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Coffee comes from Ethiopia. Tea comes from China. Energy drinks come from a lab in Austria.
America has had its own native caffeinated plant the entire time. Almost nobody knows it exists.
Liam Trotzuk stumbled across yaupon holly at a botanical garden in Texas and couldn't believe what he was looking at. A plant native to North America, naturally caffeinated, with a smoother energy profile than coffee — and virtually zero cultural awareness. Goldholly is his attempt to change that. We sat down with Liam to talk about building a category from scratch, why education is the hardest part of the job, and what happens when a tight-knit group of founders decides to grow the pie before fighting over it.
The Product and Audience: What is Goldholly and who is it for?
Goldholly makes clean energy tea using yaupon holly, the only native caffeinated plant in North America. The idea is simple — create an alternative to imported coffee and tea that feels cleaner, smoother, and more intentional. Our target customer is the health-conscious consumer looking for steady energy without the crash or jitters, while also caring about sourcing and ingredient quality.
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The Spark: When did you launch, and what made you say "I need to build this"?
We first discovered yaupon while visiting a botanical garden in Texas. What shocked us was not just the plant itself, but the fact that almost nobody knew America had its own native source of caffeine. The deeper we researched, the clearer it became that this category deserved a much bigger audience. That realization eventually became Goldholly.
The Launch: When did you launch and how did you build pre-launch buzz?
We officially launched our teabag cartons in April 2025. Before launch, we focused heavily on grassroots awareness — sampling the product with friends and family, sharing our story online, and documenting the process publicly as founders. That "building in public" approach helped create an early group of advocates before the product officially hit the market.
The First 100: How did you find your first customers?
A lot of it came through direct outreach and e-commerce. Because yaupon is still unfamiliar to most consumers, education became a huge part of customer acquisition. We leaned heavily into online discovery, Amazon and Walmart marketplaces, and connecting with early adopters already searching for cleaner caffeine alternatives.
The Advice: What would you tell a first-time founder in their first 90 days?
Get out of the building and talk to people directly. That includes customers and buyers. Some of the most valuable insights we got came from conversations with coffee drinkers, tea drinkers, and retail buyers before launch. There are things you simply cannot learn from Google searches or AI prompts alone.
The Reality Check: What is the hardest part of this journey that people don't see on social media?
Building awareness for an entirely new category. Most Americans have never heard of yaupon. Once people try it, they usually love the flavor, the smoother energy, and the story behind it. But getting them to stop, understand it, and care enough to try it is the real challenge. Education is expensive, time-consuming, and constant.
The Milestone: What has been your biggest "we made it" moment so far?
Our first organic five-star review. It sounds small, but after spending so much time developing the product from scratch, that validation meant everything. Knowing real customers genuinely enjoyed what we created made the work feel real for the first time.
The AI Trend: How have you used AI to help your business grow?
We are investing heavily in Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO. As more consumers use tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for discovery, we want Goldholly to show up naturally in those conversations. We also use machine learning tools within our e-commerce stack to optimize Amazon advertising and customer engagement.
The Horizon: What should we be excited to see from Goldholly in the next six months?
We recently completed a full brand refresh with new premium pouch packaging across our product lineup. Next up is a new Starter Bundle featuring a custom yaupon tea tumbler and accessories. We are also exploring loose leaf products and ready-to-drink options.
The Recommendations: What are your favorite under-the-radar brands right now?
CPG: Gamsa Foods
Tech: Bang & Olufsen
Gear: Oru Kayak
The Shop: Where can readers find Goldholly?
Shop directly at goldholly.com, on Amazon, and on Walmart.com. Goldholly is also available through select independent retailers across the Northeast.
The Connection: Where is the best place to follow along?
Follow the journey through The Buzz blog at goldholly.com, or find Goldholly on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook.
Callahan's Take
Every entrepreneur dreams of discovering a wide open market with zero competition. What they forget is the catch. If nobody knows the category exists, you have to teach them before you can actually sell them anything.
That's the reality Liam is navigating with Goldholly. And it's not just consumers he has to educate. It's retail buyers too. That's a small, skeptical audience that needs to understand and believe in a product before a single unit hits a shelf.
It's the cost of being first. But the upside is massive.
Here's what makes me genuinely excited about Goldholly. America has its own native caffeinated plant and almost nobody knows about it. In a world where everyone is reaching for imported coffee or tea, a homegrown alternative feels like the perfect positioning. The rise of Yerba Mate proved that consumers are willing to embrace a new caffeinated plant if the story and the product are right. Yaupon holly has both.
Will Liam and Goldholly be able to educate America to grow the category? I think they will, but it won't be alone. There's a tight-knit group of founders building the yaupon holly space together, pooling resources, and growing awareness of the category itself before competing within it. That's a genius move. Grow the pie first, then fight for your slice.
The education phase is expensive and slow. But if they can pull it off, the brand that owns yaupon holly in America wins big.
Odds are you haven't tried it yet. That's your homework this week.
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