Welcome toSecond Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who’ve made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.
A few years ago, kombucha entered the mainstream, becoming the latest wellness trend stunning the masses with its various gut health benefits. At the forefront of the movement was Health-Ade Kombucha, which launched in 2012 at a local Los Angeles farmer’s market with only 60 bottles, and to the founders’ surprise, they sold out. Behind the new kombucha brand was a team of best friends: husband-and-wife, Justin and Daina Trout, and Vanessa Dew. As the Co-Founder and Chief Sales Officer, Vanessa Dew quickly realized that they created a unique product, second to none: “When we think about how Health-Ade is different, [it’s because] we have guaranteed probiotics in each bottle. And that’s really important because when you think about why you’re drinking kombucha for the gut, you want to make sure it’s jam-packed with probiotics and healthy bacteria, and we guarantee that every single time.” In 2019, Health-Ade single-handedly contributed 80% of the category’s growth, and today, the brand has grown from selling in a single farmer’s market into 35,000 stores, including household names like Whole Foods, Target and Trader Joes.
It comes as no surprise that Dew has always loved science. She majored in biochemistry in college, and right out of school, landed a job at Pfizer, a top global pharmaceutical company, holding an esteemed title as Senior Sales Representative. Dew was fascinated with the world of pharmaceuticals and the idea of curing the world through life-saving medicines, so after Pfizer, she then went to work at GlaxoSmithKline, another major pharmaceutical company. And while Dew loved the world of science, she also had an entrepreneurial itch; thus, she decided to enroll in business school at USC, where she learned the power of networking. Throughout her early career, Dew had a tiny voice in her head pushing her to find a vocation that fulfilled her, and she did just that by following her gut to eventually start Health-Ade Kombucha.
Tune in to the latest Second Life episode to hear how Dew knew when to listen to her inner voice and how she is continuing to evolve the brand into new products. And keep scrolling to discover Health-Ade’s latest launches.
