Zero sugar, how you get so fly? Jennifer Ross and Cristina Ros Blankfein are the co-founders of Swoon, a beverage brand helping us take a break from the white stuff every now and then. By this year, Swoon is on track to take 1 billion (!) grams of sugar out of the drinks industry, so we called them to find out how they did it.

Here’s what the power duo wants you to know about building a team, getting in touch with your body’s needs, and their unexpected (yet delicious) alternative to glucose.

How did you guys meet?
JEN: We met in business school. Both of our maiden names are Ross, so we were sat right next to each other. We became friends way before we became business partners.

What made you take on sugar?
JEN: I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 6 years old, so I spent my entire life looking for zero-sugar options like Crystal Light, diet Snapple, and Vitamin Water. However, as I got older, I realized how bad sugar is for everyone. 2 / 3 of adult Americans are pre-diabetic, and that’s a result of consuming so much excess sugar, with drinks being the #1 source.
CRISTINA: It was our friendship that made me put a magnifying glass over sugar consumption. Jen was at my house helping me set up for a party, and I was making mojitos. As I was dissolving sugar to make the drink, looking at my diabetic friend, it was shocking to think that it’s something we’re conditioned to consume on a daily basis. I’ve had a few kids since we started our mission, and seeing nutrition through their eyes has been fascinating. Acustoming a child to sugar is something many of us are trying not to do, so this brand gave me the relief of having options that taste good but don’t have sugar.

So if you’re not using sugar, how are your drinks sweet?
CRISTINA: We use monk fruit, which is plant-based. It’s 200 times sweeter than sugar, so you can use it in smaller quantities. For our simple syrup, it’s not just the sweetness that we’re after, it’s also the viscosity, mouth feel, and that full, hedonistic sweetness. We spent almost 2 years getting the right texture to make sure monk fruit behaved like sugar.

What’s an unexpected challenge you’ve had to overcome?
JEN: We really believe it’s all about the people, about building a strong team and relationships with our partners, whether they be vendors, retailers, or broker networks. But as much as people are powerful, they’re also complicated, so making sure we maintain those relationships, foster them, and continue to hire and retain excellent people is definitely a challenge. I believe talent begets talent, so by having a strong team, we’re able to attract other strong members.

Has being friends helped or hindered that process?
CRISTINA: Getting started as friends was a huge benefit because we already had a foundation of trust and an understanding of each other. That really propelled us as we were making decisions. It’s also been really fun because it’s nice to be able to work next to your friends and talk to them all day long.

What’s been the most rewarding part of building your brand?
JEN: Having people that want to join us, that believe in the product, and that bring other people in. It’s the fact that they can speak so highly of our product and mission that makes it worth it.
CRISTINA: We’re also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, which is our way of giving back. Not only can we be that introduction to behavioral change by being in their pantries, but they also have a robust nutrition programming component as well. They’ve done a lot of food distribution relief work during COVID, and have been cutting edge in reimagining how they continue to meet the needs of their communities.

Help! I want to cut down on sugar but have crazy cravings.
JEN: Start with some of the easy things, like beverages. With Swoon, the idea is you don’t have to compromise taste. We’re not saying go cold turkey. We’re just saying, take it out in some of these easy places where it doesn’t feel like you’re making such a compromise.