HERO
Kathryn Dougherty
Spritz Tea: Women Empowering Women Columbus-based start-up gives back to supportive community By Anna Kurfees | Photos courtesy of Spritz Tea
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he table is set, dinner is made and a group of close friends is gathered to celebrate life, each other and friendship. By morning this same group will be up early training for the most physically demanding race of their lives: the Ironman Triathlon. While in training, toasting with alcohol was not ideal, but a celebratory “Cheers!” was still desired. Kathryn Dougherty went to her kitchen, made a concentrate of her favorite herbal tea, mixed it with sparkling water and served it to her friends in beautiful glassware. It was at this moment that Spritz Tea was born. The Spritz name comes from the representation of tiny bubbles to toast big celebrations or ordinary moments. Dougherty, founder and CEO of the company, believes everyone brings something to the table, and Spritz shows up with encourage-
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ment, inspiration and celebration. Spritz publicist Allison Bowers said that Dougherty wanted to create a healthy beverage that could be enjoyed at any point in the day, something more flavorful than sparkling water but with less sugar than a typical packaged tea drink. “Sparkling tea is a newer category in beverage with a lot of room for growth,” Bowers said. “We think Spritz is perfectly positioned to expand as the tea category does.” Bowers noted that “Spritz is lightly carbonated with no sugar, unlike many bottled teas that are often packed with sugar and fall flat (pun intended) for the health-conscious consumer.” The company promotes Spritz Tea as a morning alternative to coffee, a midday pick-me-up or a non-alcoholic alternative nightcap.
