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Try MY T Founder Dawn Patton Expands Gourmet Iced Tea Brand at Costco

Kim Anthony • September 19, 2024

Dawn Patton, a proud resident of View Park in Los Angeles, is the visionary founder of Try MY T—a gourmet, fresh-brewed iced tea brand she established in her neighborhood. Patton's achievements are notable, and she speaks of them with well-deserved pride.

"There are only a handful of African American women-owned iced tea beverage manufacturers in the U.S., and I happen to be one of them," Patton shared.

When Try MY T first entered the retail scene, it was available in six Whole Foods Markets and a select number of Sprouts Farmers Markets. Today, Patton's iced tea can be found in 65 Whole Foods stores across Arizona, Hawaii, and Las Vegas, as well as in 93 Sprouts locations throughout Southern California.

In fact, Try MY T has expanded into three revenue streams: warehouse clubs, retail, and foodservice.

"Foodservice includes restaurants and corporations," Patton explained. "Then we have warehouse clubs like Costco. We're gearing up for roadshows because Costco invited us to showcase our products in five of their Southern California clubs."

Try MY T will be featured at the Culver City/Marina Del Rey Costco from September 5–8, with Patton hosting a meet-and-greet on September 7. The following week, she'll be in Irvine from September 12–15, and then in Bakersfield from September 19–22.

Patton acknowledged that it's challenging for any startup brand to break into Costco and maintain sustainability there. She revealed that Costco had approached Try MY T three years ago, but she wasn't confident they could meet the large retailer's volume demands at the time.

"Since we're still emerging and currently raising funds for our exponential growth, we couldn't handle the volume back then," Patton said. "Costco serves about 6,000 people a day, so without the capacity to sustain those sales, you risk being phased out."

She expressed gratitude for Costco's support. "Costco is a worldwide brand, and they've been incredibly supportive of Try MY T. They even invited me to meet their president in Bakersfield," she noted.

Looking ahead to 2025 and 2026, Patton anticipates significant success for Try MY T across all markets. She is currently in the process of raising $1.5 million to sustain the company over the next 12 months.

Patton aims to double or triple this investment, allocating the funds toward inventory and manufacturing—much of which will support the trial deal with Costco.

"What we're doing with Costco is wonderful, and they are 100 percent behind us," Patton stated enthusiastically.

For more information on Try MY T, visit www.trymyt.com.

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