#343 - The ‘Clean Caffeine’ Revolution: How Plant Press is Energizing the Beverage Aisle

January 31, 2025
1
 MIN
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Guest Name:
Ariana Farahani
Role:
Founder and CEO
Category:
Speciality:
Company Name:
Plant Press
Revenue Stage:
Following:
Guest Bio
Ariana Farahani is the founder and CEO of Plant Press, a fast-growing functional beverage brand offering a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks.

Episode Summary

Ariana Farahani is the founder and CEO of the clean energy drink startup Plant Press.

In this episode of DTC Pod, Ariana discusses the rapid growth of Plant Press, fueled by strategic retail partnerships, effective field marketing strategies, and a focus on product development based on consumer feedback. She shares insights on navigating the challenges of scaling production, securing seed funding, and adapting to evolving market preferences in the functional beverage space.

Episode Notes

Ariana Farahani is the founder and CEO of Plant Press, a fast-growing functional beverage brand offering a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks.

In this episode of DTC Pod, Ariana shares her journey of developing Plant Press from a homemade recipe to a nationally distributed product. She discusses the importance of gathering consumer feedback and iterating on the product based on data, which led to pivotal changes like focusing solely on clean caffeine and adjusting flavors.

Ariana also goes into the strategic decisions behind Plant Press's distribution strategy, from securing early retail partnerships with local bodegas and fitness centers to navigating the complexities of working with broadline distributors, including the key growth channels that proved successful early on.

Interact with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.

On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:
1. Product Development and Iteration
2. Marketing and Distribution Strategies
3. Funding and Capital Allocation
4. DSD vs Broadline Distributors
5. Market Trends and Consumer Preferences
6. Company Growth and Retail Expansion

Timestamps
00:00 From studying medical cannabis to founding a caffeine brand
04:11 Early days of Plant Press, producing the minimum viable product
06:21 Key iterations in the manufacturing process of Plant Press
09:05 Using quantitative and qualitative customer feedback
10:48 Getting Plant Press to stores: key accounts and strategy
13:31 Self-funding, seed fundraising, and capital budgeting for Plant Press
19:23 Direct store delivery (DSD) vs broadline distribution
21:50 The need fo in-store product sampling and demos for CPG brands
24:52 Energy drink trends: emphasis on clean energy, hydration
27:42 Changing consumer preferences and how big players can catch up
30:32 Plant Press’ expansion to new distribution channels
32:04 What’s next for Plant Press

Show notes powered by Castmagic

Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  

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• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth

• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content

• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views

• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands

• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook

• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands

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Ariana Farahani - Founder & CEO of Plant Press
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

Episode Transcript & Castmagic Chat

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Ramon Berrios
Founder and CEO at Trend
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Ramon has Co-Founded Trend. It is a curated marketplace of creators and brands. We help brands source high quality custom content. We love working with new, innovative companies that are changing the game.

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Blaine
Co-Founded Seated,COO at Omnipanel
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Blaine Bolus is the Co-Founder of OmniPanel, the first software platform connecting CX & Internal teams.OmniPanel, backed by top Silicon Valley VCs, is building software infrastructure that powers cross-functional work, in an industry projected to be a $641 Billion Market in 2022.