Sheryl O’Loughlin, REBBL: Millennials and Gen Y consumers are changing the landscape
Next we spoke to Sheryl O’Loughlin, CEO at functional beverage brand REBBL.
What keeps you awake at night?
The #1 thing that keeps me up at night is making sure our team feels that their work is meaningful, that they feel happy and fulfilled and that they always feel that they are being treated with dignity and respect. To me this is the quintessential element that predicates success – a focused, driven, highly engaged team that is able to mobilize momentum and transform what some may consider impossible into reality.
A mission statement can’t exist only in a business plan or painted on the walls of an office. It must come alive in each member of the team and as the heart of the organization itself.
What trends are you tracking?
The growth of plant-based foods and beverages; functional foods and beverages; awareness and usage of herb adaptogens; the ever shifting role of the conventional and mass channels as it relates to organic and natural food; and the impact of millennials and Gen Y: their buying preferences and methods, their relationship with food and the food system, and the impact of these generations on the natural industry and growth into mass channels.
Consumers are increasingly much more savvy on both ingredients and labeling. The demand for transparency has continued to soar driving innovation in really impactful ways that is transforming our food system – from apps that trace sourcing to labor standards and impacts, and new certifications being launched regularly to address this demand. It’s uplifting to see how many consumers now care about heart and soul of the companies they support through their purchases.
