In this episode of Retail Refined, Melissa Gonzalez sits down with Maria Stipp, CEO of Suja Life, to explore how wellness beverages are evolving from simple refreshment into a more intentional part of consumers’ daily routines.
Maria shares how shifting consumer behavior around health, low sugar, functional ingredients, and transparency is reshaping the beverage industry — and why Suja is positioned to capitalize on that momentum across cold-pressed juice, wellness shots, and better-for-you soda.
The conversation goes beyond product to unpack the business model behind the brand: Suja’s focus on full-funnel marketing, retail expansion, portfolio strategy, consumer education, and using customer insight to drive innovation. Maria also explains how Suja approaches growth across more than 37,000 retail locations, why trust and transparency matter so much in wellness, and where she sees the biggest whitespace ahead in convenience, airports, and away-from-home channels.
Key takeaways
Wellness beverages are becoming part of everyday consumer routines, not just occasional purchases.
Suja is competing through trust, transparency, function, and accessibility.
Retail growth is coming both from deeper penetration with existing partners and new channels.
Consumer education is still a major growth opportunity, especially for wellness shots.
Listening to customers is directly shaping Suja’s product innovation and category expansion.
