Meet Monica Epstein

Co-founder of Ysidro

№1 — Tell us a little about yourself and what lead you to creating this drink in this season of life?

At the beginning of Covid around March 19th, 2020, I downloaded Zoom for the first time so that I could attend a virtual wine tasting, hosted by Alex Dessouky. After the tasting, I had a dream that night that Alex, my husband Seth, and I all started a drink company, and we were talking about it over Zoom. When I woke up the next morning, I told Seth about the dream. Then we took one of our first brave walks on the beach, and ran into Alex. I told him about my dream and we all stood there for a moment and decided “let’s do it!”. In a time when everything was so uncertain; the creation of Ysidro felt like fate.

№2 — What has been the most rewarding part of your journey as a founder?

The welcoming reception from other female founders and the community's embrace of the product have
been the most rewarding part of this experience

№3 — What is the hardest, yet most valuable lesson you have learned starting this business?

The most valuable lesson I have learned in starting a business is to dive in and wear multiple hats. We are a start up, so some days I am doing sales and account management; other days I am the one making the deliveries. Each day is different and there is so much to learn.

№4 —What inspired you and your team to create the flavor of Ysidro?”

We went through many iterations of different flavor combinations but overall grapefruit and sea salt was the unanimous favorite out of the gate and required very little adjustment. When I said creating Ysidro felt like fate; this was one of those moments. Living in California, we drive through citrus groves and adventure to different beaches so the added salinity to the grapefruit was the perfect pairing because it captures the California experience.

№5 — On your website, you mention you created Ysidro to celebrate the rhythm of slow living. What does that look like in your day-to-day life?

The past two years have taught me to slow down and appreciate life. We came up with the saying “drink now, be here” because there’s something about opening a can and the initial release of the fragrance that transports you. When we created Ysidro we wanted it to be a drink that can be enjoyed easily…on a beach blanket, on a hike, after a surf session, with pizza or over a sunset. It’s a drink that you can enjoy; anywhere and anytime, but it’s a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate where you are now.