Daina Trout

Entrepreneur of the Year 2022

Each year, BevNET’s annual Best Of awards honors companies, brands, individuals, products, ideas and trends from across the dynamic and ever-changing beverage landscape. As in years past, 2019 witnessed the emergence of disruptive newcomers developing alongside established players seeking out new frontiers. In ways both big and small, this year confirmed that there isn’t a singular route to success. In bottled water, we saw Essentia reap the benefits of a dedicated long-term growth strategy… Show more

Each year, BevNET’s annual Best Of awards honors companies, brands, individuals, products, ideas and trends from across the dynamic and ever-changing beverage landscape. As in years past, 2019 witnessed the emergence of disruptive newcomers developing alongside established players seeking out new frontiers. In ways both big and small, this year confirmed that there isn’t a singular route to success. In bottled water, we saw Essentia reap the benefits of a dedicated long-term growth strategy, fueled by strong execution, and at the same time we saw Liquid Death capture the imagination of consumers with a wholly unconventional (and unmistakable) marketing voice. We saw young companies in categories like energy and coffee help bring a new generation of functional beverages to mainstream audiences, while also watching as legacy brands extended their reach with new innovations. Some well-worn rules were confirmed, and others were torn up in style. There was truly a bit of everything.

With such a wide breadth of worthy nominees, the process of selecting our Best Of 2019 award winners was hardly simple. These honorees represent a vibrant and dynamic group of brands that we feel best encompass the ideas, personalities and products pushing the beverage industry in exciting new directions at the dawn of a new decade— and we can’t wait to see where they will take us next. In her role as CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade, Daina embodies the challenger spirit of the true entrepreneur, pushing the point of difference of her brand and her ideals and passionately fighting for their right to exist and grow. Congratulations to Daina for winning this prestigious award for 2019! Show less

Inc. recognizes 100 female founders each year. Daina was chosen in 2019.

I’m not afraid to tell it like it is, leading with the heart. I don’t think innovation is limited just to the products or services you sell—I think it starts actually at leadership. My intent is to be an out of the box thinker that sets a very high standard of excellence but allows for major flexibility on how to get there. I let my people write the path entirely, I just set the destination and direction. I am not ashamed to be a major lover of people (sometimes this is frowned upon for an… Show more

I’m not afraid to tell it like it is, leading with the heart. I don’t think innovation is limited just to the products or services you sell—I think it starts actually at leadership. My intent is to be an out of the box thinker that sets a very high standard of excellence but allows for major flexibility on how to get there. I let my people write the path entirely, I just set the destination and direction. I am not ashamed to be a major lover of people (sometimes this is frowned upon for an operator), because I believe that winning through people is my purpose! Show less

Visibility is often the key to culture change, and as these two co-founders and CEOs in the kombucha space continue to grow, their visibility will inspire that change. As kombucha grows, both Trout’s and Danek’s teams will, as well, and will join other strong women-led companies (like Mamma Chia and Bonafide Provisions, for example) in exporting teams bearing the imprint of their own leadership styles. Both strong, smart executives, they are great examples of leading by… Show more

Visibility is often the key to culture change, and as these two co-founders and CEOs in the kombucha space continue to grow, their visibility will inspire that change. As kombucha grows, both Trout’s and Danek’s teams will, as well, and will join other strong women-led companies (like Mamma Chia and Bonafide Provisions, for example) in exporting teams bearing the imprint of their own leadership styles. Both strong, smart executives, they are great examples of leading by succeeding.

https://www.bevnet.com/magazine/issue/2018/leaning-beverage-31-powerful-women-industry Show less

BAKERS & MAKERS
Daina Trout, the CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade, is an inspiration to food entrepreneurs everywhere. She and her co-founders took the kombucha brand from a boot-strapped beverage sold at a single farmers’ market to a nationally-distributed product with a devoted customer base. There were plenty of bumps along the way, as they quit their day jobs and maxed out their credit cards, but they soon found themselves with a phenomenon on their hands. Today, Health-Ade is emerging… Show more

BAKERS & MAKERS
Daina Trout, the CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade, is an inspiration to food entrepreneurs everywhere. She and her co-founders took the kombucha brand from a boot-strapped beverage sold at a single farmers’ market to a nationally-distributed product with a devoted customer base. There were plenty of bumps along the way, as they quit their day jobs and maxed out their credit cards, but they soon found themselves with a phenomenon on their hands. Today, Health-Ade is emerging as the drink of choice for a generation that avoids soda and embraces wellness.


https://cherrybombe.com/cherrybombe100/daina-trout Show less

Daina Trout is running the kombucha game.

And yet, the CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, AKA the fastest growing kombucha company in the United States, spends her free (ahem, what?) time mentoring younger entrepreneurs. She says it’s an important part of the process that she didn’t have when starting her company in 2012.

https://www.createcultivate.com/blog/create-cultivate-100-food-daina-trout

https://csq.com/2018/03/nextgen10-innovation-technology-2018/csq_2018q1_nextgen10_daina-trout/#.XMi0rS2ZOi4

Health-Ade Kombucha went from a homemade beverage—quite literally concocted in its founders’ teeny-tiny Los Angeles kitchen and sold at local farmers markets—to a household brand sold in more than 6,000 stores and restaurants nationwide, all in a mere five years. But ask co-founder and creator Daina Trout if she was surprised by the spritzy, funky brew’s success, and Trout will tell you the thought that Health-Ade Kombucha wouldn’t be a big succeess never even occurred to her. “I always had a… Show more

Health-Ade Kombucha went from a homemade beverage—quite literally concocted in its founders’ teeny-tiny Los Angeles kitchen and sold at local farmers markets—to a household brand sold in more than 6,000 stores and restaurants nationwide, all in a mere five years. But ask co-founder and creator Daina Trout if she was surprised by the spritzy, funky brew’s success, and Trout will tell you the thought that Health-Ade Kombucha wouldn’t be a big succeess never even occurred to her. “I always had a grand vision of success—from the very beginning, I had a picture of Oprah on my desk,” she says. And yet, despite the brand’s growth, the brew itself hasn’t changed much from the humble recipe made in Trout’s kitchen. "Health-Ade makes kombucha the real way, with the most real, palatable ingredients,” says Trout, who believes it's a perfect gateway option for those looking to dip their toes–or tongues, rather–into the gut revolution. “It’s easy, you can trust it, and it tastes the best.”

https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/most-innovative-women-2017#daina-trout

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