Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lyda Hanson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lyda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our mission at Suntide is to create a brand that inspires people to get outside under the sun and connect with each other, their environment and the present moment. While we offer canned mimosas, we strive to provide an experience that gives our consumers so much more than just the convenience of a tasty beverage in can. Growing up in beautiful Northern California, my brothers (and fellow co-founders) and I developed a deep appreciation for those moments in which we were with friends and family, outside in nature, disconnected from our phones and just enjoying the presence of the people and places we were surrounded by. We hope to cultivate and promote those kinds of meaningful moments for our customers through our brand identity and products. Suntide was started by myself and my family, and I can say without a doubt that our brand is a direct result of our collective values, vision, hard work and heart. We hope that every time a customer enjoys a Suntide Mimosa, it is an experience that encourages them to be present and appreciate the precious moments, big and small, that make each day special.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others?

My name is Lyda Hanson, and I am the CEO and Co-founder of Suntide. I am twenty-four years old and started the company alongside my younger brothers, Spencer and Wyatt, when I was a senior at UC Berkeley. While I studied cognitive science at Berkeley, my true passions and talents are in the realm of the visual arts – branding, photography, video editing, painting and drawing. My mother is an artist, so we were all raised designing and creating from a young age.

While I always knew I wanted to start my own company, I would have never guessed it would have been in the alcoholic beverage space! I conceptualized a ready-to-drink, canned mimosa product during my senior year of college and was ready to bring the idea to life after a conversation with our now consultant, who told me he believed the concept and branding had massive potential. Two years later, after a lot of hard work and difficult decisions, Suntide is in-hands and selling in 12 different states!

Suntide Mimosas are made with real juice and California sparkling wine, with a simple nutrition label, all-natural ingredients and the same bold, authentic taste as the beloved classic mimosas you make at home. Our product is unique in that we prioritized taste above all in our formulation process. These are not your watered down, ultra-light, seltzer-esque versions of a mimosa. Our mimosas are bold, bright and punchy with uncompromised flavor. They are the real deal.

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.?

I am most proud of how far we have come in such a short period of time, given that we are young and learning as we go. In a lot of ways, I think our naivete to the beverage space has been one of our greatest strengths – we come to the table with fresh eyes and from the perspective of the consumers we are designing the product for. Sometimes, we joke that we are designing a product for ourselves and our friends… Which is true to some extent! The Suntide brand is a very direct reflection of our own values, interests and lifestyle, making it easy to keep our brand as real and authentic as it gets. From my own perspective, I find a lot of beverage brands to be overly curated, staged and a bit too glossy in their imagery and aesthetic. While those qualities make for a sleek Instagram feed, I personally don’t relate to that type of messaging.

Suntide is about the now, about authenticity and about embracing today. We want customers to feel like their truest selves when they have a Suntide in hand, because they are sipping while doing the things they love most, like enjoying the outdoors, celebrating milestones, cherishing time with loved ones or watching the sun rise and set. I am truly proud each time I see someone crack open a Suntide with a smile on their face, allowing themselves the opportunity to appreciate the here and now.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Making our dream a reality meant stepping out of my comfort zone – big time. In many ways, it was ingrained in me that you had to be a certain age or at a certain stage of life to start a business, and there were moments I doubted myself because of this preconceived notion. But throughout this journey, I have learned that only you can set limits on what you are capable of and only you can decide when you are ready to take the leap. I really had to unlearn what a “CEO” or a “founder” looks like and in doing so, realized that I was in fact ready to set my plans into motion. This realization helped me build confidence and feel ready to take the initiative, put myself out there and make it happen. I have always been entrepreneurial, and I have always loved coming up with big ideas, but overcoming those doubts was the catalyst that allowed me and my family to turn an idea into a successful brand.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

My dad played an incredibly significant role in my entrepreneurial thinking in two ways.

The first was exposure. My dad is deeply involved in aspects of the technological innovation that has taken place in Silicon Valley and instilled in me from an early age that I too could create and innovate. On multiple occasions, he would bring me to the Palo Alto lab he worked in, where I would be exposed to fascinating technology demos alongside up-and-coming projects. Each time, I would leave mystified and inspired to dream big. On other occasions, I would tag along to his business meetings where I would have the opportunity to observe, listen and learn. These experiences gave me a sneak peek into the fast-paced, creative startup culture and an introduction to the people at the forefront of innovation in their industries. Each time, I would walk away telling my dad, “I am going to do what they are doing. I am going to be an entrepreneur.”

He also taught me not to think in terms of “can or cannot,” but rather “when and how.” He took me seriously as an aspiring entrepreneur from an early age and if I had an idea, we would discuss it thoroughly and practically. He would ask, “what is the value proposition? Is there actually a market for it? Even so, how would it be profitable?” He would even introduce me to connections well-versed in the respective industry to hear their perspective, even when I was still in grade school. Not once did he say to me, “that is a bad idea” or “you aren’t capable enough to achieve that.” My dad instilled in me that the sky’s the limit to my creativity and ambitions. With determination, patience and a bit of relentless optimism, he taught me that if I could dream it, I could make it happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.drinksuntide.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinksuntide/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinksuntide
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkkove/