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Brand Stories


The Finnish Long Drink Just Sold for $325 Million. Here Is What That Actually Means.
The Finnish Long Drink tripled in size since 2022 while the broader RTD category hit a wall. Today Mark Anthony Brands acquired it for $325 million. The story of how Evan Burns and his co-founders built a brand worth buying in the hardest environment the category has ever faced is one every RTD founder should read carefully.
Jason Kane
Apr 136 min read
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AG1 Built a $600 Million Business Selling One Product at $79 a Month. Here Is the Playbook.
Most CPG brands grow by adding products. AG1 grew by refusing to. One product, one price, one channel, $600 million in revenue. The strategic logic behind that decision is one of the most instructive frameworks available to any founder building a functional brand today.
Jason Kane
Mar 97 min read
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Fairlife Went from Niche Dairy Play to a $4 Billion Brand. Here Is How Coca-Cola Let It Grow.
In 2014 Fairlife had $10 million in retail sales. By 2024 it had nearly $4 billion. Coca-Cola acquired it and then did something most large companies cannot do with a small brand: they left it alone long enough to find out what it actually was.
Jason Kane
Aug 11, 20257 min read
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How Poppi Went from Shark Tank Reject to a $1.95 Billion PepsiCo Acquisition
Poppi was turned down on Shark Tank, nearly ran out of money, and spent years building in a category nobody believed in. Then PepsiCo paid $1.95 billion for it. The story of how it got there is one of the most instructive brand building narratives in recent beverage history.
Jason Kane
May 12, 20256 min read
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Topo Chico Did Zero Marketing for 130 Years. Coca-Cola Paid $220 Million for It Anyway.
Topo Chico did not build its brand through advertising, influencer campaigns, or distribution pushes. It built it through product quality and cultural authenticity over 130 years. Coca-Cola noticed. Here is what every brand builder should take from that.
Jason Kane
Oct 7, 20246 min read
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George Clooney Made Tequila for Himself. Diageo Paid $1 Billion for It. The Casamigos Story Is Not What You Think.
George Clooney didn't set out to build a billion-dollar brand. He set out to make a tequila he and his friends actually wanted to drink. That distinction is exactly why Diageo paid $1 billion for it.
Jason Kane
May 6, 20245 min read
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Sidney Frank Was 78 Years Old With No Liquid, No Bottle, and No Distillery. Eight Years Later He Sold Grey Goose for $2.2 Billion.
Sidney Frank was 78 years old when he decided to build the world's most expensive vodka. He had no liquid, no bottle, and no distillery. Eight years later he sold it for $2.2 billion. This is that story.
Jason Kane
Feb 5, 20247 min read
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The Dietrich Mateschitz Story.He Found a Truck Driver's Energy Drink in Thailand and Built the Most Audacious Brand in Beverage History.
He found an obscure Thai tonic, got told it would never work in the West, and built a $20 billion empire that invented an entire category. The Dietrich Mateschitz story is required reading for any founder.
Jason Kane
Apr 3, 20236 min read
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