We share entrepreneurial stories to inspire great ideas...
Alison Evans & Chloe Bergson
Alison & Chloe met at Harvard Business School (’20) where they bonded as friends over their love of all things food & drink, and were inspired to start SAYSO together. Alison is a lifelong New Yorker, growing up in Westchester County, and Chloe was born & raised in Montreal, Canada. The two have a combined 10+ years of experience in retail and CPG. They both live in New York (Alison in Manhattan and Chloe in Brooklyn!) with their families.
You can learn more about SAYSO here
Alison Evans joins us in this 5 part series where we interview the finalists
in the 2023 Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition
Closing the loop on the 5 part special series with the winners of the
2023 Enthuse Foundation Pitch Compeition Chloe and Alison
Co-founder, Alison Evans & Chloe Bergson
- Contributed By: Alison Evans & Chloe Bergson
Tell us a little something about your business...
SAYSO is creating a new product within the mixer category with the first-ever craft cocktail mix in a tea bag. Just infuse in cold water and spirits for three minutes (swap spirits with water or non-alcoholic spirits for a mocktail) for a restaurant-quality cocktail! SAYSO offers a better-for-you option using only real, granulated ingredients including dehydrated fruits and herbs, and is low in sugar and calories. We are also better for the environment: we have a 20x lower carbon footprint than liquid mixers, use biodegradable sachets, and recycled material for our pouches. We’re priced at $1.87/serving, being the most affordable, premium mixer on the market. We’re also proudly women-owned.
When was your lightbulb moment?
Founders Alison & Chloe met at Harvard Business School where they instantly bonded over all things food & drink. Let’s be honest — business school can be more social than it is academic. For Alison & Chloe, that meant a lot of cocktails! They found themselves in a sea of tired RTD seltzers, or artificial-tasting mixers extremely high in sugar. Wanting a delicious, all-natural, and low-sugar option they could take on-the-go and enjoy as both a cocktail or mocktail, they started to experiment with dehydrated ingredients. They realized if they took dehydrated ingredients in powdered and granulated format, they would dissolve in cold water and create delicious drinks in minutes. They just needed something to keep those granules and small pieces from floating around in your glass. They turned to the familiar tea bag to reinvent it with a new purpose — cocktail-making! One said to the other “do you want to have a cocktail with me?” and the response “if you say so!” led to our name SAYSO. Now, your next perfect cocktail is in the bag.
What are your three words of advice?
Persevere — Entrepreneurship is a constant rollercoaster of highs and lows. You must be able to learn from your mistakes and move forward, and not dwell on the past. It’s HARD! If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. So have the grit & perseverance to keep moving forward despite setbacks and challenges.
Community — You cannot do this alone. Whether it’s finding a co-founder, a mentor, or fellow entrepreneurs to have in your corner, you need to have a community around you & supporting you. Ask that community for help! And give back to it with how you can help too. Especially in CPG, I find it to be a very supportive community and we all want to lift each other up and support in ways we can.
Curiosity — Never lose curiosity. You need to always be asking questions and learning. Seeing what is new, and how you can better your company with new resources, tools, people, etc.
Three words of advice...
Persevere, Community, Curiosity
Alison & Chloe met at Harvard Business School (’20) where they bonded as friends over their love of all things food & drink, and were inspired to start SAYSO together. Alison is a lifelong New Yorker, growing up in Westchester County, and Chloe was born & raised in Montreal, Canada. The two have a combined 10+ years of experience in retail and CPG. They both live in New York (Alison in Manhattan and Chloe in Brooklyn!) with their families.
You can learn more about SAYSO here
Alison Evans joins us in this 5 part series where we interview the finalists
in the 2023 Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition
Closing the loop on the 5 part special series with the winners of the
2023 Enthuse Foundation Pitch Compeition Chloe and Alison
“May your legacy create a footprint of success for the next person who steps into your shoes”
