An Interview With Martita Mestey
Community Engagement: Building relationships with local businesses and your community can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and credibility.
As a part of our series called “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jess Scott.
Jess Scott is the owner and founder of Welcome to Youth, formerly known as Youth Juice, a Chicago-based cold-press juice and wellness company. Jess is a seasoned professional with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Management who has swiftly transformed from a former nurse into the visionary force behind a thriving healthy lifestyle company.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
My childhood was deeply influenced by my family’s health challenges. My mom’s battle with thyroid cancer played a significant role in shaping my passion for health and wellness. Growing up, I was always interested in finding natural remedies and better ways to support health through nutrition, which eventually led me to start making juices in my kitchen.
Can you share with us the story of the “ah ha” moment that led to the creation of the food or beverage brand you are leading?
The “aha” moment for me came moment happened while I was juicing in my kitchen. A friend of mine asked me to make some juice for her, and a few weeks later, she came back and told me she’d lost a lot of weight just from drinking it. I didn’t realize it at first, but soon I found myself selling hundreds of bottles from my kitchen. The real moment I knew I was onto something was when I was making flavors for my goddaughter to drink. That’s when I created “Revive,” which quickly became my top seller. It was the last flavor out of the nine I created, and it was a game-changer for me.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh, this one’s easy! Don’t let the juices get warm, or they’ll explode all over you. I can’t even count how many times that happened when I was starting out. One time, we left about 500 bottles sitting out in the kitchen for two days, and when we finally went to move them, they started exploding everywhere. I was dressed nicely for a meeting, and the juice just started spraying all over me. At one point, I even aimed it at my friend out of frustration! Lesson learned: always keep the juice cold and stored properly.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a food or beverage line? What can be done to avoid those errors?
The biggest mistake I see people make is thinking they can do everything themselves. It’s incredibly challenging to manage both the manufacturing and sales sides of the business. My advice is to focus on one aspect, like production, and really perfect it. For me, it was about honing in on the production side and then finding the right places to sell my product. I’m not interested in doing retail sales or opening a brick-and-mortar store — I want to focus on production and wholesale distribution.
Let’s imagine that someone reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to produce. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
First, make your product yourself and make sure you genuinely believe in it. When I landed big contracts like the ones with Marriott or the airport, it was because I believed in my product so much that I was able to convey that passion and confidence to others. You need to be hungry for your product to be in as many places as possible. If you’re not constantly pushing and running towards your goals, you’re not doing enough.
Many people have good ideas all the time. But some people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How would you encourage someone to overcome this hurdle?
Just remember that everything has its time and place. Not all ideas are meant for right now. It’s important to focus on one product and be dedicated to its success. Once that product is successful, you can then consider expanding and elaborating on your plans.
I would encourage them to focus on the “why” behind their idea. For me, it was my mom’s health that kept me going. Having a strong personal connection to your idea can fuel the perseverance needed to overcome the inevitable hurdles. Additionally, breaking down the process into smaller, manageable steps can make the journey less overwhelming.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
I’ve learned that it’s best to hire multiple consultants in different categories rather than relying on just one. Having only one consultant can lead to problems if they leave, if you disagree with them, or if they become too invested in your business. It’s like an entitlement war. For example, I now have one person for graphics instead of one person who did everything related to design. If I were to lose that person, it would be much harder to recover. That’s why I have backups in place for each category. It’s important to have mentors and people in each category, but they shouldn’t be limited to specializing in just one area.
As someone once told me, “You can’t make a plumber.” I tried to make plumbers and electricians for a while, but that was a waste of time.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
My experience has taught me that bootstrapping, though challenging, allows for more control over your brand and operations. It’s essential to evaluate your financial situation and growth goals. If you can sustain slow growth and reinvest profits, bootstrapping might be the best path. However, if you need to scale rapidly, seeking venture capital might be necessary.
Can you share thoughts from your experience about how to file a patent, how to source good raw ingredients, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer or distributor?
Filing a patent requires careful consideration of the uniqueness of your product. I would recommend working with a professional to ensure that your idea is protected. Sourcing good raw ingredients involves building relationships with trusted suppliers who share your values. For manufacturing, I started with a co-packer and grew from there. Finding retailers and distributors is all about networking and proving the demand for your product.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand” and why?
- Strong Purpose: Your brand needs a mission that resonates deeply with you and your customers. For me, it was about health and wellness, inspired by my mom’s cancer battle.
- Quality Ingredients: Always source the best, as your product’s success hinges on quality.
- Resilience: You will face setbacks; I lost my investor and had to start over, but resilience kept me moving forward.
- Adaptability: Be ready to pivot and adapt. For example, when the opportunity for white labeling arose, I embraced it even though it wasn’t part of my original plan.
- Community Engagement: Building relationships with local businesses and your community can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and credibility.
Can you share your ideas about how to create a product that people really love and are ‘crazy about’?
To create a product that people love, you need to start with something that you are passionate about. For me, it was about creating a product that not only tasted great but also supported health. Listening to customer feedback and continuously improving your product is also key.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’ve always believed that success should be shared, and I’ve used mine to give back in various ways. One of the key initiatives I’m proud of is our commitment to sustainability. We donate our compost scraps to the Brookfield Zoo, which not only helps reduce waste but also supports the zoo’s conservation efforts. Additionally, I’ve focused on creating opportunities for others through white labeling. This has allowed me to support young entrepreneurs and small businesses by giving them a platform to bring their ideas to life without the heavy lifting of starting from scratch. By empowering others and promoting sustainable practices, I hope to make a lasting positive impact on both people and the planet.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I could inspire a movement, it would be to empower young entrepreneurs, especially in underserved communities, to start their own businesses. Through my journey, I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it can be to break into the food and beverage industry without the right resources and support. By offering mentorship, resources, and opportunities like white labeling, we can help the next generation of entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses. This movement could not only uplift individuals but also stimulate economic growth and innovation in local communities.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Jess Scott Of Welcome to Youth On 5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.