Interview: Madi Vordenbaum
Photos: Ambre Amari
Hey Emily, let’s jump in! Trunk Tea has such a unique and personal origin story. How did your grandfather’s influence shape your approach to creating non-alcoholic beverages?
Traveling through the bible belt and dry counties in the southeast, alcohol plays a very interesting role culturally. People do drink, even in dry counties; they will drive over to the next “wet” county to buy alcohol. It’s something that has become more embraced as decades have gone on. My grandfather enjoyed a good drink after traveling and wanted to be sure he could have one. So, he’d put his liquor in his trunk and call it his “trunk tea.”
My father picked up on the phrase when he was dating my mother. My mom doesn’t really drink at all, but my dad enjoyed a nice whiskey and enjoyed drinking with my grandfather.
They really passed that on. My siblings and I picked up the term in college. Now, in 2024, Trunk Tea has adopted the concept of being able to enjoy a quality beverage on your own schedule. You don’t need a lot of things with you to make a quality drink. You just crack a can open- and pour it over ice if you want. With today’s evolving drinking culture, people are becoming more mindful of what they drink, how they drink, and how much they consume. Trunk Tea embraces that aspect of the culture today.
Absolutely, we’ll touch more on how drinking culture has shifted to a more mindful community later. First, can you tell us about the journey from bartending to founding Trunk Tea Spirits? What inspired you to make the shift?
After college, I worked on several cruise lines. The most recent before moving back to Birmingham was Norwegian Cruise Lines, and that’s where I started bartending. After living on a ship for five months and having short breaks, I really wanted to put down roots. I wanted to get back to being able to be with my friends and family on my time. I wanted to strengthen those relationships since I had been at a distance for a while. I really enjoyed bartending, the people and connections, and being able to make an experience out of a simple happy hour drink for people. But I knew I didn’t want to be behind a bar forever, so I had a lot of conversations with friends and family about what it was I did want to do.
All my jobs had always been in the service industry, and I had enjoyed those aspects of that industry and knew I wanted to stay in an adjacent field. I fell on the idea of canned cocktails.
Originally, I started making plans and building the concept of Trunk Tea in late 2018. The plan was to do alcoholic canned cocktails. I was bartending at the time and ready to sign a lease for the business, and COVID completely halted everything. So, I took a step back and halted production. When I came back to the idea, it no longer made sense to do alcoholic canned cocktails. During the pandemic, people started to drink a lot more and it had become evident that they wanted to move away from that
Tell me about your experience studying wine in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. How have those experiences influenced the way you craft your beverages today?
What I fell in love with is traveling and being in other cultures that have a longer history of appreciating wine than we do here in the States. It really felt like an opportunity to come together over a table and share your experience of the day and truly connect with people. That fueled my pursuit of studying wine.
Grapes are grown in every corner of the world. There is so much to know about wine. The flavor that you get from the final product is really influenced by a place and a time specifically. The soil or the weather during the period that the grapes are grown impacts the flavor. Knowing that taught me to be more mindful of flavors and how they play together
Yes! How has that experience impacted your return to Birmingham? Are there any natural flavors or ingredients from the South that particularly inspire you to create your beverages?
Definitely! We use local Eastaboga honey in our “Bees Knees” flavor. Justin Hill, who owns Eastaboga Honey Company, works with several local restaurants and is a mainstay here in Birmingham. His honey is widely known and recognized, so we wanted to pay homage to the locality of Birmingham where we can.
That absolutely comes through. Bees Knees is the inspiration behind that question! That cocktail reminds me of summer in the South. I immediately think of honeysuckles. It’s cool to know that Birmingham honey is used in the flavor and is so tied to the culinary scene in the city.
Bees Knees was our first definitive choice to make as a cocktail. It ties back into the story of my grandfather and my family. He was affectionately known as “Honey” instead of grandfather. So the Bees Knees is another nod to him.
Going back to your earlier mention of a more mindful approach to drinking, you’ve seen this with wine and as an approach to alcohol in general. Trunk Tea offers a social experience without alcohol. How do you ensure that your mocktails foster a sense of inclusivity and community among your customers?
I think bars have always been communal meeting spaces; it’s already ingrained in people that the bar is a common meeting ground. Almost instantaneously, if you are trying to make plans with someone, you end up at a bar or a brewery. They’ve become central locations, so we are committed to offering a product that still provides a cocktail’s nuance, complexity, and layers. Making sure anyone who is trying to drink less or not partaking in alcohol for whatever reason has something that is for them.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of that?
Making the transition from alcoholic to non-alcoholic canned cocktails was a very conscious decision in what I thought would make sense in the current market. What I didn’t anticipate was the genuine need there was for non-alcoholic options. We are an inclusive beverage to a wide range of people in the community who are truly underserved.
