Flexibility feeds syrup maker’s growth
When Leah Monaghan and Barb Stauffer launched Root 23, the two Clintonville moms envisioned selling their simple beverage syrups at farmers markets and a few central Ohio retailers. Major grocery chains such as Giant Eagle and Kroger had different ideas.
Those stores saw the potential of the syrups, designed to be mixed into cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks to enhance flavor. Today, Root 23’s products are available at 150 locations in 13 states, and Monaghan and Stauffer have their eyes on the West Coast.
“We want to have broader distribution nationwide, and we do want to get into more bars and restaurants and expand that option,” Stauffer says.
Q: Your original business concept was healthy Popsicles. Now, you own a simple syrup company. How important has it been for you to be flexible in your approach to this business?
Stauffer: Very important, because you might have a concept in mind and you’re thrown an unplanned obstacle. You’ve got to roll with it. Even our retailers have had recommendations on things that they think might work. That’s how our sampler packs came about. That wasn’t even our initial thought — that’s turned into our best-selling item. If it weren’t for us listening to one of the retailer’s wants, we might have missed out on something good.
Monaghan: Sometimes you think you have a great concept or idea for something but then the customer doesn’t always agree or
vice versa — something you didn’t think was going to work and the customers love it. You have to be willing to adapt and roll with something or scrap an idea.
Q: You also anticipated selling mostly at farmers markets but quickly found that grocery stores and beverage shops wanted to carry your product. What challenges did that bring?
Monaghan: One of our hiccups that we had early on was because we weren’t anticipating the retail aspect or especially the larger retail aspect, and then having distribution that wasn’t on our radar when we first started. That’s a whole other set of
Leah Monaghan and Barb Stauffer
Titles: owners, Root 23 Address: P.O. Box 14546, Columbus 43214
About: produces handcrafted, all-natural, small-batch simple syrups created with organic cane sugar and locally sourced ingredients for cocktails, nonalcoholic drinks and cooking Website: www.root23.com Revenue: not disclosed
margins that you have to give up.
Q: What were some of the milestones that you achieved that made you realize your business was taking off?
Monaghan: Our first milestone was when we were approached by Giant Eagle/ Market District stores and they started carrying us in their Indianapolis stores
and quickly expanded into Columbus. Then, very soon after that, we were planogrammed (a merchandise display technique that enables a retailer to better use shelf space) into all of their stores. That was a big milestone for us.
Stauffer: Selling through our first pallet of bottles so quickly and having to order more. That was a sign we were onto something.
Q: How do you juggle being business owners and moms?
Stauffer: I think that’s one of the benefits of being a business owner because it’s allowed us that flexibility to work around our kids’ schedule. That’s one of the main reasons we chose to try something like this is we wanted to have that balance. Some days are easier than others. It allows us to plan our meetings. We set our
own schedule.
Monaghan: We usually tell people we are available between 8 and 2:30, which happen to be the exact hours our kids are in school.
Q: You’re a role model of a business owner for your kids. What does it mean to you?
Stauffer: I feel really proud of what we’ve accomplished — and having them see something we’ve started from a concept to be as successful as it has been so far. We still have goals, and they’re continually helping us reach those goals, so I think that’s good for them to see.
Monaghan: They see what hard work is about. They remember the very beginnings of it. They’re excited about it too.
Q: When you started Root 23, you were marketing yourself as a local
product; now you’re available throughout the Midwest. How does that change your marketing or the way you do business?
Stauffer: We still focus on the idea of local, just more of the idea (of) small business — women-owned. Small batch — they still are technically small batch even though we have somebody else producing it. We’re focusing more on the quality of the product in our marketing and where all of the ingredients come from.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a business owner?
Monaghan: We’ve learned a lot as we’ve gone along. This has been on-the-job training, 100 percent. We’ve learned a lot, and there’s never two days that are the same. It’s definitely not monotonous.