Today we’d like to introduce you to Hea Won Harris
Hi Hea Won , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Atlanta and spent much of my career in fashion, working with brands like Abercrombie + Fitch, American Eagle, Aerie, Martin + Osa, Spanx, and Victoria’s Secret. I helped launch and develop products across men’s, women’s, and kids’ lines, balancing creativity with business strategy. After years of traveling nonstop and working on exciting projects, the fast-paced lifestyle started to wear on me, especially after having my daughter, Harper.
Feeling exhausted and stressed, I knew I needed to make a change. I began cleaning up my diet and soon realized how profoundly what we put into our bodies affects how we feel, both physically and mentally. This shift toward holistic wellness, combined with my passion for health, led me to a bigger idea. Having seen family members struggle with illness, I became even more committed to finding natural ways to heal and thrive.
While I loved working with incredible companies, I realized there weren’t many wellness products I felt comfortable consuming myself. I saw a gap in the market for beverages that were not only functional and natural but also enjoyable. That’s when the idea for Eleven TLC was born.
The concept came to life on Shelter Island, where I started thinking about how to bring something new and different to the beverage space. We spent time playing, learning, and working with recipe developers, MDs, functional medicine practitioners, and mixologists, refining our products to make sure they were unlike anything else on the market. Right before the pandemic, my family and I moved back to Atlanta, where we launched our first wellness drinks at Ponce City Market. That early success proved to us that we were onto something special.
Last year, we officially launched our products in the CPG space, and today, we’re selling directly to consumers (DTC) as well as at retail locations, health and wellness boutiques, lifestyle stores, and even doctors’ offices. Our products are being served in coffee shops, smoothie bars, hotels, spas, and more.
Throughout this journey, my daughter has been a constant inspiration. We often talked about wanting her generation to have better options—drinks that help them feel better and honor their body, mind, and energy. At Eleven TLC, we focus on utilizing whole ingredients and ensuring that our drink mixes taste amazing and are versatile. You can enjoy them in so many ways—whether it’s making a latte, stirring them into coffee, blending into smoothies, or creating refreshers, cocktails, and mocktails.
The CPG space is shifting drastically, and I believe that as consumers become more aware of how their health, emotions, and performance are interconnected, we’ll see a transformation in what’s available on grocery store shelves. Our goal is to support that shift by encouraging people to embrace healthier habits and let go of ingredients that don’t serve their bodies—like excess sugars and processed additives. These changes are crucial not only for our individual health but for the health of the planet as well. With Eleven TLC, we’re helping to create a new standard in wellness that’s both delicious and sustainable.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Definitely not! Every day has been a learning experience—constantly shifting, adapting, and moving forward. We opened retail during the pandemic and even did a pop-up at Lenox Square Mall, which was a wild experience. One of the biggest challenges was finding people to work, especially during that time. Training people in the health and wellness space was also a unique challenge—it was like teaching a new language to many.
We conducted thousands of trials and had a store where we could constantly test and evolve our products to perfect them. This hands-on approach gave us invaluable insights into what worked and what didn’t. But along the way, we realized something important: my partner Charles and I had never worked in food service before, and running a food-based business was completely different from how we were used to operating. We had to make a decision—should we expand into multiple locations and branch into food, or should we shift the business in a new direction?
We chose to shift. After all the market research and learning what customers really wanted, we decided to expand our reach in a way that aligned with our strengths and what we love doing every day. Instead of focusing on expanding physical locations, we chose to offer our products to hotels, restaurants, and spas. This allowed us to bring more awareness to the wellness category while doing what we’re truly passionate about—creating and sharing products that help people feel better from the inside out. It was the perfect alignment with our skills, and it felt right to grow in a way that stayed true to our vision and lifestyle.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Eleven TLC, we specialize in creating wellness beverages that are natural, plant-based, and delicious, with a focus on whole ingredients. Our products are designed to help people feel better and honor their body, mind, and energy. We offer a wide range of versatile drink mixes that can be enjoyed as lattes, stirred into coffee, blended into smoothies, or used to make refreshers, cocktails, and mocktails. What sets us apart is our commitment to taste and quality—most people assume that healthy drinks don’t taste great, but we’ve worked hard to change that narrative.
Our mission is to help people connect what they put into their bodies with how they feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. We’ve spent countless hours developing our products in collaboration with recipe developers, MDs, functional medicine practitioners, and mixologists, making sure every drink is as functional as it is flavorful. We’re most proud of creating beverages that not only taste amazing but also support long-term health and wellness.
