Adam Torres and Josephine Musco discuss Olyxir Tea Strips.
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Show Notes:
Olyxir Tea Strips provides an alternative to the traditional tea bag. In this episode, Adam Torres and Josephine Musco, CEO & Founder at Olyxir, explore the Olyxir story and patented tea strip.
About Olyxir
Olyxir Tea is the olive branch to you, an offering of natural energy, anti-aging properties, and countless health benefits in a breakthrough convenient, healthful, and eco conscious patented tea strip.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest on the show, just head on over to missionmatters. com and click on Be Our Guest to Apply. All right, so today’s guest is Josephine Musco, and she is the founder and CEO over at Elixir.
Josephine, welcome to the show. Thanks, Adam. Thanks for having me today. What a pleasure. All right. So happy to have you here. And just to get us kicked off, I see, you know, founder, CEO, Elixir. How did you get the idea for Elixir? I love drinking tea, and I was a raw vegan for quite some time and everything I ate or drank, I had to know what went into it, and the teabag always bothered me.
I was like, hmm, that thing doesn’t look, it looks fishy, you know? Was it the staple? Was it the bag? Like, what, sometimes , I look at my teabag the same way. What was it that got to you? What would you say? I Honestly, everything, I started thinking, like, that thing is paper, like, if I went to the printer right now and got a paper, like an A4, and ducked it in a, cup, would I drink that?
I’d be like, no. So I went and got a creative agreement with the USDA and I dissected the teabag and found that what my suspicions were really true. It were even worse than what I thought. And , truth is even the most basic of teabags are full of toxins and things that we should not be ingesting.
Your average teabag is releasing microplastics, millions of microplastics, bleach, epicloridrine into your cup every time you dunk it in hot water. The microplastics are usually because , like paper, if you put like a normal piece of paper in water, it will disintegrate, right? So. It the paper that’s used for tea bags is has a very thin layer of a type of plastic to prevent it from falling apart and to give it the stiffness, you know, that shape, that and also, , paper comes from trees and trees are tan in color and for to make the paper appealing to the consumer, they bleach it in order to make it white.
So you’ve got the bleach, you’ve got the epichloridrine, you’ve got the plastic, and then, , the ones that have a staple have lead leaching in there and when you finish the product Dang, everybody right now that’s listening, just so you know, that’s long term tea, I mean, can you see my It’s like this is an audio interview, but if you were in a car right now, just understand I’m looking at that staple everything.
I’m like, you’ve been getting me because I drink a lot of tea. Oh, go ahead. Josephine. Keep educating myself in the audience. Thank you. Well, I’m also like the tea leaves inside the tea bag are really bad quality because. What we’re really getting is just the juice of something, you’re not really seeing what you are intaking, right?
So they really tend to choose terrible quality tea. Tea leaves that are completely burned up and not, not mindfully dried up or anything like that to keep their nutritional value. And then you have the environmental factor where all these teabags, sachets, bulky boxes that these teabags come in are ending up in landfills.
And, and some people would, really the worst thing is people put their teabag in their compost and I’m like, Oh my God. You know, do not. Put the tea bag in the compost. You’re really poisoning yourself. or they dump the rest of the of the tea, , down the sink, right? And those microplastics, which are particularly green, is ending up in our waterways, whether it’s rivers, ocean et cetera.
Man, and so you’re going down, I want to stay in the beginning of this journey a little longer if you don’t mind. So you’re going down this, I’m going to say it, you didn’t say it, but you’re going down this rabbit hole. You’re like, okay, this teabag’s getting on my nerves, I don’t know what it is, but something’s there to get me.
And so you’re going, and again, those are my words, not yours. So then you’re going down this rabbit hole. Okay, okay. I didn’t want to, I felt it from you, but I don’t want to put that energy out there if you weren’t feeling it. So, so. Very, very true. Okay. Super accurate. Okay. Thank you. So cause I, I think I’m similar in the same way.
I’m like, they’re trying to get me. I don’t know how, but I’m going to figure this out. So then you go down this journey of discovery and I’m guessing by the time you’re, whatever point this is, you get to the end of it and you’re just like probably cleaning tea out of your house. Like, I don’t want to drink this anymore.
I have to find an alternative or something else like this because something like you, Once you know something, you can’t unknow it. I feel like As much as you want to try, you can’t. So now at what point does this kind of like tip for you and you’re like, okay, not only am I going to am I going to not, you know, do what I was doing before, but I need to find an answer.
Like, how did that come about? Well, I had just graduated from college with a master’s in corporate leadership and structuring, and I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. You know? Hmm. And I’m like, okay, maybe I’ll just like start my own research and start doing my own thing and figure out where this will lead me.
And you know, I worked really hard for three, four years on developing things and creating the patent and , perfecting the technology all that stuff, sourcing, making sure I have all the right, you know, And you’re just graduating, by the way, so you had no, I don’t want to assume you didn’t like in your teenage years have a, like a brand like this or any other products or is this your first like product after college?
