“Take two deep breaths.”
Kathryn Dougherty, the founder and CEO of Spritz Sparkling Tea, a non-alcoholic sparkling tea startup, read the reminder strewn across her notes in big block letters as she prepared to walk on stage for the New Beverage Showdown hosted by BevNET. It’s a competition for emerging entrepreneurs in the beverage business to pitch their company to industry leaders for the chance to earn notoriety and a cash prize. The bright lights and leaders from companies like Coca-Cola and Nantucket Nectars sitting in the crowd in Santa Monica, California, made her realize just how far she’d come – literally.
Folchi Creative LLC
When Dougherty founded the business, she never imagined she would become one of just 12 contestants chosen from the 120 applicants to be in such an intense showdown. But she didn’t stop there. She went on to become one of six finalists in the two-day competition. While she didn’t take home the grand prize, the young startup did win audience favorite. The opportunity was enough to inspire her to keep following her dreams, dreams that started in her kitchen in Dublin.
While training for a half Ironman with a few of her friends in 2016, Dougherty wanted to celebrate. But a 10-mile run scheduled for the next morning took alcohol and sugary drinks off the table. Instead, she made a non-alcoholic spritzer from herbal tea and seltzer she found in her kitchen. The creation would become the same concoction that led her to the stage in California.
“It’s this product I’ve been working on for years, and to see an entire manufacturing facility making your product … it’s gotta be like a form of motherhood,” Dougherty says. “I stood there and just thought, ‘It’s real.’”
Dougherty left her job at Johnson & Johnson, where she spent 10 years, to pursue her tea business full-time. From coming up with a name and creating a website to finding a beverage engineering firm and doing market research, building a business from scratch was no easy task.
“It took so much Google searching,” Dougherty says, pausing between each word and laughing. “I was able to get a good base at Johnson & Johnson on sales, marketing, product development – but what J&J is not is a startup. The scrappiness and figure-it-out mindset is something I’m encountering now with, of course, the help of so many mentors, friends and family.”
Much of Dougherty’s success is due to the support of the Dublin community, and as the company continues to grow, she’s working to solidify Spritz as the non-alcoholic alternative in bars and restaurants, boutique fitness studios, spas and salons, and grocery partners throughout the Midwest.
But for Dougherty, Spritz Sparkling Tea isn’t just about providing a healthy non-alcoholic alternative. It’s about using the brand to ignite and promote change supporting women’s empowerment.
“I’m very much about women supporting women,” Dougherty says. “I want to change those social landscapes to showcase women in high profile roles, and I want my brand to be celebratory of women in leadership - to be encouraging, inspiring, empowering.”
Made of Iron
Dougherty’s decision to take on the Ironman race was, as she calls it, logical.
“I wanted to diversify from just running,” she says. “When Ironman came to Ohio in 2016, I was so excited to have a local race to compete in.”
It’s not the first time she’s jumped into a competition, though. Dougherty had just finished her first 70.3 race in 2015.
“It doesn’t matter the distance, I’m always nervous before my races,” she says. “It’s time to deliver and see how all the pieces are going to fit together on race day – the swim, bike, run transitions and nutrition all play a role.”
The 2016 Ironman was an amazing day for Dougherty. She thrived during the swim and the bike ride, but during the first mile of the half marathon portion, disaster struck. Any runner knows how painful muscle cramps can be, but after enduring an entire race, Dougherty’s calves and quads were screaming.
“But this was both the beauty and pain of a triathlon,” she says. “It was so painful, but each time (I fell) I got up and would push forward another quarter of a mile before I went down again.”
With the encouragement and help of fellow racers, she made it to the end and collapsed less than 100 meters from the finish line. Volunteers rushed out and caught her as she fell, immediately cooling her down with ice and tending to her sore muscles.
“That’s a humbling experience to feel strangers taking care of you,” she says. “I remember that every time I race.”
Since her 2016 race, Dougherty completed the Ironman Maryland in September: a 2.4-mile swim through jellyfish, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.
“Coming down that red carpet to the finish line was one of the most incredible moments of my life,” she says. “About 14.5 hours to complete, nine months of training and five years of the sport.”
Lillian van Wyngaarden is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
