GEMS: Selling 100,000 Units in Year One with Avec Drinks founder Denetrias Charlemagne

What It Covers

Denetrias Charlemagne explains how Avec Drinks sold 100,000 units in year one through earned media, strategic partnerships, and creative pandemic-era activations instead of paid advertising.

Key Questions Answered

• •Launch strategy pivot: When COVID eliminated festival marketing plans, Avec invested launch budget into building a premium website experience and strong branding rather than defaulting to Facebook ads.
• •Earned media first: Avec spent zero dollars on paid advertising for six to seven months, instead hiring a food and beverage PR specialist to generate press coverage that drove the entire first year business.
• •Partnership scaling: Avec acquires customers through strategic partnerships with complementary brands like clean beauty companies and nonalcoholic spirits, targeting audiences who care about clean ingredients across multiple product categories.