Why Trip’s Billion-Dollar Journey Begins And Ends With Obsession

Olivia Ferdi is obsessed with the details.  The co-founder of Trip, a U.K.-based brand of lightly sparkling functional beverages intended to help people relax, Olivia says that a passion for the particulars is a key reason why Trip is the fastest-growing soft drink brand in the U.K. and currently preparing for a major expansion of its retail presence in the American market. Trip debuted in 2019 and markets two product lines: one infused with CBD and adaptogens and the other, called Mindful Blend, is made with Lion’s Mane, ashwagandha, L-theanine and magnesium. The brand is sold in over 30,000 points of distribution across Europe and the U.S and its Mindful Blend line will be available nationally at three yet-to-be-announced retail chains beginning in the first quarter of 2025. In this episode, Olivia discusses how Trip’s philosophy of “product obsession” helped gave the company a fast start and keeps it building towards a more promising future. She also explains why “the customer is sacrosanct,” how the company is applying lessons from success in e-commerce to its brick and mortar business and why humility is key to its U.S. expansion. Show notes: 0:35: Olivia Ferdi, Co-Founder, Trip – Olivia and Taste Radio editor Ray Latif chat about the industry meetup hosted the evening prior to their conversation, before the entrepreneur talks about Trip’s sponsorship of a Dua Lipa surprise concert in London later in the day. She also discusses Trip’s partnership with the Calm app, why she and Daniel never intended to build Trip as a U.K. brand, and how their personal experience with CBD became a “blind passion” to create a brand as a way to give people access to the ingredient. Olivia also explains how Trip’s “customer first” strategy has set it apart, how its well-crafted label design allowed the company to avoid using paid media early on, how she’s attempting to avoid pitfalls in the U.S. and the one word that can help Trip become a household name. Brands in this episode: Trip, Brewdog, Sipsmith, Beavertown