Meet Ooso: Sparkling Tea Inspired by Natural Wine 🍷
Inside the launch of Ooso, a new organic sparkling tea entering the surging non-alcoholic space.
Good morning everyone!
Today on Who Do You Know? I am interviewing Sophia Racciatti, the one of the founders of Ooso, a new sparkling tea hitting the market today!
Sophia sent over two cans of Ooso, each different flavors— Hibiscus, Ginger, Currant and Green Tea, Mint, Lime. Stay tuned for my honest review after the interview.
We discussed—
Why she co-founded Ooso
Entering the increasingly crowded non-alcoholic beverage space
How they designed such a beautiful can
Their go-to-market strategy
and more!
Let me set the scene first.
The share of 18-34 year old adults who report drinking alcohol occasionally dropped to just 62% recently, the lowest level in recent memory. According to Boston Consulting Group, the no-to-low-alcoholic beverage market is growing at a 7% CAGR and is now a $13B industry.
We’ve seen an abundance of new alcohol alternatives pop up to help foster this growing market and meet consumer demand, and these rising brands taste great, have impeccable branding, and are available in nearly every wine bar you can imagine.
’s Ghia, for example, saw a 132% YoY sales increase this past Dry January, according to Forbes.
So when Sophia reached out offering to send over some Ooso ahead of their launch, the first question popped into my head: Do we need another non-alcoholic option?
Let’s find out.
INTERVIEW 🗣️
Jake Bell: What is Ooso?
Sophia Racciatti: OOSO is a sparkling tea inspired by natural wine with adaptogens and vitamins for functional wellness.
OOSO is made with organic teas and only sweetened with organic honey
We don't use any artificial ingredients
OOSO is adaptogenic. Adaptogens are plants / mushrooms that help your body respond to stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
JB: What makes Ooso stand out in the non-alcohol space?
SR: The non-alc space is doing great right now both because of the demand, but also because there are some good options out there for the consumer, so we didn't just want to put out another product that's like everything else. We've been incredibly intentional with every step from the liquid's taste, the function of the ingredients, product pricing, and the unique design.
We don't drink often at all, but when Ollie and I do drink, we love natural wine, and we couldn't find something on the market for the right price and the right sweetness level that got us super excited. So with tea as the base, we set out to create a unique flavor. We often hear people say that they've "never had something like OOSO before," and that's always a big compliment. We also know that the functional space is growing rapidly and we are big believers in that. If you are going to avoid drinking alcohol due to health reasons, why not choose something that will also make you feel better the next day? Lastly, we wanted our product to differentiate itself on the shelf and catch the consumer's eye. While each of our strategies might not create a huge competitive advantage on their own, we think all together we've created enough differentiation!
JB: Tell me a little about yourselves as founders? What are your backgrounds? How did your previous experience help when starting the brand?
SR: We're Sophie and Ollie, a Brooklyn couple & founders of OOSO Sparkling Tea. We were experiencing high levels of "hangxiety" during the pandemic and we found a huge improvement to our mental health by limiting our alcohol intake. It felt empowering to make decisions that supported our mental and physical health but we were missing the social aspects of having a fun little bevy. So... we started playing around at home and made something that we really believed in.
Ollie is the number side of our duo. His background in investment banking & consulting gives him some serious excel and strategy skills that have been integral for OOSO. I have been in the beverage industry for 6+ years in marketing and sales. Alcoholic beverages have been such a big part of my life that it felt devastating to realize it was hurting my mental / physical health in a very real way. It's the things you love that can hurt you the most. Luckily, the non-alc space has felt incredibly refreshing and we are excited to be a part of it.
JB: The packaging is beautiful. Tell me a bit about the inspiration. Did you design in-house or partner with a branding agency?
SR: Thank you! We were very inspired by the Bauhaus movement and its influence on mid-century and contemporary design. From the beginning, we knew that we didn't want OOSO to be just another commercial product. OOSO was created as a design-first brand so that it could be a bit of an expression for our consumer.
We worked with two amazing designers on our branding and package design - Nick Corey & James Sobol.
