A new Chicago startup is making a sparkling tea beverage that aims to be the healthy substitute for that afternoon coffee or soda you drink to help you make it to the end of the day.
The bottled beverage, Tempo, comes in two flavors: green tea, which has notes of ginger and turmeric, and black tea, which has ginseng and grapefruit. Both are made from organic teas and spices, have no calories, added sugars or sweeteners, and are naturally caffeinated.
“There is so much demand for a clean, bubbly beverage like this,” said Ryan Crane, CEO at Tempo. “We’re trying to offer a new solution to that afternoon slump, rather than replace a product on the shelf.”
The startup originally launched the beverage on Kickstarter in November and raised more than $11,000. Now Tempo can be found in local retailers like Eataly, Beatrix and Pete’s Fresh Market. Additionally, Tempo is available in Washington, D.C. from HoneyFlower Foods, a sustainable and healthy meal delivery company. On average, one bottle of Tempo sells for $3, Williams said, but it can also be bought on the startup’s website, where a 12-pack sells for $23.99.
“We view our product as premium, and so do our customers,” said Grant Taylor Williams, director at Tempo. “The product speaks for itself. People love the flavors."
Williams said Tempo attracts LaCroix drinkers who want some caffeine in a sparkling beverage, and the soda consumers who want to replace the sugary drinks with something healthier. Tempo also appeals to kombucha drinkers who don’t want the residual alcohols in most brands. Since the beginning of this year, the founders said Tempo has been doubling the number of customer accounts month over month.
The startup sources their ingredients from Africa, Asia and India, but Crane declined to disclose exactly where they manufacture the beverage, citing trade secrets.
“We want the ingredients to stand alone and tell their own story,” Crane said. “So we really focus on sourcing high-quality, organic ingredients so that the flavor of those can shine through.”
Tempo, which has three full-time employees, will begin selling Tempo in regional cafes and major grocery chains over the next six to nine months, though Williams wasn't specific about which ones. Additionally, the startup plans to release new flavors.
Tempo raised a friends and family seed round to get the startup off the ground, and the founders said they plan to raise more money in the future.
But Tempo isn’t the only local beverage startup that’s entering the sparkling tea space. Petal, a beverage startup born in Chicago suburb Highland Park, is making a rose water-based, sparkling botanical beverage. It is an all-organic drink made with zero caffeine, calories and sugar that is trying to appeal to a growing demographic of consumers that are more health-conscious.
