Halfday Iced Tea: Mike Lombardo

Mike Lombardo didn’t come from food and bev. He was a college student, Army National Guard soldier, and drummer chasing big ideas. But when his high school swim teammate Kayvon began managing ulcerative colitis by mixing prebiotic tea, everything changed. The two co-founders started bottling it out of a brewery in New Jersey—selling to one Whole Foods, cold-brewing by hand, and making just $18K in their first year. Then COVID hit, and they scrapped everything. In 2021, they relaunched as Halfday: a better-for-you iced tea with 3–5g of sugar, 8g of prebiotic fiber, and branding that reimagined the Arizona and Snapple classics they grew up on. They pitched their first retail account from a hospital bed, filled their first PO with 60,000 cans in six weeks, and packed boxes themselves to make it happen. One press article brought in $10K in DTC sales overnight. Now, Halfday is stocked nationwide, building a brand that stands out in one of the most competitive categories in CPG. Make sure to check out Halfday: https://drinkhalfday.com/   Check out my new book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kRKGTX Sign up for Starting Small University to join our interviews LIVE and ask questions: https://startingsmallmedia.org/startingsmalluniversity Visit Starting Small Media: https://startingsmallmedia.org/ Subscribe to exclusive Starting Small emails: https://startingsmallmedia.org/newsletter-signup   Follow Starting Small: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingsmallpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Startingsmallpod/?modal=admin_todo_tour LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/cameronnagle