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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
