Assembling the Brand: Stephanie McGregor, Founder of RINGA Holistic Hydration

Stephanie McGregor, the founder of RINGA Holistic Hydration, a locally sourced, organic moringa beverage brand, is on a mission to help bring this incredible nutrient-dense plant to the masses through a line of lightly effervescent beverages. With a high concentration of free radical fighting agents and properties that are said to help manage stress, the brand’s products are jam-packed with health-boosting antioxidants and nutrients, and have seen increased popularity among health-conscious consumers.

We sat down with the brand’s founder to discuss the vision behind the business, eco-friendly practices, challenges, and more.

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What were the driving forces behind starting RINGA Holistic Hydration?

I’ve been in the start-up world as an operator for almost 20 years. While I loved the brands I was fortunate enough to help build, and the people I met and worked with along the way, the experience was both emotionally and physically taxing. In April of 2022 I found myself in a position I had not been in before.

Due to COVID-19 related challenges, the most current venture I was working on was forced to downsize. For the first time in a very long time - I felt at a personal and professional crossroads. I no longer knew if what I had been doing was my passion, and committed to taking some time off to recharge. I told myself that I would be open to whatever came next, even if that meant a career change.

I took a trip to Baja Mexico to visit my best friend that I had not seen in a very long time. During my time there, I was able to fully immerse myself in the culture, the landscape, the warmth of both the climate and the people, and ultimately it was here in the desert that I was introduced to moringa. The more I learned about the plant, the more convinced I became that this was something that could be a solution for so many of the challenges we’re facing with our food system, as well as climate change. Upon returning home to the U.S., I was motivated to create RINGA - which is ultimately a portfolio of products inspired by moringa, that is better for both people and the planet.

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Consumers are increasingly concerned about sustainability. How has your brand integrated eco-friendly practices into your product development and supply chain?

This was actually one of the foundational elements of why we are so interested in moringa to begin with. Because it can grow quickly despite needing very little water and it’s viable from tip to tip, moringa is an excellent option to support regenerative agriculture practices. It can also absorb more carbon than other trees its size, and is drought tolerant, making it a good solution for a warming world. And gram for gram, it's one of the most nutrient-dense plants on the planet, which means we are able to provide more nourishment with less resources. We also source locally whenever possible and use aluminum cans for our product.

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Where do you see your CPG brand in the next 5 years? What are your key growth objectives and expansion plans?

We hope to be the ‘blue stripes’ of moringa. Because the plant is viable for so many different uses, we see the opportunity to create products across many different categories. Our immediate goal is to launch additional flavors in our sparkling (bubbly) line, and look at doing a non-carbonated product offering. We are also looking at extending into the snack and confection categories as well. We believe that by incorporating moringa into more products we consume on a daily basis, we can make those foods more nutritious and drive awareness around the versatility and environmentally-friendly footprint of moringa and other plants like it.

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What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to venture into the CPG space, based on your own experiences?

There are so many competing philosophies out there that for first timers, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed. For a while, there was a mentality of ‘growing at all cost’ and figuring out how to be profitable later in the CPG space. With the current financial climate, it’s much more important to focus on being profitable as quickly as you can.

Grow slowly if need be to ensure you have the capital (both emotional and financial,) which is more of a priority now. And quite frankly, it’s more empowering! The less money you have to raise, the more of the company you control. The slower you grow, the more time you have to make course corrections. You only really get to launch once, so make sure you’re making the most of the opportunity. Focus on what is most important to you, be intentional about what retailers you want to work with, and don’t be afraid to say NO. If you build a brand that people want and love, you’re in the driver seat.

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RINGA Holistic Hydration is a brand that puts quality and health first, and only uses real, organic juices and small-batch custom crafted plant extracts. Right here, discover further details about the benefits of moringa, and how the brand stacks up against the competition.

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