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Fridays with Flea Style: Hailey Nutt + Brenton Phillips

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a Fridays with Flea Style sit-down. Between getting ready for the Summit, launching e-comm and our first fashion line, and curating the vendors for our fall Dallas and Houston shows, we haven’t had as much time as we’d like to spend with friends.

But! It’s back! And today we chat with hard-working entrepreneurial couple Hailey Nutt and Brenton Phillips, co-owners of Tribal, a Dallas-based company that really quenches our thirst for local handmade goods. They provided some of the delicious beverages at our Summit last month.

The pair first met in college at Ole Miss, where they hosted a sports radio talk show and became each other’s main squeeze (see what we did there?). After moving to Florida and working for a juice company there, they say they became “huge juice heads.” They moved to Dallas in late 2013 and launched Tribal last year, bringing fresh, all-natural, cold-pressed juices to thirsty people all over town — and beyond.

The lowdown on Tribal: We moved to Dallas knowing we wanted to launch a concept that was more than juice. We didn’t know the area, though, so we decided to put some roots down and get familiar with the city — and in the meantime launch a brand that plays on Hailey’s Native American heritage and launch a juice. We wanted a brand that invoked a community vibe. We didn’t know enough to know how hard it was going to be, so we just dove right in. Our first sale was at a farmers market in Denton. Now we’re in about two dozen grocery stores in Texas and can still be found at farmers markets around Dallas.

What makes Tribal stand out from other juice brands: For a lot of juice companies, the focus is on functionality. Tribal’s focus is more about an experience. Our strong point is connecting with people. We focus on the emotional aspects of things. Our products are very flavor forward, because we want to have something for everyone — for men who love meat and potatoes or even kids. We want to have a product that’s connected to a bigger movement, a bigger tribe. We don’t want to take juicing so seriously.

A typical workday:

Brenton: I am usually at our facility in Richardson, overseeing the production, making sure things are on schedule, making sure fulfillment is happening. I go to meetings and answer emails and phone calls. Today, I spent the whole day doing the juicing myself, because our juicer is in Mexico for three weeks.

Hailey: Some days I am in the kitchen as well, but I am more food stafety, admin, marketing and sales.

Favorite flavor from the Tribal lineup:

Brenton: Beats, on the rocks.

Hailey: I drink The Chief the most, but my favorite changes every day. My current obsession is the Smudge (orange, pineapple, jalapeño, cilantro, lime and sage).

Something that’s surprised you about one of your flavors: When we sell the Smudge direct to the consumer, like at a farmers market, it’s a top seller. But on grocery shelves, not so much. The jalapeño scares people. And people either love or hate cilantro. People who are in a store shopping are afraid to take the risk, but once people try it, they are avid drinkers.

On finding their tribe: Our biggest tribe is the Lakewood area. Good Local Markets was one of the first farmers market that accepted us. They have been with us as we’ve grown, and all the regulars come back to see us. There’s a lot of loyalty there. We still work that market ourselves — every Saturday, no matter how hot it is in August.

Brenton: I love to find new artists and listen to music. I also love to write song and play songs.

Five-year goal/s:

Brenton: We’ve got some concepts in the press for Tribal that are close to being a sealed deal. Hopefully, we get those going. I’d like to record some more music and play some shows, and we need to officially tie the knot at some point.

Hailey: I’d like to be able to really create a work-life balance so that we can travel outside of work. I’d also like to keep practicing my yoga game.

Best advice ever received:

Brenton: Whenever you’re around genius, really soak it in. You cannot explain genius; you can only experience it.

Hailey: Don’t be the smartest person at the table. Have other people who bring solid ideas and people who are better at some things than you are.