The Exchanges

Q or I don't really have this problem. I like the taste of coffee breath or, you know, whatever. Some people, I want to ask you, before I get, we drill into that, I want to ask a question about the name, tannin, because when I think of tannin, I think of like tannins in wine or, uh, tea, you know, there's, there's tannins in there. Why is it called tannin?

A Yeah. It's a great question. So tannins are also in coffee. They're really in a lot of like natural things. So these compounds and trees and plants and probably know that. And, um, so while they're the things that give it this natural flavor, it's also the thing that dries out the mouth, which causes a lot of the oral health issues. So quite literally we're rinsing those tannins out of the mouth when you talk about coffee or wine or tea, but it also speaks to the just very natural elements of the brand. Like all our products are natural. We use sustainable ingredients. Our sustainable materials for our packaging. Um, so it's kind of this dual meaning. And we thought it was a cool word.

AI assessment note: “quite literally we're rinsing those tannins out of the mouth”

Q Welcome. So wait, this is a oral care, so it's post-coffee what? Tell me a little bit more about this product.

A Yeah, so it's a post-coffee mouth rinse. So, you know that mouth, do we have any coffee drinkers? I mean, Guy, Bobby, you guys both drink coffee. Yeah, I love coffee. Two hands, right? It's beautiful. It's, that moment right after coffee is really what we originally designed this product for. Um, I was working at a coffee shop at the time, making videos. I would bring this toothbrush to, to the coffee shop, which was both gross, and also I learned that, um, it's actually best to wait 30 minutes after your last sip to brush your teeth, because you can actually wear your enamel that has just been softened by the acid from the coffee. And so I started looking for a solution and was just amazed that no one had ever made anything oral care related for coffee drinkers. Very sensitive in my mouth. And I was living with my roommate at the time. His name's Joe. And, and, uh, we just got fascinated by this. And, and we started by one, like posting up in a, a super busy part of Charlotte and just asking people like, are you having this problem too? Like, what do you, what do you do to clean your mouth after coffee? And realizing that, um, it was just one of those things that people We're thinking about without really thinking about it. Um, something that they, they wanted a solution for and, and we selfishly also wanted that solution.

AI assessment note: “Yeah, so it's a post-coffee mouth rinse.”

Q How, what is your back? Do you have a background in, like, chemistry or science or?

A So, no, no, I don't. Um, I've definitely been an entrepreneur my whole life, but I, I would say my fascination with oral care has carried me through my entire life. I think it, you know, like all good stories, probably started with some childhood trauma. I think I came home from the dentist when I was eight, and, uh, and I had four cavities, and my brothers just made so much fun of me. So I swore from that day, I'm like, okay, I'm never getting another cavity. And so I've just been very... Aware of my oral care ever since, and I've been doing the brush and the flossing, everything that I feel like the dentists are telling me, but still having issues, and that's kind of what, one of the things that, too, led me to look at coffee and be like, okay, this is, this is a real thing. Like, this is actually having a real impact.

AI assessment note: “So, no, no, I don't. Um, I've definitely been an entrepreneur”