Hardware Podcasts

Vita Coco: Michael Kirban

How I Built This · 3 Aug 2020 · 1h 10m

What this episode covers

Michael Kirban, co-founder of Vita Coco, recounts launching the coconut water brand in 2004 after meeting partner Ira Liran in Brazil. Kirban details the brutal 'coconut water wars' with competitor Zico, including sabotage tactics and the strategic pivot to 'never from concentrate' after Coca-Cola invested in Zico. He explains how securing investments from celebrities like Madonna and a distribution deal with Red Bull China allowed Vita Coco to dominate the market and eventually become profitable.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Coca-Cola, Red Bull China, Tetra Pak
Products
Vita Coco, Zico, Naked Juice, Gatorade, Vitaminwater
Also
FDA, Madonna

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 26m

    Move over coconut water - Pricklee cactus water brings health, happiness, & hydration

    Kun Yang, CEO of Pricklee, and his four pharmacist co-founders explain how they launched Pricklee, a prickly pear cactus water brand, by leveraging a family recipe from Lebanon and targeting health-conscious consumers with a product that has half the sugar and calories of coconut water. Yang details their scrappy, hands-on marketing strategy, including wearing cactus suits in New York and Boston for 'gorilla marketing,' and their strategic positioning as 'cactus is the new coconut' to anchor consumer understanding. The episode highlights their recent feature on the Today Show, which drove their highest single day of sales, and outlines their plan to raise a seed round to transition the founders from part-time pharmacy jobs to full-time entrepreneurship while expanding distribution in the Northeast.

    Starting a product companyMarketing & brand
    11 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    Founder Feature: Breanna and Jared Golestani of Kokada

    Breanna and Jared Golestani, co-founders of Kokada, discuss their journey from pandemic-era kitchen experiments to launching a nationally distributed coconut-based snack brand. They detail the strategic decision to scale rapidly after winning the NOSH Pitch Slam, the challenges of managing an international supply chain with co-packers in Sri Lanka and domestically, and their financing strategy relying on angels and family offices rather than venture capital. The founders also explain the development and retail testing of their new product, Kokada Dunks, leveraging FDA guidance on coconut to target school-safe, peanut-allergy-friendly markets.

    Scaling productionManufacturing partners & offshoring
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 45m

    Founder Fundraising Journey: Victor Guardiola, Bawi

    Victor Guardiola, Founder and CEO of Bawi, a sparkling agua fresca brand, details his journey from a UT Austin entrepreneurship practicum to scaling a beverage company in Texas and California. He explains how he overcame the lack of a 'rich uncle' by selling on tap at farmer's markets, cold-emailing hundreds of investors, and leveraging a 'golden follow-up' from a notable investor to unlock his first equity round from backers like Patrick Terry and Mike Rypka. Guardiola also discusses Bawi's strategic pivot to food service distribution to drive retail velocity, the challenges of early production contamination with breweries, and his mission to increase representation for Latino founders in CPG.

    Fundraising & investorsDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    8 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 34m

    Founder Feature: BJ McCaslin of Holy! Water

    BJ McCaslin, co-founder of Holy! Water, discusses the functional beverage brand's strategy, which centers on high-dose ketones (BHB), functional mushrooms, and nootropics to address hydration, focus, and non-alcoholic social needs. He details the rigorous R&D process required to mask the bitter taste of these ingredients while maintaining efficacy, and outlines a distribution strategy that leverages personal networks, brokers, and key partners like Live Nation and Khe-Cre. McCaslin emphasizes the importance of human capital, D2C validation, and community-driven growth in navigating a saturated market, sharing lessons from distributor rejections and successful retail placements at Bristol Farms and Sprouts.

    Materials & manufacturing processesRetail, wholesale & distribution
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 23m

    Ep. 2: Bissy Energy Drink - The Real Kola with Zach En'wezoh

    Zach En'wezoh, Co-Founder and Head of Product for Bissy Energy, explains how his company differentiates itself in the crowded energy drink market by using Kolanut, a natural caffeine source from Nigeria, as its hero ingredient. He details the company's vertically integrated supply chain, which partners with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) and local cooperatives to support smallholder farmers and ensure ethical sourcing. En'wezoh discusses their successful Kickstarter campaign, which raised $30,300 and led to nearly 10,000 units sold, highlighting a 7% repurchase rate achieved with minimal marketing spend. The episode covers their strategy to expand into retail and Amazon while maintaining a social mission focused on transparency and fair compensation for West African farmers.

    Sourcing & supply chainCrowdfunding & preorders
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.