Community Spotlight: Genna Woolston from Silver Swallow Luxury Kombucha

Meet Genna Woolston: the entrepreneurial powerhouse behind Silver Swallow, a non-alcoholic luxury kombucha line. When Genna decided she wanted to break up with booze, her food scientist (and life) partner, Andrew Roberts, brewed some non-alcoholic bevvies to fill her flute.

With a history of anxiety and bipolar disorder, Genna noticed a markedly positive shift in her overall health and well-being after embracing sobriety. Seeing how well non-alcoholic options mixed with better mental health fueled her commitment to helping others cut back on drinking by exploring the vibrant world of non-boozy beverages with the launch of Silver Swallow. 

Genna is not just crafting resilience; she's bottling up extra energy and delicious taste to your sober-curious journey. Join the sparkling revolution and toast to the girl pouring the glass!

Getting the Biz off the Ground

It all began with a Dry January challenge, which turned into a Dry February challenge, and continued on from there. Genna’s passion became a mission to provide people with options for drinking less while making them feel good. 

In January 2023, the Canadian government released new guidance on alcohol and health that sparked a huge conversation around drinking. During COVID, many people’s alcohol consumption went up, especially among women, so more attention has been drawn to the issue. Enter: Silver Swallow. 

The facts found that less is better, and two drinks a week is considered low risk, but anything higher comes with significantly increased risks of poor health outcomes. Genna saw a sparkling opportunity to give people options to feel good about and not resort to non-alcoholic drinks they secretly pour into a wine glass when no one is looking. Silver Swallow provides beautiful bottles that people can proudly put out on display.  

As the drink concept started to take off, so did the search for the perfect tea. Genna and her partner searched for the world’s finest tea to use in their kombucha when they stumbled upon the story of the Silver Swallow:

A girl follows a silver swallow bird into the forest and discovers a beautiful white shimmery tea leaf. She brings it home to her father, where they decide to sun dry the tea leaves to preserve the shimmer. They called the tea ‘silver swallow’ after the beautiful shimmery bird it resembled, and since then, it has become known as the world’s best white tea.

This is the tea they use in their white kombucha, and the namesake of the company. 

Silver Swallow has been beautifully built on a solid foundation of quality and creating an elevated drinking experience for its customers. With that positioning them well in the market, you'll find Silver Swallow sold in numerous high-end grocers, such as Whole Foods Market. They are now expanding into the mainstream market with an exciting new partnership with Sobeys, Canada-wide!

Working With Her Life Partner

Navigating the food and beverage retail sector was a huge learning curve for Genna and Andrew. Armed with her background in sales and her partner’s in food operations, they used what they knew to embrace the challenges and learn which questions to ask and where to seek guidance together as a team.

Genna truly appreciates having someone who knows her so well—quirks and all—and can stand beside her and support her through the daily ups and downs. No matter the hurdles, working with her partner helps her navigate the challenges and turn her visions into reality—much better than going at it alone or working with someone who isn’t as close.

Founder Lab Experience

Genna joined the Founder Lab with M51 as a way to further her knowledge about becoming investor ready. Although she was already pitching Silver Swallow to investors when she jumped into The Lab, Genna described her experience as a backstage pass to the VC world. 

After graduating from the program, Genna was armed with more than just a new pitch deck; she was confident with the terminology and numbers and had a much deeper understanding of the benchmarks investors were looking for and the market dynamics that played into the success of Silver Swallow. 

Plus—she also felt extremely supported by the hive mind of other founders. To this day, she has close relationships with the women she connected with in the program.

What's New & Exciting (Since The Lab)

Since wrapping up The Lab in June, Silver Swallow has gone nationwide! As mentioned, Silver Swallow's partnership with Sobeys has them on shelves from St. John’s to Victoria, including the west coast brands Safeway and Thrifty Foods. 

You can also find Silver Swallow in the cool kids' stores like Whole Foods Market and plenty of boutique grocers and health food stores across Canada. 

Looking locally? Pinpoint exactly where to pick up your very own bottle of luxury kombucha here.

What’s Next

Genna is brewing up a red wine alternative. She plans to use tart cherry juice, steeped cacao husks, and a pinch of chili to bring some warmth to the profile.

Tart cherry juice is known to offer many potential health benefits (think: improving sleep and muscular repair), so this treat will do more than just tantalize your taste buds. We can’t wait to try it!

Advice to Your Past Self & Other Women Founders

There are two main things Genna wants you to know. 

Number one: don't let great get in the way of good. Many women can be perfectionists and want everything perfectly packaged and wrapped with a bow before they get their product or service in front of people. Genna's mantra: “just do it, and refine later.” 

Her mission with Silver Swallow was to get it in front of people as soon as possible and make changes along the way. There is something invaluable about directly engaging with your target market instead of potentially wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars creating something before getting it into the real world. 

And number two: be prepared to pivot. When you do get your goods out there, keep listening to your market—not just your customers but also market actors and influencers. Be open to refining your product, and don't be too stubborn or emotionally attached. Stay flexible, stay sassy, and watch those financial dreams take flight!

If you’re curious about tasting Silver Swallow luxury kombucha, you can order online here using a generous discount code: 15ForM51. Hello to 15% off your one-time purchases until December 17, 2023. Thanks, Genna!

Otherwise, you can use their find us page to locate a store near you that carries these beautiful bottles.

Get to know Genna Woolston and Silver Swallow even better by connecting with her on LinkedIn or following the brand on Instagram.

Learn more about how you too can become a member of our vibrant M51 community and connect with incredible women like Genna by checking out one of our programs. Hope to see you further engage with us on our socials or in a future class session!