Episode 29 | How SmartSweets Became a Multi-Million Dollar Brand in Less Than A Year
with SmartSweets Founder Tara Bosch
Tara Bosch is on a mission to kick sugar.
In service of that mission, she and her team at SmartSweets make low sugar, non-chocolate confections… and really nothing else. The thinking is, if you can offer something that tastes like regular candy without all the sugar, you can break the cycle of sugar addiction that adversely affects so many people’s diets – and overall health.
It all started with a heart-to-heart conversation between Tara and her grandmother. After years of enjoying sweets together, Tara was surprised to hear her grandmother say that consuming too much sugar was a major regret in her life, and that it had taken a toll on her and her family’s health.
Whereas most people might have taken this information and perhaps changed their diet, this conversation started Tara down the path of entrepreneurship. A week later she had a gummy candy mold, a candy thermometer, and was recipe testing in her kitchen. Her goal was nothing short of building the leading low-sugar confectionary brand on the planet.
Oh, and by the way… she was still in college at this point.
It’s been a truly remarkable journey for Tara. We caught up with the young founder just as she and the team closed a $3 million funding round and announced nationwide distribution at Whole Foods.
Jump to
- SmartSweets origin story. 3:15
- Early challenges scaling the brand. 7:19
- Tara on finding mentors. 9:43
- Tara’s experience launching in a tech incubator. 12:51
- SmartSweets’ critical first hires. 17:35
- Tara on the speed with which SmartSweets launched. 21:35
- How Tara maintains her mindset. 23:53
Links
- SmartSweets
- Connect with Tara on LinkedIn
- Invoke Labs (Tara’s incubator)
Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com.
Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.
