11 Healthy Beverage Business Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a healthy beverage business:
1. Plum Deluxe Tea ($900K/year)
Andy Hayes, the founder of Plum Deluxe, started off with a blog and a desire for a more fulfilling career. After generating traffic and revenue through display ads and affiliate relationships, Andy decided to launch his own product. Drawing on his love for tea and missing the flavors from Europe, he partnered with a tea farmer's market booth to create unique tea blends. Through launching his business with a built-in market and strategic marketing efforts, Plum Deluxe has grown to become one of the largest tea subscription boxes, on track to hit 7-figure annual revenue.
How much they make: $900K/year
Current team size: 7
How Andy Hayes built a 7-figure online loose leaf tea business, with one of the largest tea subscription boxes and a curated selection of tea accessories, generating half of their revenue from a la carte tea sales and half from their popular tea of the month club community.
2. Simple Green Smoothies ($360K/year)
Jen Hansard, the co-founder of Simple Green Smoothies, came up with the idea when she stumbled upon an article about boosting the immune system with green smoothies. After experiencing the health benefits firsthand, she started sharing recipes on Instagram and her blog, which eventually turned into a successful business generating as much as $30,000 a month in revenue.
How much they make: $360K/year
Current team size: 1
Simple Green Smoothies boasts a free 7-day smoothie challenge that has helped over 2 million people take control of their health and generates revenue with programs ranging from a 21-day cleanse to a plant-based meal planner, bringing in as much as $30k a month and also working to help women farmers in Cambodia build mushroom farms through World Hope International.
Learn more about starting a healthy beverage business:
Where to start?
-> How much does it cost to start a healthy beverage business?
-> Pros and cons of a healthy beverage business
Need inspiration?
-> Examples of established healthy beverage business
-> Marketing ideas for a healthy beverage business
Other resources
3. VIRTUE Tea ($108K/year)
Andrea Legg and Alex Balcer, founders of VIRTUE Tea, left their careers in the circus industry to start their organic tea and matcha business. After experiencing high-grade tea while traveling in Europe, Andrea became hooked and they decided to create a business focused on quality, ethical sourcing, and minimizing environmental impact. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, their online sales have tripled and they have expanded their reach to customers across Canada and the US.
How much they make: $108K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 2
VIRTUE Tea is a business founded by Andrea Legg and Alex Balcer who source high-grade organic tea from Asia through ethical supply chains, and their business, despite COVID, is now shipping tea and matcha to various locations in Canada and the U.S.
4. 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
Read this story to uncover how Harris:
- Idea: Used pickled juice as a home remedy to cure his hangovers
- Initial traction: Went bar to bar in NYC, handing out samples to bartenders
- Celebrity partnership: Landed a deal with an NHL pro thanks to an Instagram DM
Even if it takes working 80 hours/week instead of 40, I'd rather create something for myself and my family than work a job that is unfulfilling.
5. 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
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.
6. Revive Me ($6K/year)
Ryan Pfeiffer, founder of Revive Me, came up with the idea for his wellness shot company after realizing the need for a convenient and effective way to boost the immune system. As an investment banker in New York, he couldn't afford to get sick and would load up on vitamins and health drinks. After experimenting with ingredients and receiving strong validation from a friend, Ryan created a unique blend of ingredients that became his signature product. He hand-delivered bottles himself to improve customer relationships and launched his business with a soft launch in New York. Despite not being profitable yet, Ryan is focused on investing every dollar back into the business and growing his online sales.
How much they make: $6K/year
How much did it cost to start: $6K
Current team size: 0
Revive Me is a wellness shot company projected to reach $5k in sales over the coming months, providing a natural, shelf-stable drink that caters to anyone who doesn’t have time to be sick or rundown.
7. Pyotam ($18K/year)
Naveen Kumar, the CEO of Pyotam, came up with the idea for his business after realizing that many people were drinking acidic water, which can have potential ill effects on the body. Wanting to provide a solution, he developed alkaline water with Ayurvedic properties and launched his products in June 2021. Since then, Pyotam has gained recurring customers and positive feedback, with monthly revenue averaging around $13,000 from a customer base of 250.
How much they make: $18K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
Current team size: 2
Pyotam is India's first ayurvedic alkaline beverage brand that provides water solutions through expertise and innovation, boasting a monthly revenue averaging Rs. 1,00,000/- ($13K) from a customer base of around 250 customers having sold 1,400 bottles so far.
8. Drink Leilo ($1.2M/year)
How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size:
Check out how the founder of the world's first relaxation beverage grew his team to 8 full-time employees and 30+ sales reps, and is on track to 10x last year's revenue.
9. Paper Boat Drinks ($28.6M/year)
How much they make: $28.6M/year
Current team size: 200
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.
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- 4,818 founder case studies
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- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings