# Liquid Death: Mike Cessario

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2024-01-22
- Length: 1h 19m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario#t=0) Introduction: Mike Cessario and Liquid Death
- [4:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario#t=245) Early Career and the Failed Brandy Startup
- [23:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario#t=1427) The Viral Organic Valley 'Bros' Campaign
- [35:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario#t=2100) Validating the Canned Water Concept
- [49:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario#t=2988) Overcoming Production and Logistics Barriers
- [59:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario#t=3545) Scaling, Retail Distribution, and Brand Moats

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Liquid Death (product)
- Western Grace (product)
- Organic Valley (company)
- Human Ot (company)
- Crispin Porter Bogusky (company)
- Monster Energy (product)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Science (company)
- Dollar Shave Club (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How Liquid Death is Murdering Lame Marketing with Hamid Saify (2023)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-09-19-how-liquid-death-is-murdering-lame-marketing-with-hamid-saify-2023) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [259 - It's definitely NOT beer with Not Beer founder Dillon Dandurand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-05-01-259-its-definitely-not-beer-with-not-beer-founder-dillon-dandurand) (People of Packaging)
- [Looking on the Starryside with co-founders Liz Seelye & Erin Fasano](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-04-12-looking-on-the-starryside-with-co-founders-liz-seelye-erin-fasano) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Spencer Hoddeson, Gay Water](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-06-07-founder-feature-spencer-hoddeson-gay-water) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#76 How Liquid Death is Murdering Lame Marketing with Hamid Saify](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-01-18-76-how-liquid-death-is-murdering-lame-marketing-with-hamid-saify) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.