Why Most Beverage Brands Fail (And What These Founders Did Differently) cover art

Why Most Beverage Brands Fail (And What These Founders Did Differently)

Why Most Beverage Brands Fail (And What These Founders Did Differently)

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Summary

Why do most beverage brands fail?

In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Larkai and Monte Burrow, founders of Blackleaf Organic Vodka, to break down what it actually takes to build a brand in one of the most competitive categories in CPG.

This isn’t a highlight reel.

We get into:

  • The biggest mistakes they made early on
  • Why great products don’t sell themselves
  • What “entrepreneurship is a contact sport” really means
  • How they bet on organic before it was trending
  • The difference between storytelling and building real systems
  • What they learned going from corporate (Diageo) to startup

If you’re a founder, operator, or thinking about launching a brand—this episode is a real look at what it takes to survive and scale.

Key Takeaways

  • Most brands fail because they don’t stay close to the customer
  • Product alone is never enough
  • Organic isn’t a trend—it’s a long-term belief system
  • Systems and execution matter just as much as story

Connect with the Guests

Kevin Larkai
Monte Burrow
Blackleaf Organic Vodka

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