"You're the yaupon people, right?"
We heard that question again and again at this year's Summer Fancy Food Show, and every single time it made our week. Last year, we spent four days on the Javits Center floor answering a very different question: what is yaupon? This June, at Booth 4824B in the Naturally Network section, people walked up already knowing the plant, the story, and in the best moments, Goldholly by name.
Yaupon is having its moment, and we are proud to help lead the charge. What follows comes from hundreds of conversations with retailers, distributors, buyers, and fellow founders over three days (June 28 to 30).
The question changed, and that says everything
Yaupon is America's only native caffeinated plant, and until recently the hardest part of selling it was simply explaining it. Twelve months ago, nearly every booth conversation started from zero. This year, a real share of visitors arrived with the basics already in hand. Some had read about yaupon. Some had tried a competitor's tea. Some follow the category the way we do.
That shift from, "What's that?" to, "Oh, I've heard of this," happened in a single year. Categories build slowly and then quickly, and yaupon feels like it is entering the quickly part. For a small team that's all-in on this plant, there's no better signal.
A winning hook: yerba mate's North American cousin
People want a reference point for something new, and one landed over and over: yaupon is the North American cousin of yerba mate. Both are caffeinated hollies, so the comparison is honest, and it gives a first-time taster a flavor map before the cup even hits their hand.
Yerba mate drinkers in particular instantly got it. Many told us the thing they appreciated most was what they did not taste: bitterness. Yaupon is naturally low in tannins, which keeps the brew smooth even with a long steep. If mate ever felt a little aggressive to you, yaupon is the gentler branch of the family tree.
"Smooth" was the word of the show
"This is really smooth... like, really smooth." We heard some version of that sentence at the booth all weekend. Caffeine-sensitive sippers said it. Lifelong coffee drinkers said it. More than a few told us this was the kind of energy they had been looking for: present, steady, and without the jitters they associate with their usual cup.
We love hearing it, because smoothness is the whole product philosophy. Each teabag delivers an estimated 30mg of caffeine alongside theobromine, and the low tannin content keeps every sip clean. If you want the longer story, we wrote a full guide to what makes yaupon's energy different and a breakdown of yaupon's caffeine content.
American-grown means more than it used to
The conversations with retailers had a new depth this year. Domestic sourcing used to read as a nice story on the box. Now buyers bring it up first. A domestic, traceable, tariff-resilient supply chain matters to them beyond cost: it is about stability, knowing that next quarter's order will arrive at next quarter's price.
Yaupon grows in American soil and is harvested by American hands, so the supply chain never crosses an ocean. One phrase resonated across every audience at the booth, and we are keeping it: this is what American made ought to be. We went deeper on this in why American sourcing makes for better tea.
The opportunity is bigger than the tea aisle
Three patterns stood out from the buyer side of the table. Smaller retailers are hunting for differentiation the big chains cannot copy yet, and a native American tea category fits that brief perfectly. Food service buyers keep asking for yaupon, and almost nobody is meeting that demand yet. And there is real pull for ready-to-drink formats, a question we heard often enough to take seriously.
We came in thinking with our eyes set on the tea-aisle. We left thinking of yaupon as an ingredient platform with the tea aisle as its front door.
A bonus lesson, from the ankles down
Last year taught us that four days standing on the carpet-covered concrete floor at the Javits Center is a full-contact sport. This year the team showed up in HOKAs, the sneakers beloved by nurses, line cooks, and everyone else who lives on their feet, and we walked out the other side feeling fresh. This is not sponsored. It is simply gratitude.
Thank you to the people who made it possible
Naturally New York and the Naturally Network brought us to the show and built the community that makes companies like ours possible. Exhibiting with them was a privilege. The Specialty Food Association once again hosted a world-class show and continues to champion emerging brands.
A special thank you to WISEcode for the partnership and for featuring Goldholly at the show. We're proud to carry their science-backed Non-UPF Verified Shield, WISEcode's trust mark for foods that are not ultra-processed.
And to our pavilion neighbors and new friends, we learned something from every one of you:
- Sol-ti, organic living beverages bottled in glass
- DEFI Snacks, real chocolate with a serious protein punch
- Awesome Ice Tea, real-brewed functional ice tea
- Marianne's Harvest, a five-generation family company crafting pure pantry staples
- Farmer Foodie, dairy-free Cashew Parm that converts skeptics
- Dylign, founder-friendly custom packaging for growing brands
- Taim Olive, single-estate extra virgin olive oil from heirloom Lebanese olives
- Josephine's Baking Co., handcrafted gluten-free crispy cookies
We can't wait to see what you all do next!
Come taste what the buzz is about
If the show proved anything, it's that one sip does more than a thousand words. The easiest way to see why "smooth" was the word of the weekend is the Variety Bundle, with all three flavors in one box. And if you're a retailer or food service buyer who wishes you stopped by our booth, our wholesale door is always open. You can find us on Faire Direct and Airgoods Direct, too.
Missed our pre-show announcement? Catch up on why we came to the Fancy Food Show in the first place. And if you were at Javits this year: what was your biggest takeaway?