Rosa is a food fanatic, always searching for the yummiest flavors. She’s a believer in “food as medicine” but doesn’t think you need to give up taste for health. Inspired by the herbal tonics her grandma brewed for her while growing up, she’s on a mission to make Asian inspired herbal remedies that are naturally healing accessible to the masses by combining ancient herbal wisdom with modern taste. Her sparkling wellness drinks quickly became the functional beverage of Silicon Valley, stocked at 300+ companies such as Google, Facebook, and Uber. Before Wildwonder, Rosa had founded a loose leaf tea business and traveled around Asia to source the best teas and herbs. Prior to embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Rosa was a private equity and venture investor at Warburg Pincus. Rosa holds a MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is also a Fulbright Scholar and published author.

What inspired you to create this company?
Growing up in China, my grandmother brewed tonics with a symphony of wild herbs. Health-wise, they worked wonders, from boosting my immunity to calming my stress. But taste-wise, they were hard to swallow. As an adult, my love for food deepened and I gained a greater appreciation for the wild plants, medicinal herbs and rare spices of my childhood. I’m a huge foodie and I don’t believe we need to give up taste for health. I started to look for ways to give eastern herbal tonics a modern twist. And so wildwonder was born – a bubbly, delicious, and nourishing beverage! Every drink lifts you so you can create everyday wonders. 5% of profits from each bottle goes towards causes that empower women and marginalized communities.

What distinguishes your company and product in the market?
The beverage aisles of grocery stores are packed with sugary sodas and beverages with fillers that do not do our bodies any good. Functional ingredients that offer health benefits such as herbs and probiotics are mostly in pill forms – they can be intimidating and definitely aren’t fun to consume. Wildwonder delivers gut and immune health in a new and delicious way: our drinks are crafted with real ingredients derived from plants: superherbs, plant fiber, and live probiotics, balanced and naturally sweetened by fruit. Our differentiated branding brings whimsy and approachability to a serious functional category. We also strive to bottle the cleanest organic and vegan ingredients with no refined sugar, no filler, no coloring, and no artificial ingredients.