Am I off on that? Right, right. Wow, that’s amazing. Go ahead, please. This is great. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. So I was working on it and I’m like, okay, you know, we’ll see what happens. And then I got the patent and that was like, Whoa, okay. I have a patent. I have to do something with this, and yeah.
And then I made the product and, you know, I can’t deal with loose leaf tea. That’s the other thing is like you have to wait for it to steep and like who has time for that? Like who has time to sit around for like 15, 20 minutes, whatever time it takes to, to have the right strength. Of your tea.
And I can’t leave it in my mug. Like, I don’t know about you, but that grosses the heck out of me. Like the leaf is like floating in there. So , that was another reason why I’m like, okay, I can’t do tea bags. I don’t have the time or energy for the loose leaf. So I’m going to create this solution for that.
And , , when you get a patent, you’re like, okay, you know, wow. , , you know how hard it is to get patents. So, That kind of like push things along, push the journey. I’m like, yeah, let’s do this. So now when you’re going into, so now you have this patent, , you know what you’re doing next.
You’re like, okay, I’m , you’re a couple of years in, I believe you set into developing everything else. So you’re, you’re all in at this point, like there’s, you’re at that point to where like, we got to make this thing work. Where do you go next? Like in terms of developing what, or I should say, what was next?
Was it the flavors, the packaging, the like marketing, like what was next for you? Next was figuring out the name, right? Like , I needed to find the name. So I came up with the name. I brainstormed with some of my colleagues that were working with me on the project and Olexer was the name because , our first, our hero product where you are, OG basically was made from olive leaf, which is, I also have a patent on the olive leaf powder.
That’s very high in antioxidants. So it was as an olive leaf elixir, like the elixir of life, like something. So that we came up with the name. And then I had to find a packaging. And , I didn’t want anything that like is, It’s going to create more waste. So the first packaging that I came up with was a like a metal case, , like the silver metal case that you open, it’s almost like a business card thing.
So that came after and and then I just the logos, sketch the labels, all that stuff, and hire people to create them and and the, and the, and the and And the concept even of strips, , like just so, and maybe describe how it works just so that our audience can, can kind of, that haven’t heard of it yet can kind of get an idea of , how to use the product.
Let’s start there. Yeah, so basically what I did is I went ahead and I sourced the best quality teas and we grind them up in super fine powder. And we add natural extracts, like, rose extract or peach or whatever to make it taste good. So people don’t need anything else. To add anything to it or add any sweeteners.
And I make them into like a mix. Obviously everything is, , like what the rose would be its own flavor. And then we would make them into a thin film that is dried on very, very low heat. And then that film is cut into a business card size strip. You strip and you put it in your water.
You give it a few seconds to absorb the water, and then it disintegrates, and you have a wholesome cup of tea. There’s nothing, , nothing to throw away, nothing to discard, no steeping time needed just The strip dissolves and all the, the tea and all the goodness of the other things that we add, like the extracts or that’s the things that we add are in your cup for you to enjoy and,, have as a whole, you know, wholesomely.
What a great idea. I love it. This is so fun. And I’m looking at, we’ll get into Flavors in a moment or two. So I don’t want to go there quite yet, but I do want to go into like, like distribution, like how are you getting this out to market? How are you, is this to order online primarily?
Is it in stores? Like give us a flavor for how you’re getting this to the masses. Yeah. So we are primarily available online on oldexter. com. That’s O L Y X I R. com. Amazon. Push. com and we are at all the Erwan stores. We are Currently starting to go more into like Pilates studios lymphatic massage spas and So on.
Yeah, it’s a great idea. I can see it and I can see just, , the idea, I want to go, into some of these flavors as well. So I see , some of the usual suspect you’d expect, like a chamomile, of course. And then I’d see some of the other ones, like a matcha latte.
What goes into the flavors and, and the cause I do also see some here that are a little bit different. Yeah. To like or at least for my, for me, like in terms of what I’ve shopped for in the past. So like a butterfly pea, strawberry lemonade, like that, that, that I don’t see that flavor every day.
Like what, what goes into this? Yeah. So that one, my daughter developed she actually made the drawing for the pouch as well. That was my next question. You took it out of my mouth. That’s amazing. Go ahead. You’re welcome. Yeah, , she drew the, the art for the pouch and I had my graphic designer just like basically take the art and put it on the pouch as she drew it.
And she wanted to keep the pouch kind of more like blank on the side so the kids can color with their crayons and make their own art piece out of the pouch. So by the way, the pouches are all compostable. So you can just, you know, Put them in the compost once you’re done with them. So go back to the flavor.
Yes. So that was developed by my daughter and for my daughter. Butterfly pea is this like magical gift from mother nature to us. It’s not only is it a nervous system regulation and great for skin, hair and nails, but it also has this beautiful blue color. And once you to it, it turns to purple.
