Millie’s gained traction through specialty markets, direct-to-consumer sales, and a feature by Weight Watchers, which significantly boosted its Amazon sales, according to co-founders and husband and wife duo, Llance and Lori Kezner. Classified as a zero-point Weight Watchers food, Millie’s broth occupies a coveted position in the diet program.
As sales and popularity grew, the co-founders successfully pitched to Walmart through the retailer’s Open Call, emphasizing Millie’s as a clean-label disruptor across the tea, broth and soup categories with non-GMO and gluten-free ingredients.
“There was nothing on the market like a savory hot drink,” Llance Kezner explained, noting that Millie’s retains the whole ingredients in each serving by using tea bags rather than spray drying powder typically found in bouillon cubes. Additionally, the herb, spice and dehydrated vegetable blends are versatile, with usage occasions extending beyond beverages into seasoning for various dishes.
“Our innovation was to take something traditionally used in cooking and apply it to a new category,” he added.
Broths inspired by classic and global flavors
Initially inspired by Lori Kezner's search for a healthy, convenient beverage, Millie’s tea bag broths draw from comforting and globally inspired flavors.
The sipping broths feature classic and international flavors, including Tomato Basil, Thai Lemongrass, Spicy Tortilla, and Delight Pho. Each steepable bag contains 5 grams of herbs, spices and vegetables.
Entering Walmart marks the next phase of the brand’s growth, as the company aims to expand into foodservice, including hospitals, coffee shops and airlines.
Scaling up with strategic partnerships
Millie’s Walmart launch followed a challenging search through four co-packers to find one that could meet its quantity and quality needs.
“We are breaking the tea model, breaking the soup model,” Llance Kezner said, explaining how Millie’s required co-packers to rethink production to uphold the product’s integrity. The brand continues to find new partners as it scales and enhances production capabilities.
Balancing quality and authenticity
Millie’s continually refines the formula to ensure quality and authenticity and that it adheres to non-GMO, vegan and Kosher standards. Each batch undergoes rigorous sensory and microbiological testing to meet these criteria without artificial ingredients or sprayed components.
Because Millie’s uses dehydrated vegetables, natural crop variations can subtly affect flavor from batch to batch, a reflection of the product’s natural ingredients, Llance Kezner said.
“A tomato might taste slightly sweeter or more acidic – that is how you know it is real. ... The downside is slight taste variation, but the upside is authenticity. … You are making a fresh cup each time, with nothing to hide," he explained.