On this episode, we have Sara Delaney who is the Founder and CEO at Sarilla.

Sarilla is supporting regenerative agriculture with its lineup of ready-to-drink spritzers that are all made with organic and regenerative ingredients. Sarilla sources the majority of its ingredients via direct trade relationships with farmer cooperatives in Rwanda that are USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified and pursuing regenerative certification.

In this episode, Sara shares how she was inspired to launch the brand to further her work supporting the people of Rwanda in their ongoing recovery from the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, and she shares how Sarilla has grown over time to find the right name, SKUs, and product positioning.

Sara’s personal story is one of resiliency, empathy, and community and is definitely very alive in the Sarilla brand. She subscribes to the Rwandan wisdom that “to be alone is to die” - which underpins Sarilla’s social impact mission and should serve as good advice for all of looking to increase collaborative efforts in regeneration.

Episode Highlights:

🙏 How supporting Rwanda sparked a CPG brand

💔 The Rwandan genocide and need for trauma healing

🌿 Why tea was the pathway to economic impact

🧘 Sourcing from legendary, regenerative Rwandan tea gardens

👉 Positioning SKUs as sober safe and non-alcoholic

👍 Why RTD beverage can be such an impactful category for regen

🎯 Finding the right brand name, SKU mix, and positioning over time

🔥 Why sometimes “rejection is protection” and “asking who not how”

🥤 Building in foodservice, hospitality, vending, and grocery

🫶 How community is the antidote to despair

Links:

Sarilla

Sara’s TED Talk

The Rwandan genocide

Africa Healing Exchange

Vistar

Dobra Tea Asheville

1% For The Planet

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

Foodbuy

Cheney Brothers

RangeMe

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