Meet Rebecca Caputo | Co-Founder & COO of Rif Care

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

Hi Rebecca, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I used to be all about work hard, play hard mentality. There is this grind that becomes intoxicating with a constant need to be productive, ambitious and competitive. I don’t know if it was school that taught me this or just growing up in LA, but I know now that it’s not sustainable. Constantly grinding will tear all the flesh from my bones and leave me nothing but a burnt corpse. (Dramatic but you get the picture).

Nowadays balance is about living my life with value and purpose. Are my interactions meaningful and adding to my life in a positive way? Are the actions that I am taking today leading me to the tomorrow I want for myself? By thinking about my day like this, I get to be more present and intentional which has made all the difference in creating balance and preventing burnout and depression.

What should our readers know about your business?
Rif Care launched in June of 2022. We make period products with hemp fiber which makes them better for the long term health of our bodies and the planet. We use hemp because it’s naturally antibacterial, super absorbent and grows with less land and less water. It blows my mind that in just 10 months we’ve grown to be in over 100 stores across 13 states and became #1 in a lot of them. But what’s even crazier is that we’re now available on Target.com!!

Maybe we caught a case of lucky girl syndrome, but it definitely hasn’t been easy at all to get to where we are. I think that a lot of the challenges that we’ve faced in building Rif Care, is that you just don’t know what you don’t know. Best example of this is when we didn’t know it was illegal to pick up our products with a Uhaul from the Long Beach Port. We learned really fast how to coordinate with a trucking company to pick up our products and get it to our warehouse (or we would’ve got charged thousands of dollars!). It’s experiences like this that remind me how important it is to remain resilient and flexible when making plans. Things aren’t always going to go as planned so expect the best but plan for the worst if you can.

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.
I would do a beach day and grab some food at Erewhon (gotta show them where Rif care is on shelf!) and then head to Malibu to soak up some sun. I’d check out First Fridays on Abbott Kinney for some art and vibes. There’s this gratitude journaling club I go to in Echo Park that does hikes and meet ups that I’d drag them to because it’s so much fun. I’d take them to Sugar Taco after because I’m obsessed with their vegan carne asada tacos. LACMA is doing free jazz concerts in the summer so we’d definitely check that out too.

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?
Huge shoutout to Techstars for believing in Rif Care! My co-founder, Val Emanuel and I just got back from Atlanta after participating in the Techstars Impact Accelerator. The experience was amazing and we learned so much from our cohort and the mentor network that they connected us with. This opportunity has given us a foundation of resources and the confidence to continue our mission.

Website: https://www.rifcare.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rifcare/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamcaputo/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rifcares/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJiJTV1pmGZkZuauuVuXLA

Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@rifcare Westock https://forms.westock.io/brand/1287

Image Credits
Katy Pritchett Randy Tizon