We were lucky to catch up with Emmanuela Kodjo & Marie-lauren Kouao recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emmanuela Kodjo & Marie-Lauren Kouao, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

Both Emmanuela and I were raised by strong, entrepreneurial mothers who encouraged us to pursue our ambitions from a young age. Emmanuela’s mom nurtured her business sense by helping her set up a lemonade stand, where she confidently sold fresh lemonade to passing cars under the summer sun. My mom, on the other hand, introduced me to Posh, where I made my first sales and discovered the excitement of business. Through their support and encouragement, both of our moms instilled in us the values of hard work, independence, and the thrill of entrepreneurship.

Emmanuela Kodjo & Marie-Lauren Kouao, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Holistic Flavors is a wellness brand focused on solution based resources. Our mission is to provide the community with healthy and delicious drinks that fuel them with necessary nutrients. Curating beverages that enlighten the senses, deliver heartfelt messages, and initiate thought provoking conversation. What sets us apart is that we focus on community engagement when we sell our beverages whether it’s a pop up at a community run club or a live wellness talk where we hand out samples. We want our community to know that we’re in this journey with them!

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

A lesson we had to unlearn was the belief that growth always meant expanding quickly. In the early days, we thought that in order to be successful, we needed to immediately increase production, open new locations, or take on more orders than we could comfortably manage. We assumed that the faster we grew, the more legitimate our business would seem.

However, we soon realized that rapid expansion without the right foundation could lead to more problems than progress. Rushing into growth led to stress, mistakes, and compromises in quality. We had to step back and learn that sustainable growth comes from careful planning, refining our processes, and ensuring we can consistently deliver the best product. By unlearning the urge to scale too quickly, we’ve been able to grow at a steady pace, staying true to our values and maintaining the quality that sets us apart.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for us has been word of mouth, combined with our pop-up events. Our customers love sharing their experiences with friends and family, and those personal recommendations really drive new business. We’ve also seen great success with pop-ups, where people can try our fresh juices in person and spread the word afterward. These events not only create buzz but also allow us to connect directly with potential clients. Additionally, when our customers share their pop-up experiences or tag us on social media, it helps us reach even more people. This combination of word of mouth and in-person pop-ups has been key to growing our client base.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://holisticflavors.com/collections/holistic-flavors-signature-drinks
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holisticflavorss/profilecard/?igsh=ajUybjVvZGt4aWtu