7 Drinks Retailing Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: November 1st, 2023

Start A Drinks Retailing Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a drinks retailing business:

1. Brine Brothers ($120K/year)

Harris Derner came up with the idea for Brine Brothers when he realized that drinking pickle juice cured his hangovers in 2015. Unable to find a drinkable pickle brine on the market, Harris and his friend Michael Belicose decided to start their own business. With a total investment of $11,000 in 2016, they now generate over $10,000 per month and have recently won an investment from Barstool and Jon Taffer, determined to make Brine Brothers a million-dollar beverage company.

How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $-2
Current team size: 0

How We Launched A Viral Pickle Juice To Cure Our Hangovers

Brine Brothers sells all-natural pickle brine (pickle juice), generating over $10,000/month and winning an investment from Barstool and Jon Taffer, and is determined to become a million-dollar beverage company.

About

Harris started Brine Brothers about 7 years ago

Revenue

Harris grew the business to $10K/month

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2. Drink Shrub ($54K/year)

Aaron Weast, the founder of Drink Shrub, came up with the idea for his business after going through treatment for alcohol addiction. He realized that there was a lack of sophisticated zero-proof beverages available for those who didn't drink alcohol. Using his background in product development and innovation, he created Small Barrel Shrub, an all-natural balsamic beverage that serves as a "mocktail in a bottle." Through networking and crowdfunding, Drink Shrub has grown its customer base and secured funding to expand its business.

How much they make: $54K/year
Current team size: 1

How I Conquered My Alcoholism And Built A Non-Alcoholic Beverage Brand

A former alcoholic and Nike product developer created a sophisticated zero-proof beverage called Small Barrel Shrub, which has seen tripling sales growth since a rebranding and recipe overhaul in May 2018, and has raised the majority of start-up funding via crowdfunding platform Pie Shell.

About

Michaela started Drink Shrub over 7 years ago

Revenue

Michaela grew the business to $4.5K/month

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Learn more about starting a drinks retailing business:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start a drinks retailing business?
-> Pros and cons of a drinks retailing business

Need inspiration?

-> Examples of established drinks retailing business

Other resources

3. Drake’s Organic Spirits ($10.8M/year)

Mark Anderson, the CEO and Founder of Drake's Organic Spirits, came up with the idea for his business after realizing that many popular spirit brands were made from genetically modified corn ethanol. With his background in organic farming and experience as the largest importer of non-GMO verified, organic cane sugar, he wanted to create a spirit with the purest, freshest, and most sustainable ingredients. Thus, Drake's Organic Spirits was born, offering certified USDA Organic, Gluten Free, Non-GMO Project Verified, Vegan, and Kosher spirits, mixers, and ready-to-serve cocktails.

How much they make: $10.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $320K
Current team size: 20

From Farming To Creating A $10.8M/Year Organic Spirits Brand

Drake's Organic Spirits, the largest organic alcohol company in the US and the first to achieve all five certifications, has achieved success through producing sustainable spirits that are good for both consumers and the environment, and has experienced rapid growth, with a 2020 sales of 40,000 9L cases and projected sales of over 100,000 for 2021.

About

Mark started Drake’s Organic Spirits over 7 years ago

Revenue

Mark grew the business to $900K/month

Costs

It cost Mark $320000 to start the business

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4. The Coca-Cola Company ($2.4B/year)

How much they make: $2.4B/year
Current team size: 700000

Coca-Cola CEO on the Modern Multinational

The Coca-Cola Company is a world-renowned global beverage firm that dominates the cold beverage market, selling over 50 billion beverage servings in 2005 and generating over $33 billion in sales globally in 2020.

About

They started The Coca-Cola Company over 132 years ago

Revenue

They grew the business to $200M/month

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5. Paper Boat Drinks ($28.6M/year)

How much they make: $28.6M/year
Current team size: 200

Neeraj Kakkar & Shripad Nadkarni || Paperboat || The New Rules Of Business

Paper Boat, a brand of traditional Indian drinks and culinary goods, has seen a 20% growth in sales in FY2020 with revenue increasing from INR 195 Cr to INR 235 Cr by taking customer feedback, introducing new flavors, focusing on market segmentation, and conserving ancient recipes.

About

James started Paper Boat Drinks over 10 years ago

Revenue

James grew the business to $2.38M/month

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