Entrepreneur Wins UD Pitch Competition

Entrepreneur Wins UD Pitch Competition

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DAYTON, Ohio—For one Dayton resident, coffee is more than just a pick me up in the morning, it’s now her business. 


What You Need To Know

  • Kait Brown created her company Savorista after she found it nearly impossible to find delicious decaf coffee
  • Her company pitch won the University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch competition, which means $50,000 in prize money
  • Brown says she plans to use the money to re-brand and get their product on shelves of retailers and local coffee shops

​​Grinding coffee beans is now a way of life for Kait Brown. The entrepreneur has always had a love for coffee. She was even a barista in high school.

“I love the taste of coffee and the flavor and the ritual and just the connection among friends and really getting to know people over coffee,” Brown said.

But several years ago, Brown found herself in a very stressful job. And unfortunately, her coffee wasn’t making anything any better.

“The caffeine in the coffee that I was drinking and that I loved was actually amplifying that street and really preventing me from sleeping,” she said.

So, Brown did what any coffee lover would do and switched to decaf. But she found it wasn’t that easy.

“I was surprised at how disappointed I was actually that I couldn’t find great tasting decaf coffee.” Brown said.

That’s when Brown and her now husband Daniel decided to go to Columbia to find out if there was any good decaf that even existed.

“That was really when we realized like O you can make decaf taste fantastic,” she said.

Once Brown found that delicious decaf coffee could be made, Savorista was born- A coffee company specializing in decaf and low-caffeine coffee options. And once her business gained traction, she entered the University of Dayton’s Flyer pitch contest, winning the competition. Brown plans to use the $50,000 of prize money on re-branding and getting into more retailers and local coffee shops.

“We’re working on some really exciting branding that will really elevate how we look on shelf and online and in photos,” Brown said.

Judges say the company won in part because of Brown’s already growing sales numbers. Brown says through the pandemic, more people have been interested in making coffee at home.

“Right now, with COVID, more people are brewing coffee at home,” Brown said. “Many people are more stressed than they’ve ever been because they’re trying to juggle constantly changing situations at home and at work. And so we see a lot of people that say you know what, I need to cut back on the caffeine.”

And as Savorista continues to grow, Brown is grateful for UD’s support to get her business more traction and get it to the next level.

“It’s really an honor to be a part of the competition, to win the competition and I’m really excited at how winning this will help grow Savorista,” she said.

To learn more about Savorista or to order the coffee, visit savorista.com.

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