Similar products either have a small ABV or are focusing on nootropics to provide some sort of effect similar to that of alcohol. Those products exclude pregnant people and people with kidney or liver issues. Yeast is a growing dietary concern which eliminates kombucha as an option. Caffeine is not good for a lot of people.
We are reformulating two flavors to use monk fruit sugar instead of pure cane sugar to ensure our products are more inclusive to diabetics and anyone concerned with their sugar intake. Monk fruit is made from a melon that’s grown in Asia. Our bodies process the fruit differently, so the sugar is two times sweeter than typical cane sugar with a net zero sugar content. With this change, anyone monitoring their sugar intake can simply enjoy the beverage without constantly having to keep track of their sugar intake
It’s interesting to see all the health conditions you are taking into consideration and providing elevated options for them to enjoy. I rarely think about the science that goes into my drinks. Did you have a background in science?
I studied hospitality at Auburn University. I wanted to be a pastry chef when I graduated from high school. I went to summer camps for pastries and was super into it. My parents were less sure of that career path and insisted I get a different degree before heading to culinary school. I’m glad they did. About halfway through my time at Auburn, I realized how much pastry chefs make on average and how much they work, so I happily started pursuing a different path.
I joined the Food Science Club at Auburn because I love cooking. In my spare time, I’m binge-watching anything on the Food Network. I learned from the Food Science Club just how much science was involved in cooking – especially with pastries, and said, “I don’t know that I can do all this science.”
And look at you now, working on a floor with multiple eyewash stations. Are you in charge of the science behind the flavors?
Yes! It is completely me. Trunk Tea only has one person, so I’m doing everything here. My wife is super helpful with tastings and volunteering at our bigger events.
As we move along, I learn to adapt as problems come up. I’m learning the science that is really specific to Trunk Tea, how to comply with the FDA and the Health Department, and how to make sure our products are shelf-stable.
I’m picking it up as I go. I’ve been reading a lot of books, and articles, and even consulting with universities with more knowledge and resources.
You’ve been part of Birmingham’s creative scene. How does being a Birmingham native influence the way you approach your business and connect with your community?
Birmingham has changed a lot from when I grew up here. The people recognize how vibrant this city is and what all we have to offer. The food and beverage scene is crazy for the size of this city. The number of nationally renowned chefs, bars, and bartenders is incredible. To be able to use the relationships I’ve built in the bar industry has been so great.
I have a community of people doing the same work and who love the city like I do.
What role did the CO.STARTERS community play in shaping your approach to entrepreneurship? Can you share any key takeaways that have been particularly impactful?
CO.STARTERS is a fantastic program. Being able to talk to other people who were in the same spot as me and trying to find out if our ideas are even viable is crucial. The program forces you to talk to people to really discover what your market is and if your market can sustain what your product or service is. It forced me to approach my idea from a more analytical point of view and supplied me with tools I didn’t have. CO.STARTERS has the focus and resources to help navigate the things that I didn’t know how to approach – from getting business licenses to dealing with taxes. It’s not only bringing awareness to “these are all the things you need to run a business” but also teaching how to do the things.
How do you see Trunk Tea evolving in the future? Are there any new products or collaborations on the horizon that you’re excited about?
We just released our fourth flavor, Aviation, in July, so I’m hoping to ground our brand and focus on acquiring partners so we can be there when people need us.
We are looking to acquire new high-volume manufacturing equipment that can hold 100 gallons so that we can make fifty cases in the time it’s currently taking us to make ten. That would free up my time to expand further past the city center. We aim to get out to Tuscaloosa by the end of the year and then to Huntsville next year.
I do have our fifth flavor in mind and plan to release, at the earliest, in the fall of 2025 or a dry January release in 2026.
As the Trunk Tea team grows, I would love to be able to do local collaborations with local bars and breweries for limited releases. I think that would be a lot of fun.
What advice would you give to other aspiring creatives in the community?
Talk to people. In all honesty, in my experience, anyone who has started a business, whether it’s thriving or failed, is more than happy to talk to you about your experience or help you in any way they can. Talking to people allows you to find any information you need to know, a new direction, or something new to think about. Birmingham has a big community of small businesses and entrepreneurs, and they are here for you.
Anything else that is important for people to know about you or Trunk Tea?
At the heart, Trunk Teak is here to foster connections with people. We want everyone to be included and know they don’t have to miss out on anything in life because they don’t want to explain why they aren’t drinking. We want everyone to have the best experience they can, and we’re happy to be a part of that. You can find us at twenty-six stores and bars in Birmingham.
Find Trunk Tea around town.
