Welcome back to 5 Questions with SPPR! While we're still sharing these amazing interviews on the blog, we've also moved our interviews over to the 'gram on IGTV because video is just more fun, don't you think? Feel free to keep reading or visit our Instagram to watch the interview.
We're so excited to chat all things terpenes, CBD and biz today with owner + founder of Sweet Crude (and #SPPRclient!), Talia Bennick! Keep reading to hang with Ashley from team SPPR and learn what inspired Talia to start Sweet Crude, her thoughts on myths about CBD and the best piece of advice she has received as an entrepreneur. ⚡️ You can find more about Sweet Crude and Talia on her website, Instagram and Facebook.
Ashley: We have been drinking a ton of Sweet Crude here at SPPR lately to chill on an entirely new level and we absolutely love it. Would you mind giving us a little bit of background on what inspired you to started Sweet Crude?
Talia: Around the age of 22 or so I started experiencing really excruciating migraines and alcohol was a big trigger for them, so it became clear that it would benefit me to cut alcohol out of my daily life and routine and I began mixing non-alcoholic zero proof cocktails. I love to host dinner parties, have people over in my home, and make sure that they feel super comfortable & welcomed, and as I was mixing these non-alcoholic cocktails for company along with alcoholic cocktails, I began adding CBD to them. I found that everybody at the table wanted at least one round of a CBD cocktail and knew I was onto something. From there, I decided not to just mix drinks in my kitchen anymore, but to create Sweet Crude.
Ashley: That's awesome. I love founder stories like that, it's goes back to that old saying of necessity is the mother of invention. Talia: Absolutely. The first time I had experienced CBD a handful of years ago was at a dinner party at a friend's house and after dinner, they offered me a Lord Jones CBD gummy. From the opening of this beautiful box (their packaging is gorgeous) to enjoying popping the gummy into my mouth. I really liked the experience and it was a great introduction to CBD. What I found was that I wished that the gummy was a sippable experience that I could drink over the course of an hour or so. That's what really got me thinking: "Okay, well I know that I love what CBD has to offer, but what is there's a way to extend that experience?" Not just one gummy popping into your mouth, but also a sipping experience around it. That would be something that is really special. I also think packaging can be a really great experience around a beverage or CBD product and at Sweet Crude we have all of our tasting notes on all of our packaging, cans, boxes and things like that. It helps elevate the entire experience and let consumers understand what the product is really offering.
Ashley: You definitely achieved that with Sweet Crude, for sure. It's so delicious and you can really taste the essence that you put into it. Talking a little bit more about that, we hear a lot about terpenes. This is a new term that is coming out in the CBD world. Can you break the term down a little bit and explain what are terpenes and how are they essential to Sweet Crude's CBD? Talia: I am in love with terpenes. I want to deem myself the Terpene Queen. What are they? They're really simply aromatic plant compounds or botanical compounds and you find them all across nature. For anybody who uses lavender in their self care routine, if you close your eyes and think about lavender, you're immediately calmed. It's the terpenes in lavender that are tapping into that mind body connection. You find them in lavender, lemon, citrus, and cannabis - so in hemp as well. When I think about a cocktail experience, but specifically a zero proof cocktail experience, you want a sensory experience that's going to tap not into just taste, but smell and all of your senses. Terpenes do a great job at that. We used Pineapples Express terpenes for our Mellow Mule and you get an earthy funk with Siberian Fir needle, the terpenes that you find in the hemp extract, as well. For our OG tonic, we use Lime OG terpenes to pair with that. It's as if you pictured a non alcoholic gin and tonic, we use Juniper and that lime slice on top of a typical G&T, we're using terpenes for that.
Ashley: Yes! This was all new to me, too, once we started working together. One of the most beautiful qualities of the product is that as soon as you pour either flavor into a glass, or even when you crack open the can, you can really smell those terpenes in the aroma which is then coupled with a beautiful taste. Talia: I'm so glad to hear that and that you're getting that experience. One of the things I'm really excited about is that with Pineapple Express, you get a happy, chill vibe and with OG Tonic, the terpenes that we use are a little bit more uplifting and cerebral. Being able to create these different forms of relaxation that our mind is tapping into as we're sipping or cracking the can open is what I'm really excited about, so thank you so much for sharing that.
Ashley: Along the lines of education and educating people - not only about what terpenes are, but also education about the CBD industry - it is a rapidly growing industry. We're seeing so many really cool and innovative products that are hitting the market right now. From your perspective, what is one CBD myth or myths that you would want to debunk and set straight? Talia: I think the biggest one out there is that that CBD will get you high, but CBD is non-psychoactive. There are a lot of health claims out there and there's still a ton of research that needs to be done around CBD to prove out some of those health claims. For Sweet Crude, the reason we include CBD is to provide just that bit of relaxation to release tension. If your shoulders are up to your ears at the end of the day and they come down a little because of your sipping experience with us, that's our goal. Ashley: A fun personal anecdote: my sister-in-law has been struggling with some shoulder pain over the last year. She's gone to the doctor and they haven't been able to really figure out what was wrong with her. I introduced her to Sweet Crude - which we've been drinking when we watch The Bachelor together every week - and she's said that since drinking it, her shoulder pain has gone away. It's not a medical or scientific endorsement, but it's helped her a lot. Talia: That's fantastic. I've heard a bunch of stories like that around pain or muscle tension, sleep, things like that. It is such a case by case, individual basis, but I'm glad that Sweet Crude is helping people in that respect too.
Ashley: Absolutely. I'd love to chat about business advice. You started Sweet Crude about a year ago and had your first release not too long ago. As a young entrepreneur, what is the best piece of advice that you've received that you would want to pass along to other entrepreneurs that are starting their own businesses? Talia: That is such a good question. I don't know who shared it with me, but a little piece of advice that I find I remind myself about on almost a daily basis is that if you are comfortable, that means you are not learning. I find that I am uncomfortable for the majority of every day as I am launching Sweet Crude. Sometimes being uncomfortable can also be painful, but I continuously remind myself that this is in the pursuit of growth and success for Sweet Crude and for this launch.
Ashley: Very, very well said. That's amazing advice. Just choosing to embrace that tension and to embrace being out of your comfort zone is something that we could all learn, whether we're starting a business or not, so thank you so much for sharing that. For our final question , we have a fun one: As a female entrepreneur, who is one #girlboss that is currently inspiring you and why? Talia: I would say Brené Brown has been very inspirational to me over the last several months. At the beginning of the pandemic, she had launched her podcast that I listened to quite regularly. Her research and career has been around vulnerability and finding power within vulnerability. I would recommend her podcast, her books or her Netflix special to anybody who wants to reflect on their goals and their self-growth. I just think she's fabulous. Do you listen to her podcast or anything like that? Ashley: Yes! We're big fans of Brené at SPPR. Talia: I love her. Maybe we can figure out how to send her some Sweet Crude! Ashley: That would be awesome. Thank you so much for your time today, Talia, and for everyone for tuning into this series. For anyone reading, where can they find you online? Talia. You can find us at Sweet Crude online at our website, www.thesweetcrude.com and at the same handle @thesweetcrude on Instagram and Facebook. If you go to our website, we have a text community where you can share you number to receive fun messages from us about CBD, terpenes, and behind the scenes of what's going on at Sweet Crude. We love Instagram and are quite active there - it's also a really great resource if you're curious to learn more about terpenes, the terpenes that are included in Sweet Crude, or anything else around the topic of CBD &. terpenes.
That's a wrap! Thank you so much for reading along and hanging out with Ashley & Talia for today's interview. Do you have any other questions for Talia? Drop 'em below!