focus recently had the opportunity to interview Olivia Trilford – soon to be Olivia Lloyd (she’s getting married on March 16) – the founder of New Zealand functional drink brand JUNA. What started as a personal health struggle has evolved into a sparkling, science-backed beverage designed to make women’s wellness feel less like a chore – and more like a lovely ritual.
Here, Liv shares the real story behind the brand, the hormonal health journey that shaped it, and why she believes women deserve better.
Wellness Started to Feel Like Another Task
Liv created JUNA after years of navigating endometriosis and persistent hormonal challenges. Like so many women, she tried the capsules. The powders. The gummies promising balance and relief.
But between work, five children (twins plus three stepchildren), and everyday life, those routines didn’t stick.
“They sounded great in theory,” she explains. “But multiple supplements weren’t sustainable for me. I’d forget them. Or I’d be too busy. Wellness started to feel like another task to manage.”
And here’s the thing – 90% of women experience PMS symptoms. That’s not niche. That’s not rare. That’s most of us.
Hormonal fluctuations impact our energy, mood, focus, sleep, confidence. They affect how we show up at work. In relationships. At school pick-ups. In meetings. In our own skin.
Yet the tools built to support us often feel clinical, complicated or just plain inconvenient.
Liv wanted something different.
A Functional Drink That Doesn’t Feel Functional
JUNA is a sparkling functional soda formulated alongside food scientists over 18 months. It contains 13 carefully selected vitamins and minerals designed to support hormonal regulation, energy and mood – with just 21 calories and 98% sugar-free.
But beyond the formulation, it’s the format that changes everything.
“It needed to be easy. Enjoyable. Something you’d actually look forward to,” Liv says.
No scooping. No mixing. No remembering five different bottles. Just crack open a can.
Manufactured in New Zealand through contract partner Craft Brewers, JUNA was designed to slot seamlessly into real life. School runs. Office days. Afternoon slumps. The moments when you need steadiness, not another thing on your to-do list.
Designed to Feel Like Summer
There’s a reason JUNA feels light, bright and fresh. And yes, it’s delicious. The secret is serving it ice cold.
The menstrual cycle moves through four phases – follicular (spring), ovulation (summer), luteal (autumn), and menstruation (winter). Many women describe ovulation – the “summer” phase – as when they feel most energised, confident and steady.
JUNA was created to capture that feeling.
“Not just once a month,” Liv says. “But daily.”
It’s about supporting your body in a way that feels modern and uplifting – not heavy or medical. A sparkling ritual designed to help women feel steady, energised and supported as part of a balanced lifestyle.
From Candles to Cans
Before JUNA, Liv built and sold a nationally recognised home fragrance brand, NŌLA Candles. She launched it at 24 while pregnant with her twins, wanting a way to stay home while building something of her own. In September 2024, she sold the business.
After stepping into marketing roles within larger companies, she had a realisation.
“It’s not magic. It’s not rocket science,” she says. “I decided I wanted to back myself with another brand and really go for it.”
JUNA, founded in October 2024, is a small but mighty operation. Liv and her dad – who has FMCG experience – drive the business day-to-day, supported by food scientists and specialist partners.
When she says “we,” she laughs, “it’s big founder energy with a tiny team.”
Did She Know It Would Work?
Short answer? No.
“I don’t think anyone can confidently say they knew from day one a product would succeed,” Liv says. “That usually sounds like advice from the top of the mountain.”
Success, she believes, is always a mix of work and luck.
What she did know was this: the problem was real. And she cared deeply about solving it.
Living with endometriosis shaped the mission. So did raising daughters. Liv wants a world where hormonal health isn’t whispered about or brushed aside.
The journey hasn’t been easy. Developing a complex formulation required persistence and tenacity. There were moments of doubt. Moments of frustration.
“But I’d rather try and fail than regret not trying at all,” she says. “If you don’t try, failure is guaranteed. If you do, at least there’s a chance.”
The early feedback from women has been encouraging – reinforcing that JUNA is resonating far beyond Liv’s own experience.
Why Now?
Women are asking better questions about their health. They’re demanding more accessible, science-backed support. And sparkling functional beverages are moving from niche wellness shelves into the mainstream.
JUNA sits at that intersection – grounded in science, but designed for real life.
Its mission is clear: remove friction from women’s wellness. Make daily support simple, modern and enjoyable.
Liv’s Advice for Women Launching Something of Their Own
“Imposter syndrome shouldn’t be your source of truth,” she says – even though she admits she feels it too.
Her advice?
Back yourself.
Surround yourself with people who are strong where you’re not.
Focus on execution more than perfection.
Messy action beats no action.
And perhaps most importantly: your worth is not attached to the outcome of a business.
Entrepreneurship, she says, is vulnerable and uncomfortable. But it’s also one of the most powerful growth journeys you can take.
“We miss out on so much by playing small.”
As Liv steps into both marriage and a new chapter of business this March, there’s something beautifully aligned about it all – building a brand rooted in steadiness, energy and support, while backing herself fully.
Sometimes, the most powerful ideas don’t come from a boardroom.
They come from a woman who simply wanted something better – and decided to create it.
