Back in 2016, Ben Witte was stressed. He knew that he needed to calm down, and after the election upended the country, he figured everyone else needed to calm down too. That’s when he had his big insight: There were drinks for stimulation, like Red Bull, or drinks for intoxication, like cocktails, but there was nothing for relaxation. And so Recess, the drinks brand for people who want to slow down and take a break, was born.

In this episode of Business of Drinks, he explains to hosts Erica Duecy and Felicity Carter how these social and psychological insights — coupled with his startup background — led to the development of a fast-growing “lifestyle” drinks brand with a host of product lines.

Key takeaways:

It’s about the feeling, not the ingredient

Ben explains what the other drinks categories are offering consumers, and where he found his white space as a lifestyle brand.

Adaptogens and CBD

We discuss some of the regulatory problems of working with CBD, and Recess’ challenges of becoming the biggest CBD drinks company. Ben also defines adaptogens and talks about his philosophy of working with functional ingredients.

Distribution and routes to market

Ben walks us through how he grew Recess from DTC only to 14,000 retail doors. He shares insights on developing an omnichannel strategy, building an audience from scratch, and strategies for finding wider distribution when you’re a brand new category.

How big is the market?

We talk about market sizing, how to identify the white spaces, and nailing the value proposition, as Ben did to grow Recess to upwards of $10 million a year in sales.

Harness the influencers

Ben shares insights on creating a robust content strategy, getting your fans to spread the word, the power of organic marketing, and the flywheel effect that will make a brand fly off the shelf.

Stay tuned for our next episode dropping on January 17. 

Shoutout to our sponsor! A big round of thanks to AccelPay — a leading ecommerce solution for bev-alc brands. From a one-tap, compliant checkout to comprehensive sales data, AccelPay has you covered and can make your existing website a storefront. For an exclusive 10% off your account, visit: https://www.accelpay.io/bod

Business of Drinks is more than a podcast — we’re also a strategic content consultancy for drinks brands and platforms. Learn more about us at Businessofdrinks.com

Meet the hosts

Erica Duecy is co-founder of Business of Drinks, a podcast and content consultancy, and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies. 

https://www.instagram.com/ericaduecy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-duecy-4a35844/

https://twitter.com/ericaduecy

Felicity Carter is co-founder of Business of Drinks, a podcast and content consultancy. Also the Editorial Director of Areni Global, the London-based fine wine think tank, she was previously Editor-in-Chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, a trade magazine she built into a global must-read, with subscribers in 38 countries.  

https://twitter.com/felicitycarter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicity-carter-a5754380/

https://www.instagram.com/carter.felicity/

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