This episode offers a candid look into Cure Hydration's journey from a startup to a recognized beverage brand. Learn how founder Lauren Picasso strategically shifted her retail distribution from boutiques to essential national retailers post-pandemic, and effectively leveraged micro-influencers to drive growth. This is a must-listen for CPG founders optimizing their omnichannel strategy and seeking to balance DTC with wholesale for sustained scalability and direct customer engagement.
Key takeaways
Pivot distribution strategy from niche boutiques to essential national retailers (CVS, Walmart, Whole Foods) to capitalize on broader consumer accessibility and post-pandemic shifts.
Utilize micro-influencers for targeted, authentic brand endorsements, focusing on their highly engaged niche audiences to build trust and drive product trials.
Maintain a balanced wholesale (60%) and DTC (40%) sales approach; leverage wholesale for rapid market penetration and DTC for building loyal customer relationships and gathering direct customer data.
Continuously expand product portfolio and distribution points to scale the business, focusing on encouraging repeat purchases through robust customer engagement.
Lauren Picasso is both an athlete and an entrepreneur -- and she used both skillsets to help launch her company.
Picasso is the founder and CEO of Cure Hydration, an electrolyte beverage that comes in powder form. She has a background in e-commerce, hailing from startups like Jet.com, but Cure was her first foray in beverages. On the Modern Retail Podcast, Picasso described the process of launching and growing Cure -- and the lessons she's learned.
Picasso has grown the company over the last two years, using social media and national distribution. The products are both available online and in stores, including CVS, Walmart and Whole Foods. At launch, her strategy was to have Cure available in boutique retail environments, like high-end gyms. "Post-pandemic, I really shifted gears and focused more on essential retailers," she said.
Now the company is trying to scale by attracting new influencers to rep the brand, adding new products to its portfolio and expanding to more stores. Right now, the business is about 60% wholesale and 40% DTC -- which she thinks is a good breakdown. Both have their pros and cons, but Cure's focus is on getting more people to trying the product and then convincing then -- of course -- to repeat the purchase.
"Retail is a great to grow your business really quickly," she said. "But DTC is important for us for our loyal customers and that direct access to our customers."
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Pivot distribution strategy from niche boutiques to essential national retailers (CVS, Walmart, Whole Foods) to capitalize on broader consumer accessibility and post-pandemic shifts.
What does this episode say about influencer & creator?
Utilize micro-influencers for targeted, authentic brand endorsements, focusing on their highly engaged niche audiences to build trust and drive product trials.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Maintain a balanced wholesale (60%) and DTC (40%) sales approach; leverage wholesale for rapid market penetration and DTC for building loyal customer relationships and gathering direct customer data.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Continuously expand product portfolio and distribution points to scale the business, focusing on encouraging repeat purchases through robust customer engagement.
