How Suja Juice Went From $60M in Debt to a $400M Exit

He was running a nightclub empire when 2008 hit. Checked himself into rehab. Nearly filed for personal bankruptcy. Then he co-founded a juice company in a San Diego kitchen — and scaled it to nearly $100M in revenue.But the real story starts after that.Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs bought 49% of Suja Juice with a promise to acquire the rest. They met the employees. They started transition plans. Then a new CEO walked in and walked away from the deal — leaving Suja $60 million in debt and hours from bankruptcy.This is the story of James Brennan — a blue-collar kid from Rockaway Beach who built, lost, rebuilt, and then had to do it all over again. The near-death of Suja Juice. The midnight deal that saved it. And the decision to buy Coca-Cola out of his own company before taking it public on NASDAQ.This isn't a founder highlight reel. It's what actually happens when everything is on the line.⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻Connect With Me!⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻🎙️ Subscribe for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs who've done it the real way.📩 Newsletter: the-next-chapter-today.beehiiv.com💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevejweiss📱 TikTok: @thesteveweissjourney0