At Eleven TLC, we take pride in offering our support and drink-making expertise to our partners and customers. Recently, I had a fun and inspiring collaboration with Driscoll Berries, where they asked us to celebrate their products. In response, we created innovative drinks that reflect the future of wellness, highlighting the high vitamin C content in strawberries and the powerful benefits of blueberries, often referred to as “brainberries.”
I believe that beauty starts from within; our skin, nails, and hair—the first things people notice—reflect our overall health and vitality. With the disturbing rise of brain health challenges, including ADHD in childhood and Alzheimer’s in older age, it’s essential to support brain health from early childhood. As we live longer, we all value the importance of maintaining vitality, and it raises the question: how do we keep it? Our blueberry-focused drink is designed to support brain health and provide an energy boost, addressing these evolving challenges. This collaboration exemplifies my approach to product development, where I blend creativity, recognize white space, and emphasize function and flavor while celebrating the natural beauty of natural ingredients. Instead of crafting sugary drinks, I aim to offer solutions that genuinely support overall wellness and encourage a healthy glow while being delicious!! This forward-thinking collaboration with Driscoll Berries highlights how products can be used to evolve the conversation around wellness and inspire a new approach to healthy living.
We’ve been approached by some of the largest flavor and ingredient houses to refine our flavor profiles, and it’s a huge honor that they have praised the taste of our blends. Many of these companies have extensive R&D teams dedicated to product development. Charles, our “Drink Master Alchemist,” is a brilliant mix of mad scientist and creative innovator who plays a crucial role in bringing our ideas to fruition. His talent for crafting flavors that not only delight the palate but also provide functional benefits is truly remarkable.
At Eleven TLC, we take pride in listening to the needs and requests of our partners and customers, continually innovating to meet those demands. For example, we recently collaborated with Statwell here in Atlanta to create an MCT creamer. While many products on the market are loaded with sugars and additives, we developed a creamy, delicious alternative that harnesses the benefits of MCT without any unnecessary ingredients.
We not only offer delicious mixes but also develop multiple ways to utilize our ingredients, allowing individuals to create drinks that reflect their personal sensibility. I liken our approach to musical notes; it’s all about the combinations and how we put them together to create new ideas that people can enjoy and explore. Our goal is to make health playful and transform the act of consumption into a joyful experience.
We love exploring white space opportunities—those gaps in the market where we can offer something truly unique and beneficial. Whether we’re creating berry-focused wellness drinks or reinventing traditional creamers, our goal is always to make everything more palatable, enjoyable, and functional. We’re passionate about pushing boundaries, and we look forward to continuing to innovate in the wellness beverage space.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
At Eleven TLC, we’re still in the seeding stage, and we see massive opportunities ahead. As we participate in numerous shows, R&D teams from industry giants like Nestlé, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Burger King often drop in for a sip + chat. We take great pride in staying true to our core values while raising awareness, fostering mindfulness, and promoting understanding as we reshape the beverage landscape since 2020.
These major players are watching closely, and we view this as a chance for positive change within the industry. With their substantial resources and profits, we believe they too can start offering healthier products that benefit both consumers and the planet. Our vision is to support wellness for everyone while contributing to a healthier Earth.
One aspect I focus on is connecting macro and micro trends to identify how we can develop innovative products. This is something I have always done from my days in fashion. I am a big porponent of design thinking, functional design, and have always used this as my approach in every brand I have lanched and been a part of building.
This approach is integral to my creative process as I explore diverse opportunities to inspire creativity and rethink how we come up with new products in the wellness space (CPG). We should no longer just make products to make them; (there are too many choices, people already have too much stuff, and people are becoming confused, overwhelmed, etc.. as to what they need to focus on. “Simplify, amplify, and create powerful products that are useful, purposeful, delicious, beautiful, innovative, and beneficial in every way. ” I believe this is what it means to be creative, awake, and a business owner.
We are committed to promoting holistic health—physically, mentally, emotionally, and collectively. Together, we can transform daily habits and cultivate a stronger, more vibrant community that honors all generations and the diverse life on our planet.
Our focus is on providing delicious, nutritious alternatives that replace overly processed ingredients and excessive sugars with options that nourish both individuals and the environment. We’re passionate about ensuring that everyone has access to mindful choices, and we are proud to be part of this movement toward healthier habits.
At Eleven TLC, our solutions are not only functional and beneficial but also incredibly versatile and enjoyable. Whether you’re looking to enhance your morning coffee, craft a delightful mocktail, or enrich your wellness routine, we have something that will help you feel great from the inside out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eleventlc.com
- Instagram: #eleventlc
