Why Bottom-Up Thinking is Crucial in Drinks Building

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Dear Bottom-up Drinks Builder,

Most brand failures aren't due to poor products or bad ideas—they stem from fundamental misunderstandings about how the drinks industry operates. Before diving into strategy and tactics, let's understand the critical realities that shape success in this unique space.

The Multi-Layered Reality: B2B2B2B2C

There is too much focus on Consumers. Yes, I said it. Unlike direct-to-consumer businesses, your brand must navigate multiple layers before reaching the consumer's glass. Each handoff—from you to distributors to venues to servers to consumers—represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

This means your carefully crafted brand story gets simplified with each transition. By the time it reaches consumers, your beautiful narrative about botanical sourcing and artisanal production methods might be reduced to "It's the one with the cucumber."

Action point: Map your entire value chain and understand what matters to each player—they all have different priorities that determine whether your product moves forward or stalls.

The Relationship Glass Ceiling

Early success often comes through personal relationships—that bartender who loves your product, the distributor who took a chance on you, the venues where you're a regular.

This works brilliantly...until it doesn't.

Relationships don't scale. When expanding beyond your home market or reaching a certain volume, you hit an inevitable ceiling where your personal network and founder charm can no longer drive growth.

Action point: Start building systems alongside relationships from day one. Document what works, create replicable frameworks, and develop training that anyone can deliver.