RICHMOND, Va. — What started as a college class assignment has made its way onto store shelves across Richmond.
A group of University of Richmond seniors recently launched RALI coffee, a canned coffee drink featuring 20 grams of protein and electrolytes. It's all part of the school's Bench Top Innovations program, a two-semester entrepreneurship course open to seniors of any majors.
"We created this drink for busy people, and it's made by busy people," said Matt Lynch, University of Richmond student and CEO of RALI coffee. "If you're someone who's living an active lifestyle and you want a drink that's going to give you steady energy throughout the day, RALI is the perfect drink for you."
The product, which contains 100 milligrams of caffeine per can, is designed to address what Lynch and his teammates saw as a gap in the market.
They say their coffee drink hydrates rather than dehydrates.
RALI, which went public in March, is already available at several Richmond-area retailers, including Blanchard's, Libbie Market, Ginger Juice, Supper Club and For the Love of Flour Bakery.
The road from classroom to coffee shop wasn't without its challenges. The team originally developed the product under the name Korra Coffee before a trademark conflict forced a rebrand.
Early versions of the drink drew feedback that it was too salty and too sweet.
The team worked through those issues with the help of industry experts.
"[Version one] was nowhere near the quality that it is today," Lynch admitted. "We're not chefs. We're University of Richmond students. But we're very blessed to work with Sean [McGrath], who helped polish our formula and make sure it's FDA approved, safe and, most importantly, going to taste good."
Students even traveled to Chicago and Wisconsin in a single day to visit ingredient supplier Cargill and the Boombox manufacturing facility to better understand the production process.
Joel Mier, a marketing professor at the University of Richmond who co-created the Bench Top Innovations program, said the course was designed specifically for students who want real-world entrepreneurial experience but don't necessarily arrive with a business idea in mind.
"What about those people that don't have ideas? What do they get to experience?" Mier said. "Food is the perfect canvas for students to learn about creative problem solving, collaboration, communication and innovation. Everyone's equal when it comes to food."
Now in its fifth year, the Bench Top Innovations program has produced tangible results beyond the classroom.
Its first-ever product, Absurd Snacks, is now available in approximately 2,500 outlets across the country, including Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, and all Marshalls, HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx locations.
The success of Absurd Snacks offers a roadmap for what RALI could become, though it also highlights the challenges ahead.
Grace Mittl, co-founder of Absurd Snacks, said the transition from the classroom to the business world was the most difficult period of her entrepreneurial journey.
"The hardest months of my life were from the day we graduated in May 2022 until March 2023, when we eventually relaunched the product line," Mittl said. "Suddenly we were responsible for every single thing that we did or didn't do for the brand and the weight of that felt extremely overwhelming."
Mittl and her business partner had to overhaul their business plan, discontinue some products, create new ones and find manufacturing solutions all while learning to work together as full-time business partners rather than classmates.
For the RALI team, Mittl's advice is clear, expect to change.
"The first iteration of RALI will not be the iteration that you sell forever," she said. "The only reason why Absurd has grown far beyond Virginia is because we have iterated and improved the recipe, branding and positioning frequently very early on in our journey, all based on customer and retailer feedback."
Under the program's structure, students own all intellectual property they create. That means the door remains open for RALI to outlast the school year.
"There's definitely some students interested in potentially carrying on with RALI as their full-time job after college," Lynch said. "Over the past two weeks or so, this business has legs and people really enjoy it."
Lynch, who holds a 25% stake in the company as one of its original founders, said he is headed to New York after graduation but hasn't ruled out continuing to support the brand from afar.
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