#326 - Disruptive Sips: Building Iconic Beverage Brands from Scratch with Christopher Hunter

Christopher Hunter is a seasoned entrepreneur best known for creating Four Loko, a caffeinated alcoholic beverage that caused a stir across college campuses and beyond. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Koia, a leading plant-based protein drink company that has achieved over $100 million in annual retail sales nationwide. In this episode of DTC Pod, we uncover tactics for rapid growth in the CPG space. Christopher highlights the importance of adapting to market shifts and consumer demands, which steered his brand from a costly initial direct-to-consumer model to a more sustainable retail focus, eventually re-introducing multi-packs for platforms like Instacart and launching shelf-stable products on Amazon. With Koia now available in approximately 30,000 retail locations—including a recent nationwide partnership with Starbucks—Christopher reflects on the brand’s product development and scale-up process.Shop Koia on Amazon.Interact with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Startup Challenges and Solutions2. Retail Partnerships and Scaling3. Adaptation to Regulations4. Four Loko's Market Evolution5. Koya's Strategic Growth6. Distribution and Manufacturing Strategies7. Direct-to-Consumer Shifts and TrendsTimestamps01:48 Christopher Hunter’s background, how Four Loko and Koia started07:14 From managing Phusion Projects to investing in Raw Nature 5 to creating Koia09:28 How a partnership helped launch and scale Koia12:12 Troubleshooting initial production challenges at Koia14:41 Starting with natural retailers, then going to specialty and conventional ones17:23 The evolution of Koia’s supply chain and operations19:57 Moving from DTC to retail, addressing customer requests, discovering an opportunity to sell on Amazon22:22 Expectations for Koia’s launch on Amazon, looking at product competition25:41 Lessons learned from Four Loko, product iteration and scaling31:16 Dealing with government agencies, building a solid business foundation33:56 Consumer research and how it factors in making business decisions like product line expansionShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  Christopher Hunter - Co-Founder of Phusion Projects and KoiaBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic