Have you ever discovered a brand where their ethos really resinates with you? Let me introduce to you Kailani Iced Tea. The opening line on their website sums them up…..
“Kailani was born out of a desire for a refreshing drink that does you good,but tastes great too”
The idea is simple, but so well executed. An iced tea made with pure Galician spring water, no added sugars or artificial ingredients and no compromise on taste. With less than 50 calories a bottle it can be enjoyed freely, and it really does taste sublime!
Guy Morley – founder of Kailani Iced Tea
Since Pescetarian Pleasures is on a health kick, and Kailani was founded in Barcelona, I decided to meet Guy Morley and tease (excuse the pun) some more information out of him.
– Tell us a bit about your background, how did you end up in Barcelona?
Before coming to Barcelona, I was a media lawyer dealing with the disputes of the biggest stars in the music industry in London. It was a big decision to leave, however I always had a desire to start my own business and it wasn’t going away! So after a lot of soul searching I decided to leave the law and also London. Having visited Barcelona several times over the years to see friends I though it would be the ideal place to start my new adventure. Barcelona combines so many of my favourite things with its unique mixture of sun, sea and its appetite for new and innovative things.
– So where did the idea come from?
Kailani Ice Tea was the evolution of several different ideas. I looked a lot at trends and noticed the increase in awareness of what people put in their bodies and the demand for healthier products. This also coincided with general trends of people drinking less alcohol but obviously still wanting to socialise outside of the home. The artisanal beer craze also influenced me as it showed people wanted smaller more interesting alternatives to the large mainstream products. I think people also value products that look good.
The two flavours of iced tea, currently available throughout Spain
Kailani Ice Tea solves the frustration at the only alternative to a beer being gassy, sugary soft drinks or bland health drinks that suck the joy out of life. Kailani is what I call
“mainstream healthy”. I believe most people in life prefer healthy options, but not at the
expense of taste. Kailani uses only natural ingredients and spring water from Galicia and
we use the natural plant sweetener Stevia instead of adding sugar which means each
bottle is less than 50 calories. But we don’t make any outlandish claims that it is going to
give you eternal life – although everyone knows the health benefits of tea. Most
importantly though, I think it tastes good. We started with the classic Black tea and
lemon and the more adventurous Green tea, lime and ginger. The Black tea appeals to
those who were already fans of ice tea but crave a less artificial, less sweet version. The
great thing about the Green tea is that it appeals to those who wouldn’t normally have
thought of choosing an ice tea.
– It´s a premium product, are people willing to pay more for something that´s good for them?
Yes, if you haven’t got your health then what have you got? However, people are also willing to pay more for the taste and we made no compromise on this in order to be healthy. The packaging and branding is also important. I believe well designed products enhance people’s enjoyment of life and this is what we aim to do with Kailani.
– What made u think there was a market for such a drink here in Spain?
Spain is one of the biggest consumers of soft drinks in Europe. The market, especially the ice tea market, is also dominated by one or two big players offering in my opinion unhealthy, artificial and poor tasting products. Spain is also a country that takes its gastronomy and socialising very seriously and I believed that the market would be receptive to an improvement in there soft drink offering.
– How has your experience been starting up a business here in Barcelona?
In general, it has been good. Barcelona Activa is a great free service offered by the local government and should be the first stop for anyone wishing to set up a business here.
– Did you have to face a lot of red tape?
Yes and it won’t be a surprise to anyone that things often take longer than you could possibly imagine. However, the more time I spend running a business here the more you understand how things are done. There are still many frustrations though!
– Any advice you would give to someone thinking of doing something similar in this wonderful city?
Hopefully, not too similar! My advice would be to think through what you are going to do and once you are certain that you believe it can work go for it. There will be a lot of obstacles in your way so you need to have that inner belief in order to push through them. Remember also that Barcelona is a relatively small city and everyone knows everyone which can help when building contacts.
– We spoke before about the thriving foodie scene here (in Barcelona) at the moment, why do you think that is?
I think Barcelona combines Spain’s love of socialising and gastronomy with the innovative edge the city is famous for. Barcelona likes to be at the cutting edge of new ideas and it is no different with gastronomy. The city is also made up of people from all round the world all bringing their own influences which makes for a great creative mix.
– You have recently secured investment through Crowdcube. Congratulations! What can we expect to see from Kailani in 2017?
In 2017, we want to consolidate our presence throughout Spain especially in Barcelona, Madrid and the Balearics. We want to get Kailani to as many people as possible. Hopefully, we should also be announcing our third flavour in time for the Summer!
For more information on Kailani Iced Tea and to see where you can buy it, go to…
www.kailaniicetea.com