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1 8 C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 3 >> BY JOEL BERG Aer graduating with a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, Jennie Ripps embarked on a career in publishing. But when she began experimenting with tea leaves a few years later, it set her on another path. Today, Ripps is founder and CEO of Owl's Brew, a Stamford- based maker of "boozy tea" cocktails. "e minute that I fell in love with tea, it sparked an interest. I just wanted to build, and I became an entrepreneur, slowly and then quickly," Ripps said. But it's not just a love of tea that animates Ripps. She also is a firm believer in using natural ingredients to give her concoctions both award-winning taste and health benefits. "at's what I'm most excited about," said Ripps, who grew up in Greenwich. "e future of the category is this idea of clean booze ultimately being a category just like clean beauty, clean energy." Consumers, she added, are going to expect greater transparency from alcoholic-beverage makers. Nutritional labels are scarce in the industry — Ripps estimates only 4% of products have them, and hers do. But a majority of consumers are looking, she says. "So, for me, there's a big white-space gap there," Ripps says. A desire to help Ripps began experimenting with tea to help her late father, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in the mid-2000s. She was hunting for foods and beverages that were rich in antioxidants and boosted immunity. It seemed "incredibly complicated" to make things like vitamin water, which was gaining traction at the time, she said. Marketer-turned-entrepreneur Ripps finds growing niche in 'boozy tea' cocktails 'Drink Wise' Jennie Ripps is the founder of Stamford-based Owl's Brew, a maker of boozy tea cocktails. PHOTOS | STEVE LASCHEVER