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Carol Pak
Founder at Sool, Food & Wine Drinks Innovator 2023
Carol Pak is the Founder and CEO of Sool, a company that produces and distributes Korean alcoholic beverages in the United States.13 She founded Sool in June 2017, with the mission to globalize Korean alcohol in an accessible and inclusive way.56
Pak's flagship product is Makku, America's first craft Makgeolli brand.1 Makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice-based alcoholic beverage, which Pak discovered during a trip to Korea in 2017.5 Inspired by the rich history and potential of makgeolli, she decided to create a modern version that would appeal to American consumers.3
Before founding Sool, Pak worked in various roles:
- Global Manager at ZX Ventures (AB InBev's innovation division)6
- Director of Operations at Plum Alley6
- Founder of Rewbo6
- Director of External Affairs for New York City Council's District 206
Pak holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.4 Born and raised in Flushing, New York, her Korean-American background has significantly influenced her entrepreneurial journey.3
In 2023, Pak was recognized as one of nine Food & Wine Drinks Innovators2, highlighting her impact on the beverage industry. Under her leadership, Sool has sold more than 2.4 million cans since launching in 20193, demonstrating the growing popularity of Korean beverages in the U.S. market.
Highlights
Foxtrot, Boisson, Haus, and other small companies shutting down operations abruptly; Longstanding companies like Express filing for bankruptcy - news like this might be surprising for average consumers, but not so surprising for Founders like me.
We've already been near our death bed several times in Sool's 7 year journey. Just because our company is so small, and one little mistake, or uncontrollable circumstance can be fatal. That time came around again last year, when I returned from maternity leave. We were running out of cash, and I just could not - postpartum, depression, burnt out, just hate it, I don't know, for whatever reason - find the will to fundraise again.
But I was willing to crowdfund. Despite how scary it is to share your plans and performance with the entire internet, there was something comforting and okay about the fact that I was fundraising from our community.
We're about to wrap up our WeFunder campaign and we're nearly $250,000 funded! https://wefunder.com/sool
Through this Wefunder, I've gained (more) immense gratitude to our supporters and community, and visibility into why people buy Makku, what they wish to see from us in the future. This fundraise has also given me the energy, courage and accountability to take a deep long breath, and recommit myself to figuring out how we can survive in today's competitive, expensive, and fickle environment.
To those founders who want to crowdfund, it's not free money. But if you have something that's worth fighting for, and if you've already put in the work to build a community, crowdfunding might work for you and give you a lifeline when you need it.
#fundraising #cpg #founder #entrepreneur #crowdfunding
www.wefunder.com/sool
We launched our second WeFunder for Sool today. I used to think it was a negative signal when companies would crowdfund, but now it serves as a signal for me to keep going.
The behind the scenes -