JB: Talk to me about the go-to-market strategy. How have you been building buzz around Ooso pre-launch?
SR: We are launching May 30th on our website drinkOOSO.com & at Big Night in Greenpoint. It's very important to us to launch in our neighborhood and continue to build a community in NYC. We have a number of stores in NYC stocking OOSO on their shelves this summer including Happier Grocery and Minus Moonshine starting June 5th.
JB: In terms of brand positioning, who is the ideal Ooso customer? How have you aligned your packaging, content, and other touch points to reach this target demo?
SR: Our ideal OOSO consumer is discerning with their consumption and speculative about the role of alcohol in their life. By far, Gen Z and young Millennials are leading this trend and are curious to explore life where alcohol isn't at the center of their social community.
Our packaging, tone of voice and content strategy reflect our personalities and our young community. OOSO's use of bold colors, bold patterns, and bold flavors are meant to be a disruption in the beverage space. We believe our customers live an ultra curated lifestyle and there's no reason that shouldn't extend to their beverages.
Check out our story on our TikTok or Instagram at @drinkOOSO.
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JB: What, where, and when is the best way to enjoy an Ooso?
SR: Green Tea. Mint. Lime. (Inspired by natural white wine) ~ Refreshing, bright, citrusy
** I think this is perfect for an afternoon pick me up or to have with a beautiful salad. The mint pairs really well with Mediterranean food. It's incredibly refreshing on a hot NYC day and the small jolt of natural caffeine (same amount you'd find in a cup of green tea) will give you a bit of a boost.
Energizing & Uplifting
Contains guayusa, a nootropic energy ingredient and considered a "super-leaf" thanks to its exceptional antioxidant properties & unique caffeine content (about half a cup of coffee)
Additional Adaptogens: L-theanine, Ashwagandha, Panax Ginseng
Vitamin C & Vitamin B Complex
Hibiscus. Ginger. Currant. (Inspired by chilled natural red wine) ~ Juicy, tart, lingering
** This is great for pre-dinner drinks with a charcuterie board or spicy nuts. It's bold with a satisfying finish. The passion flower helps to calm your nervous system, so it's great as an elevated sleepy-girl mocktail.
Calming & Grounding
Contains Passionflower, an adaptogen that helps calm the nervous system and relieve anxiety
Additional Adaptogens: L-theanine, Ashwagandha
Vitamin C & Vitamin B Complex
JB: Where can someone purchase it?
SR: We're launching May 30th with national shipping on our website. Check out our stockist page to find OOSO IRL.
REVIEW ✨
Alright I drank my first Ooso as I wrote this newsletter and I can say with confidence its honestly something pretty special.
Friend of Who Do You Know?,
wrote a glowing review in their most recent letter so I had high hopes.I rarely insert my personal opinion on here because I’m a firm believer taste is subjective—but my God their hibiscus SKU was incredibly good…
I completely agree, the Hibiscus flavor is bright, balanced, and, most importantly, deliciously refreshing (It is giving chilled red wine… one of my favs) I could totally see myself enjoying one of these on a hot Summer day on a rooftop or at the beach, or opting for this over wine when I have a dinner I need to stay sharp.
I love how its completely organic and the adaptogens do have a noticeable effect.
Contrary to my writing on the CPG beverage space, I pretty much only drink still water, pure La Croix, and black coffee, so while I like to try a lot, I seldom add new drinks into my routine.
But Ooso is something I could see myself purchasing again and feeling great about.
I highly recommend giving it a try and lucky for you, it launches today! Go to their site here and purchase some.
Major thanks to Sophia for coming on the newsletter today and giving some major insights, and a big congratulations to her and Ollie for bringing this product into the world. Its not easy.
Do you have a beverage or product you want me to review on Who Do You Know? Email me and I’ll send my address.
See you all tomorrow!
About Jake
Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, and designer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio
I'm all for a non alcoholic beverage. But it's not a health product when there's 7/8 grams of sugar per can. Having a few cans of these at a social would give me a hangover.