Red Bull, Regenerative Organic Tea, and 25 Years of Beverage Marketing | Mike Fransz, Nova Naturals

On this episode, we're joined by Mike Fransz, Director of Marketing at Nova Naturals - the naturals division of Novamex (the company behind Jarritos) that's home to C2O Pure Coconut Water and Steaz organic tea. Mike brings 25 years of beverage marketing experience, including early days at Red Bull and Neuro Brands.We dive into what Mike learned building Red Bull from 1,500 cases a month to 150,000 in Orange County, including how they found "opinion leaders" before influencers existed and why everyone at Red Bull was treated as a marketer.Mike walks through the Steaz brand refinement, how the team went back to original founders Eric Chanell and Steven Kessler to rediscover the brand's why, and the process that led to reworking everything from sourcing to mission and making Steaz the first regenerative organic certified ready-to-drink tea in the U.S. We also get into running a shared services model across C2O and Steaz, Mike's time at Neuro Brands as an early functional wellness beverage, and why the protein revolution is just getting started.---------------Episode Highlights:🍵 How Steaz became the first regenerative organic certified RTD tea🏭 Forming Nova Naturals as a dedicated division inside Novamex🎯 Red Bull's "opinion leader" strategy before influencers existed📈 Growing Red Bull from 1,500 to 150,000 cases a month in Orange County🤝 Going back to the original Steaz founders to rediscover the brand's why🌱 Regenerative organic vs. sustainability (and why the difference matters)🔄 The shared services model for managing C2O and Steaz together🧪 Neuro Brands as an early functional beverage and lessons from multi-functionality📦 Why packaging format matters (single-use plastic vs. cans and aluminum)🥩 The protein revolution, GLP-1, and brands like Chomps and Fishwife👀 Trends Mike is watching in functional beverages and healthier lifestyles---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro00:49 – Nova Naturals origin story and brand portfolio03:04 – How the beverage industry has changed over 25 years05:09 – The shift from natural niche to mainstream07:04 – Red Bull and the rise of "opinion leaders"10:02 – Product market fit then and now13:39 – Why Mike left Red Bull for natural products16:31 – How Red Bull scaled its field marketing org21:16 – Image building vs. consumption building28:31 – Forming Nova Naturals and the shared services model34:33 – The Steaz brand refinement and going back to the founders38:23 – Steaz as the first USDA organic and now regenerative organic RTD tea43:00 – Regenerative organic certification explained44:55 – How to think about a brand refresh (start with why)55:47 – Neuro Brands and the functional beverage category01:02:00 – The communication quagmire of multi-functional brands01:06:33 – The protein revolution, GLP-1, and trends Mike is watching---------------Links:Nova Naturals – https://nova-natural.com/Follow Mike on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefransz/Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.