Question: So let’s start at the beginning. How’d you end up here, as a Hive founder?
Katie: Scott came to me with the idea. And personally, I’ve always loved making a difference and having a mission. I felt like I had been looking for a way to combine my coaching life and my business life. So this idea checked every box. In those early conversations when I saw the idea crystallize it made me really excited. It was a no brainer, there is demand. It’s not just a wish that people want to do better, they really do think this way.
Thomas: Having had a front row seat to the incredible hyper-growth journey of Jet.com and then later the first-hand experience co-founding a niche, direct-to-consumer womenswear brand with my wife, I immediately fell in love with Hive’s vision. The opportunity to create a trusted destination where customers could feel self-expressed and good about themselves as they shop for the things they need really echoed those same values of sustainability, quality, and craftsmanship I had connected with in my in wife's business. It just became the perfect combination of opportunity and personal interest, and I'm honored to be a part of it.
Scott: So I was working with packaged goods, and I realized there’s an unbelievable disconnect between these businesses doing good in the world and the people that want to buy good things. The problem I saw was: how do we connect these conscious shoppers with values-driven brands? And Hive felt like the solution. It felt like this was the moment to take what I’d learned in my career and leverage it into something I really loved, which is doing good. I felt there was such an opportunity to get people rallied around doing better.
Steve: I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart, and I had been looking for something that really did good. To me, it was important to make a difference that would also make me feel good. And I really think Hive does that. The positive impact is just amazing. So when Scott first approached me with the concept, I immediately loved it. It connected the dots of what I wanted to do. I saw this potential to make a dent in the universe with Hive the way Steve Jobs did with Apple.
Question: And now that you’re here, has Hive changed how you shop?
Katie: Before Hive, I was a dabbler. I was a metal straw person, but I’ve learned a lot through doing this and I’ve started being significantly more conscious and I feel really good about my swaps. I was never a precise recycler and that’s changed for me.
Scott: I’m trying to have all food [in my pantry] that comes from Hive and then just adding fresh things to that. I feel like it’s the best dollar of commerce I can spend—to buy from this company, with this set of brands, with this ideology focused on doing good—and Hive really feels like I’m doing good.
Katie: Scott’s right, I always felt like I had strong beliefs, but I never felt like I was making a huge difference . The community impact and seeing my impact is a big motivator. I feel like I’ve been introduced to a lot of upgrades that make home cooking a lot better and easier. I love having nice EVOO and salts and seasonings for "gourmet at home."
Thomas: It’s cooking for me. Having a new family and inheriting the culture of my wife’s family who've made food and the art of cooking a big part of what connects all of us, I love being able to introduce things that impress them. Now I’m always looking to do that. So I wouldn’t say changed, but it’s definitely enhanced and once you go down this path you want to keep getting to better.
Steve: It certainly expanded my palate. I’ve purchased foods I would have never thought I’d eat, and I've really enjoyed them. I’m hooked on some of these products now. I would have never thought I'd love pepperoni chips, but I do! They're amazing, you just want to keep eating them. I buy a few bags at a time to keep on hand.
Question: Well on that note, is there something from Hive that you’ve tried, and now you’re just never going back to the old ways?
Scott: Bamboo towels. These are so much better, the old ones I had sucked. And I love the silicone ziplock bags. They rock the world. And the jelly! I want bigger sizes of everything. The Rhythm cauliflower—I want two bags of that, always. This has made us do better in so many ways and I just want more. It just makes you feel good
Katie: There are so many little things, but the one that comes to mind for me is Chagrin Valley. I never ever would have considered bar shampoo, but I checked them out and they basically take away needing both shampoo and conditioner, and it’s way more natural with no plastic. It is my favorite way to wash my hair, and I’ll never use anything else ever again.
Thomas: Getting to support these brands—the crafters and innovators—who are making something that's good for me, but also good for "we." Because of that, in some cases, I’d rather go without than buy from a big guy.
Steve: I used to have peanut butter on a rice cake all the time. And I ordered Big Spoon Crunchy Almond with Sea Salt and Wildflower Honey and the Maisie Jane’s Crunchy Almond Butter. Now I alternate between the two, and I won’t eat regular peanut butter again. With jelly I’m eating Crofter’s Blueberry now, and not the big brands of grape jelly.
