Caffeine is a natural stimulant that boosts energy and alertness. However, this natural energy booster can have negative health effects such as anxiety, insomnia and digestive issues, among others. For alumna Sharon Taylor, the combination of loving coffee and an unexpected health diagnosis changed both her diet and her career.
For years, Taylor thrived in fast-paced environments working for brands like Sir Kensington’s, Anthropologie, BHLDN and Terrain. As a past creative director, Taylor has experience in creating a brand identity, branded content, logos, packaging and editorial designs.
Taylor studied Visual Communication Design in Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.
“I had been building products for other people for a really long time,” Taylor said. “I always knew I wanted to build something of my own and when COVID hit, I was burned out. So I took a sabbatical and was diagnosed with ADHD.”
The pandemic forced Taylor to reassess her life and her career, and to come to grips with her new health reality.
“This diagnosis was a real awakening in how my body was dealing with caffeine in particular. I had to go off caffeine, and I realized I loved coffee,” Taylor said. “But I was using it as a way to function when my body needed something different.”
The problem was that Taylor loves coffee.
“I looked around for a good decaf coffee but they were all really bitter and burnt. So I saw a real need for a premium decaf.”
Combining her health concerns, her love for coffee and her passion for design led Taylor to create Velty, a female-owned, operated and ethically sourced non-caffeinated organic coffee brand.
Velty was launched in September 2022, and the product is sold in person at the Pop Up Grocer store in New York. It can, however, be purchased online.
“The mission is really to help people be more in tune with their bodies; they can still enjoy things they previously thought they could not,” Taylor said. “The goal is to pay attention to your gut, your brain, your physical body and allow it to have the cues it needs.”
Taylor is on a mission to ensure that Velty is a product friendly to the mind and body while making women a focal point.
“We source all of our coffee from women farmers and producers. There are not a lot of women in the coffee supply chain, and it needs to change. Women have been at the bottom for a long time, or they’re usually in supporting roles, and for me, it's about taking ownership,” Taylor said. “For Velty, it's a huge part of our mission to make sure more women are in coffee. So we try to integrate women into every part of our process.”
Velty sources its coffee beans from women-produced farms in Mexico and Nicaragua. The beans are decaffeinated by a sugar cane process and sent to Velty’s female roasters in California. Taylor then adds Velty’s signature blend of spices and adaptogens, packages and then ships the products out.
Taylor credits her success to the quality and affordable education Kent State provided.
“I feel so lucky I got the education I did for the cost that I did,” Taylor said. “I am very blessed that I chose Kent State, it just felt like it was meant to be, and I was able to use my education to really blossom and come into my own career.”
Taylor’s goal is to build a community of like-minded people and for Velty to make a difference in people’s lives.
Learn more about Velty.
Learn more about the visual communication design major.