Like many of us, Hannah Mendoza cherishes her daily rituals.
From making a hot pot of coffee to whisking up some matcha, Hannah always wondered if there was a way to add more functional benefits to her beverages.
Hannah createdClevr Blends, a line of oat-milk-based superfood lattes designed to improve your mood, energy, digestion, brain health, and so much more.
“The idea came from our daily habits, which most of us have, and one is caffeinating everyday because we are in a very anxious, high-stress moment as a culture and a society,” Hannah says.
Initially starting out as a pop-up beverage bar, Clevr Blends has grown into an international brand with organic growth, and even counts Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle as an investor.
“It took a year in my kitchen, surrounded by hundreds of different ingredients, trying to nail that barista quality and texture, while also having these incredible functional ingredients,” Hannah says.
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Hannah and her co-founder began their journey traveling around the country in order to collect research and customer feedback to better perfect their product.
“We really use our customer base as a resource, and bring them into the development process to say, ‘Hey, we are here to serve you. What are your biggest health and wellness concerns?’” Hannah says. “We let this research become the bible, from a product development standpoint.”
Hannah knew she wanted a brand that served the needs of the people, but still delivered all the benefits of taking a supplement or adaptogen in the morning.
“We ended up creating a coffee-shop-quality, very high-end instant-drink experience, because that is what is most approachable to people,” Hannah says.
After a year and a half in business, Hannah and her cofounder got the phone call that changed everything.
Meghan Markle reached out with an interest to invest in the business. “She really fell in love with the product line and the ethos of the brand,” Hannah says. “She truly loved the storyline and the product equally.”
Clevr Blends took its time carefully crafting a brand and tight-knit community around daily rituals before welcoming in outside funding—and it paid off.
Tune in to the fullShopify Mastersepisode to learn how Hannah Mendoza and the team at Clevr Blends continue to create innovative products to meet consumer needs, while still maintaining international attention and sustainable growth.