JUSTIN GUILBERT and DOUGLAS RIBOUD, co-founders, Harmless Harvest: ‘Our product tastes noticeably different’
Two other entrepreneurs extolling the virtues of plant water are Harmless Harvest co-founders Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud, pioneers in the raw coconut water market.
Says Guilbert of his HPP-processed wares: “The American consumer, regardless of disposable income or sophistication, is willing to pay more for better quality as long as that quality is tangible, if your product is distinctively superior… When people look at my product and say that’s expensive, I say no, it’s the others that are cheap; this is the price for a good product.”
He won’t disclose sales figures, but some numbers speak for themselves, he said: “In 2010, the company consisted of two guys. Today we’re about 300.”
Harmless Harvest has recently launched a novel cold-brewed, HPP-treated ‘raw tea’ product at Whole Foods called Namacha, but it’s not interested in SKU-proliferation for the sake of “trying to secure real estate on shelf”, says Guilbert.
“If you need to find 20 other products to put on the shelf, then your first product wasn’t good enough.”
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