Meet Justin Smith | Serial Entrepreneur, CEO and Co Founder of Kolohe Juice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always been an entrepreneur though Kolohe Juice has been the most successful thus far. My brother and I came up with Kolohe Juice during covid when most people couldn’t really travel. We wanted to figure out a way to bring Hawaii to everyone. Born and raised in Hawaii we grew up on many local flavors that most people have never heard of which inspired us to incorporate these flavors into something that people can enjoy on the mainland. I’ve always had a love for social events and getting to meet new people which goes hand in hand with cocktails. Since bars and restaurants were closed due to the pandemic, more and more people were looking to have fun drinks at home. I noticed that the market was missing premium ready to drink cocktails, especially in unique flavors. We’ve all seen pre-made margarita mix at our local grocery store only to try it at home and be disappointed. So I wanted to combine my love for Hawaii and the need for premium ready to drink cocktails at home. With that Kolohe Juice was born!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
In Hawaiian the word Kolohe means naughty, rascal, or mischievous. Therefore Naughty Juice. Kolohe Juice is a Hawaiian Premium read to drink cocktail. There’s six unique flavors which are Sweet Guava Margarita, Strawberry Li-hing Margarita, Hawaiian Sunrise, Tropical Breeze, Coconut Mai Tai, and Spicy Lilikoi Mule. Currently we are in over twenty stores in Southern California. It hasn’t been easy to get to where we are at. Being new to the alcohol industry we’ve faced many challenges. A big challenge that we face is that there are a lot of store owners who are not as open to new brands. They seem a bit mistrusting to brands that they aren’t familiar with. We’ve been overcoming this by building our reputation and showing our aloha spirit while building these relationships. With every challenge there are just as many rewards. It’s hard to describe the feeling when walking into a store and seeing a customer buy your product on their own accord. I love picturing our customers sharing their Kolohe Juice with their family and friends while celebrating their special moments.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in Los Angeles I get visitors often and I love showing them around the city. A day out with Justin would start with brunch at Elephante. There’s an ocean front view and a delicious menu to choose from. The eggplant dip is a must! From there we’d hop in the truck and take a drive a long the pch up the coast to Malibu. We’d enjoy the waves at Zuma. Afterwards we’d head back to the city and vintage shop melrose. As the day is winding down we’d head over to the arts district for dinner at Girl and the Goat. On our way over we’d drive over the 6th street bridge and enjoy the view. When eating at Girl and the Goat ask for Freddy Cruz. He’s the best server in town. Depending what my guests are feeling we’d go for dessert at The Big Chill in Westwood or we’d bar hop Sunset Blvd.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I like to start by shouting out my Uncle Anson who’s always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and giving me the confidence to make them a reality. He’s very business savvy and is always only a phone call away when I need to run an idea by him. He gives great advice and is a very critical thinker. Without him Kolohe Juice wouldn’t be where it is today. Next I’d like to shoutout the original Kolohe Boys who has been there from the start. Good friends are hard to come by and this group of friends have gone above and behind. They never hesitate to jump in when we need and extra hand or two and they have done a great job spreading the word. It’s and added plus when you get to work with your friends.

Website: kolohejuice.com

Instagram: jussmith or kolohejuice

Twitter: Kolohe Juice

Youtube: Kolohe Juice