And if you add more lemon, it turns to pink. So it’s a great like magical potion, , for children. And it’s also a great thing for us to create, you know, mocktails or cocktails with, as adults, because it’s fun. And we added some we made in house some edible glitter that’s made just from starch.
But it’s It just adds like a little magic to it. And then the strawberry and the lemon are natural extracts that we source from reputable flavor houses , in the U S and we also add monk fruit to make it, , palatable and enjoyable for children without, you know, spiking their blood sugar and making them, , go into the sugar.
You know, craze that they usually go through when they drink, like your, you know, juice box or all these other things that are available. Not they. Me too. No.
Oh, this is great. , and I see the and what is this one? The I don’t, I can say, I don’t even know what that first word is. Mushrooms, pineapple, coconut, tea strip, cordyceps, am I saying that right? Cordyceps. Yes. Cordyceps. Okay. Take care. Cordyceps are a known and well studied adaptogen that increase stamina and sustenance during physical workout, physical exercise.
And so there are some of the best things to have before a workout. Or during or after a workout to, , to support your physical activity. And those are delicious. I just put them in my water bottle on my way to work out. I just drink it. And once I get there I’m also drinking it.
And it, it really makes a big difference in my performance. That’s why it’s called perform. Yeah, and I like, and by the way, I like that for anybody that’s listening to this, when you go to the website, what I like is that it like right below the word T strips or the words it kind of, it gives you kind of what it’s for.
So like sleep, glow energize detox with the olive leaf ginger piece or, or peach. Or fasting tea with the olive leaf. So I like the package design. I like the way it like kind of lets Even you don’t have to be an expert in tea to know that. Okay. This is high quality number one But and yeah, obviously, we talked about the micro the leaching of plastics and just the other things that are going into and let’s Not to talk about that staple that’s been getting me.
No more, no more. Now that I’m, now that I’m educated, Josephine but and now looking at this, I mean, , you can, what I like about the website, the design, everything else is that you can go to it and you can kind of know what, where you want to be in and also try some new things too, so it’s, it’s really cool.
I like it. Yes, I intentionally designed the website with the first time consumer in mind, right? The T Strip is a very novel product. It’s a very novel concept to consumers. We’ve been on the market for seven years, almost eight years now, and we’ve been doing a lot of educating, a lot of, you know, So, I think more and more people are getting familiar with it, but still, when someone goes on the website, I want them to be able to have, like, kind of a very pleasant and zen and simple experience where they, they’re not confused.
You know, they’re just, they go, they see what’s going on, they get what they need, what they want to target, what they feel is calling them the most, and they just do it. They try it, and if they like it, they can go and try something else. That’s kind of the idea behind the simplicity and the, the design of the website.
Amazing. Well, Josephine, this has been a lot of fun having you on the show today. just have to ask, I mean, what’s next? What’s next for you? What’s next for Elixir? Oh, what is next? Let’s dream for a moment. We’re all entrepreneurs here. What’s next? Like, give us the big vision. I have a lot of products.
That have been developed and that are going to be rolled out gradually within the next few months. We have electrolytes and charcoal trip that is designed to dissolve in cold water. So it’s good, you know, for electrolytes. We have an Earl Grey that’s coming up. We have a simple chamomile tea because the one we have currently is a chamomile with melatonin.
So some people just want the chamomile and we have a simple green tea that’s coming. I also have a line of food grade beauty products, shampoos, conditioners skincare products that are all made from biodynamic ingredients. So, yeah. Yeah. You are, you are busy. I love this. And if somebody, let’s say, I know we said it once, but I want to definitely get it in again.
If somebody wants to pick up some Elixir, how do they do that? Well, you can stop at Irwan, any of the Irwan stores across Los Angeles, or you can go on our website and you get 15 percent off your first order plus free shipping. We also have subscription, which, , if you like a tea, you can just have it auto delivered to your house every 30 days.
Free with free shipping. We can also go on Amazon or on push. com. And yeah, just look out for us at the kind of the higher end spas and Pilates studios. They usually have them on the counter. Amazing. And that’s elixir, O L Y X I R dot com. And for everybody listening, we’ll put that in the show notes so you can just click on the links and head right on over.
And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters and you haven’t hit that subscribe button yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. This is a daily show. Each and every day, we’re bringing you new entrepreneurs, new stories, new insights, and hopefully new inspiration to help you along on your journey as well.
Again, hit that subscribe or follow button, and we’d love for you to come back and I’ll be a return listener and Josephine thank you so much for educating me today and my audience as well. Well, I’m wishing you much more continued success and I can’t wait to continue to see this brand grow and say that hey, I, I knew her.
I knew her. . Thanks Josephine. . Thank you so much for having me, Adam. What a great fun. Have a great day.