Liquid Death: Mike Cessario

How I Built This · 22 Jan 2024 · 1h 19m

What this episode covers

Mike Cessario, founder of Liquid Death, explains how he leveraged his advertising background to create a viral canned water brand by targeting the 'extreme' aesthetic of beer and energy drinks. After failing with a brandy startup and finding no US co-packers for canned spring water, he validated demand through a mock Facebook campaign before raising capital to launch. The company scaled rapidly by shifting from Austrian co-packing to US sources, navigating supply chain crises, and building a moat through entertainment-driven branding rather than product differentiation.

Mentioned

Companies
Organic Valley, Human Ot, Crispin Porter Bogusky, Whole Foods, Amazon, Science, Dollar Shave Club
Products
Liquid Death, Western Grace, Monster Energy

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