Daina Trout always has fun hair colors and a smile on her face. She started Health-Ade Kombucha with her husband and best friend. She is an inspiration for other mom bosses and entrepreneurs in general. Here is more about Daina with Health-Ade.
How long have you been brewing kombucha?
Since graduate school, where I graduated in 2007. So over 10 years!
If you had to pick a favorite flavor that you offer, what would it be?
Pomegranate. I have always said that, even though I love them all.
If you had to pick a favorite flavor of another brand, what would it be?
This is tough! I like Wild Root by High Country.
If you had an extra hour in the day to spend any way you wanted, how would you spend it?
Doing something outdoor and active with my husband Justin and my son Hendriks, like bike riding along the ocean.
Where is the last place you went on vacation?
Jamaica, Mon!
What is your favorite meal?
Caesar salad (good from-scratch dressing, good croutons) with grilled shrimp on top.
Do you have any pets?
Not at this moment, but we've always had a dog. Our 13-year-old basenji Aida just passed away a few months ago and we're waiting for the right time to bring another canine into the home. Perhaps, this fall.
What is your favorite part of running a business?
Two things I love most: first, that every day is different and there is no such thing as a boring day. Second, that I hold the paintbrush I may not always be right, but to be in control of how you choose to move the business forward is a very empowering and exciting thing!
What is your least favorite part?
The pressure and responsibility can be pretty great and there is no book for this, so you're often left alone to pick the next step. When it's toughest, it's just you. You have to figure it out yourself. That can be hard.
What is something about you that others might find surprising?
I have no experience in business prior to Health-Ade.
What charity or cause are you passionate about supporting and why?
I love the 24th Garden School Foundation, where they turned a concrete parking lot into a HUGE beautiful garden for all the inner city LA kids to use. Children who otherwise have almost no access to anything green now get exposed to farming, harvesting crops, making recipes, and eating real food.
Before you started Health-Ade, what were you doing?
I was a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. Before that, I was a graduate student at Tufts getting my MS in nutritional biochemistry and my MPH.
Have you ever binge-watched a tv-series and if so which one?
Yes! Homeland.
The last movie you saw in the theaters?
Good question! It's been a while. I think I saw Baby Driver in the last year.
The last concert you went to?
Roger Waters at the Staples Center. YESSSSSSSS. It was amazing.
Anything else you want people who are reading to know about you?
I care a lot about real food. That's why we push so hard to make kombucha the real way.