hey hiyo fam,
george here, one of the founders of hiyo. today i’m introducing a new series called to//from. this will be a monthly letter from me to you keeping you up to date on the latest happenings in hiyo-land. sometimes these will be updates, sometimes they’ll be random musings on the industry or hiyo’s role in society, or maybe it’ll just be a few jokes to make you smile. my intention behind this series is threefold:
to create connection.
we consider our customers family. i recognize that this sounds odd, but whenever anything awesome happens at hiyo, my first reaction is to quickly call or text my wife, my parents, my siblings… basically anyone who will listen. because to me, life, and all of its highs and lows, is meant to be a shared experience with those that you hold most dear. i hope that these updates will make you feel more connected, invested, and inspired by this beautiful, messy, and auspicious journey that we’re on.
to stay authentic.
i have a profound desire to keep hiyo authentic. we have been lucky enough to grow (thanks to you all) like crazy over these last 4 years. oftentimes this type of growth can change the dna of a company, sometimes in really positive ways, but more often in ways that feel corporate and cold. these letters are a simple initiative to directly connect with our community and shine a light on real experiences from the humans behind this brand. i’m sure i’ll focus more on the good than the bad (i’m an optimist, get over it), but i’ll do my best to share our genuine experience trying to change the way the world drinks.
to entertain.
to live life in 2025 is to be too damn busy, with a million things pulling at your attention. if you’re going to spend 3-5 minutes with me reading my musings, i want to make it worth your while. it is my promise to you that i will do my best to keep these updates fun, comical, informative, and inspiring.
the team is growing.
it always starts with people. we are creating the ‘92 dream team over here but with less egos. we have increased the squad from 9 to 17 since the beginning of 2025. i feel like a proud co-papa...
- alexa, content producer - if she isn’t all over your socials already… she will be.
- luis, ops manager- making sure all our cans are produced perfectly, and get where they need to go!
- dylan, sr. graphic designer - he’s been designing emails, merch, fridges, and everything in between.
- kasey, chief of staff - last year, she interned with hiyo while getting her mba. now, she has joined us full-time — helping everyone enjoy a more productive work environment.
- megan, dir. of retail marketing - tasked with making sure we show up and sell out on shelves in your local supermarket.
- will, VP of finance - we finally have someone checking our bank account.
- luke, vp of sales - knows a lot more about beverage sales than i do.
- tom, vp of marketing - he brings a real rockstar energy to his work (heh, that’s where he previously worked).
hiyo house 2.0.
see how much we leveled up year-over-year at edc las vegas. 520,000+ people attended the festival, and they all loved our gorgeous activation. look out for a future email with more hiyo house highlights!
new flavor loading.
we just finished a successful run of our latest flavor! the new sip will launch in july, both online and in-store nationally at a beloved retailer. we host daily tastings in office. very important business.
sales are ripping.
may will be our biggest month of sales ever — it’s not even close. which means more and more people are reaching for a healthy way to unwind.
winner winner.
hiyo attended kroger’s nourishing change conference + just happened to win the best emerging brand. pretty cool to see the largest traditional grocer in america recognize our little company as the top emerging brand inspiring change. we always said we wanted to change the way the world drinks… kroger thinks we’re doing it.
if you read this far, thank you for being a wonderful member of the hiyo fam. there are a bunch of other little call outs i would love to share, but this first to//from has already rambled on too long.
until next month,
george
