For Jen Ross, the struggle to find tasty zero-sugar treats began when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 6 years old. While other kids were guzzling sugary juices, Ross had a crash course on the decidedly less exciting zero-sugar substitutes available to her at the time.
Roughly half of the U.S. population has diabetes or its precursors. For years Ross toyed with the idea of creating a more exciting zero-sugar option for that population. Her thinking was that not only could such a product do some good, but the tea and lemonade market was also ripe for the sort of reinvention that similar categories, such as seltzer and soda, were experiencing.
“I always wanted to give back and help the diabetic community,” said Ross, who emphasized the importance of making products that feel like a treat and not like a compromise, unlike some diet-branded drinks. “At the end of the day, it has to taste good.”
In 2019 Ross and her friend Cristina Blankfein, who had attended Harvard Business School with her, began developing a simple syrup without sugar and artificial ingredients to be used to create health-conscious, flavorful options for anyone looking to reduce their sugar intake.
The pair say a modest investment from a private family fund, which they declined to name, enabled them to work with R&D professionals and food scientists to perfect a product. Two years later the result was Swoon, a line of teas and lemonades that rely on monk fruit, a melon native to Southeast Asia, for sweetness. The FDA recognized extracts from the little brown melon, which does not contain fructose or glucose, as generally safe in 2010.
Swoon began batching its first beverages in 2020 and last year alone sold just under 10 million cans, generating what the company says is eight figures in revenue in 2024.
“We try to think of ourselves as asking the customer to make one change versus having to make lots of different changes,” said Blankfein. “Our mission is to make an impact on how much sugar people consume, and to do that, we have to make it very approachable.”
Core to that vision is Swoon’s packaging. Canned in a vibrant rainbow of colors with illustrations of lemon slices, peaches, ginger and other fruits, Swoon stands out on shelves. Of the company’s seven flavors, its pink lemonade, peach tea and half and half are its most popular.
Profile-raising brand partnerships are another way the young beverage startup is looking to build cachet. In 2023 Swoon partnered with Matel’s Barbie to release Barbie Pink Lemonade and is in the process of inking another big-name partnership, which it is keeping under wraps as the company works to close the deal.
Ross and Blankfein say they aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel on beverages but more so want to offer a fresh take on old favorites. A new flavor is set to hit shelves in the spring, they said.
“It just has a kind of pop of joy to it,” said Blankfein, “and actually does meet the customer’s desire to have something that’s more celebratory.”
