Brewed for Success: How Sarah Wilcox and David O’Connor Built Canada’s Leading Third Wave Tea Brand

Welcome to the $100M Blueprint, your go-to podcast for real-world business lessons and entrepreneurial insights. Hosted by Goodfood founders Jonathan Ferrari and Neil Cuggy, the series offers behind-the-scenes stories of scaling their company to $150 million and beyond. Each episode features candid conversations with top entrepreneurs who have built companies worth $ 100 million or more, delivering honest advice, leadership strategies, and hard-learned lessons for ambitious business owners. In this episode, hosts Jonathan Ferrari and Neil Cuggy welcome Genuine Tea co-founders Sarah Wilcox and David O’Connor to unpack their journey from Taiwan’s tea markets to building one of Canada’s most beloved premium tea brands. Learn how they turned a farmers' market stall into a multi-channel powerhouse by blending authenticity with innovation, navigating retail, DTC, and food service with intention. The conversation reveals powerful strategies for creating brand loyalty, launching purposeful products, and scaling sustainably, while staying rooted in ethical sourcing and quality. A must-listen for founders building premium, values-driven consumer brands. Visit www.makegoodfood.ca to learn more about Goodfood, Canada's No.1 Meal Kit!

Welcome to the $100M Blueprint, your go-to podcast for real-world business lessons and entrepreneurial insights. Hosted by Goodfood founders Jonathan Ferrari and Neil Cuggy, the series offers behind-the-scenes stories of scaling their company to $150 million and beyond. Each episode features candid conversations with top entrepreneurs who have built companies worth $ 100 M or more, delivering honest advice, leadership strategies, and hard-learned lessons for ambitious business owners.

In this episode, hosts Jonathan Ferrari and Neil Cuggy welcome Genuine Tea co-founders Sarah Wilcox and David O’Connor to unpack their journey from Taiwan’s tea markets to building one of Canada’s most beloved premium tea brands. Learn how they turned a farmers' market stall into a multi-channel powerhouse by blending authenticity with innovation, navigating retail, DTC, and food service with intention. The conversation reveals powerful strategies for creating brand loyalty, launching purposeful products, and scaling sustainably, while staying rooted in ethical sourcing and quality. A must-listen for founders building premium, values-driven consumer brands.

What you will learn:

How to transform cultural expertise into a marketable business advantage
The "Third Wave Tea" strategy for positioning a premium brand
Why multi-channel distribution (cafes, retail, DTC, white label) creates sustainable growth and reduces business risk
How to build customer loyalty through daily rituals and premium product experiences
The framework for successful product innovation
Why focus on profitability while scaling creates long-term sustainability
How to leverage "barista choice" positioning to build credibility
The importance of maintaining core values: ethical sourcing, quality, and sustainability

Sarah Wilcox and David O'Connor are the co-founders of Genuine Tea, a pioneering force in Canada's third-wave tea movement. Since launching in 2015, they have transformed the specialty tea industry through their commitment to direct trade relationships, premium quality sourcing, and authentic Japanese matcha. As certified tea sommeliers with extensive experience in Asian tea markets, they've grown Genuine Tea into a multi-channel business partnering with leading cafes, grocery stores, and specialty retailers across North America. Their innovative approach to traditional tea culture, combined with strategic product development, including adaptogenic wellness blends and premium matcha, has helped build a devoted following while maintaining profitable growth of over 40% year over year. Recently partnering with Good Food, Sarah and David continue to lead Genuine Tea's expansion while staying true to their founding values of ethical sourcing, sustainability, and customer-first service.

Visit www.makegoodfood.ca to learn more about Goodfood, Canada's No.1 Meal Kit!