration. After working for a small biotechnology company for several years, I went back to business school in the evenings to complete my MBA. Interestingly enough, although I went to business school, I had no intention of ever starting my own business. I am a ‘career changer’ in the truest sense, so I really admire others who take the leap into following their true passion. The risk is high, but the reward is even better!”
What’s the core mission of your brand?
“Kollo strives to provide the highest-quality, cleanest, and most beautiful iced tea on the market.”
What’s your most popular item that you sell and why?
“Most recently, our oolong tea has become very popular. Oolong teas produce such a unique flavor profile that appeals to many different palates, as it is often described as being in between green and black teas. We cold-brew our teas for 24 hours in order to extract flavors in a really delicate way, which helps avoid bitter or astringent tastes. Finding a ready-to-drink oolong tea is still quite rare in the United States, so it has been wonderful to help our customers explore new types of teas along with us.”
What has surprised you the most since starting your company?
“The importance and difficulty of staying true to your original vision. When we first launched, many did not understand the value of our commitment to simplicity. We choose to remove ingredients and flavorings typically found in bottled iced teas in order to focus on preparation methods and sourcing of our teas. Rather than having a colorful label, we chose to have a very simple clear glass bottle in order to display the beautiful colors of the teas. It can be discouraging when you feel like no one understands your vision, but patience is a virtue. As consumers become more interested in the transparency, production, and sustainability of their products, I hope that Kollo helps consumers explore tea through that lens.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned as a founder?
“Ask for help early and often! In the beginning, I was apprehensive about asking for assistance, as I thought it would expose the fact that I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Looking back, I could have avoided time wasted and tears shed had I more readily enlisted the help of friends, family, and industry experts. If it was supposed to be easy, everyone would start a business, but it really does take a village. It is such a humbling realization that many people do really want to help you bring your vision to life—you just have to ask.”
What can we expect in the future for Kollo?
“I hope to make Kollo more accessible to consumers by bringing the teas to more cities, as well as continue to expand our direct-to-consumer option. We often describe Kollo as ‘affordable luxury,’ meaning that we try to offer a high-value product that elevates the iced tea drinking experience in a convenient and healthy way. We plan to stay focused on our core product line (Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Black Tea) but have an exciting product-line extension that we hope to launch later this year!”
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