Chris Hunter

And it's definitely that it's I am a salesperson, I enjoy marketing and finding unique ways to build awareness. And then I enjoy working on strategic partnerships and high level relationships. And so Where that comes into play and is the most effective for the company, the example would be Koya with Starbucks. I knew that Koya was a fit for Starbucks.

And it's definitely that it's I am a salesperson, I enjoy marketing and finding unique ways to build awareness. And then I enjoy working on strategic partnerships and high level relationships. And so Where that comes into play and is the most effective for the company, the example would be Koya with Starbucks. I knew that Koya was a fit for Starbucks.

I knew it's somewhere that we wanted that product to be distributed since day one. Eight years ago, I started working on how do we get into Starbucks? And we had plenty of starts and stops along the way. I never gave that up to one of our sales team. I said, this is my account that I'm going to figure out.

I knew it's somewhere that we wanted that product to be distributed since day one. Eight years ago, I started working on how do we get into Starbucks? And we had plenty of starts and stops along the way. I never gave that up to one of our sales team. I said, this is my account that I'm going to figure out.

And it was definitely not a linear path, but I was able to strike a strategic partnership with Starbucks. And Koya is now distributed in Starbucks nationwide. Those are the kind of things that one, excite me. And two, I feel like I can do and maybe you can't hire others to do on the team. I love that.

And it was definitely not a linear path, but I was able to strike a strategic partnership with Starbucks. And Koya is now distributed in Starbucks nationwide. Those are the kind of things that one, excite me. And two, I feel like I can do and maybe you can't hire others to do on the team. I love that.

Look, there are in sales, there are hunters and there are gatherers, the way we think about it, right? And the hunter, not only my last name, but I am a hunter, right? I like enjoy going and creating the new relationships and striking the new deals. And that's a lot of fun for a lot of people. There are other people who are gatherers and they enjoy that.

Look, there are in sales, there are hunters and there are gatherers, the way we think about it, right? And the hunter, not only my last name, but I am a hunter, right? I like enjoy going and creating the new relationships and striking the new deals. And that's a lot of fun for a lot of people. There are other people who are gatherers and they enjoy that.

optimizing those relationships and building on them. And there's a lot of things that a lot of us can do, but it doesn't mean we should do, right? And so I can do that, but it's not the highest and best use of my time or skills.

optimizing those relationships and building on them. And there's a lot of things that a lot of us can do, but it doesn't mean we should do, right? And so I can do that, but it's not the highest and best use of my time or skills.

Yeah, it's a complex question and situation that was very intense, as you can imagine. But trying to summarize it up in a nutshell, it was really important for us to get aligned on how we were going to address these situations. They were very serious, right? To the point where we were being sued by the FDA, the TB, which governs alcohol. 18 attorney generals.

Yeah, it's a complex question and situation that was very intense, as you can imagine. But trying to summarize it up in a nutshell, it was really important for us to get aligned on how we were going to address these situations. They were very serious, right? To the point where we were being sued by the FDA, the TB, which governs alcohol. 18 attorney generals.

There were frivolous lawsuits, class action lawsuits coming out of the woodwork. There was a point where I was told by our legal representation, don't answer the door because you may get served papers or arrested, right? It was that intense. And so- For us looking back at it, or at least for me looking back at it, I was baffled because we played by the rules. Our beverage was approved by the TTB.

There were frivolous lawsuits, class action lawsuits coming out of the woodwork. There was a point where I was told by our legal representation, don't answer the door because you may get served papers or arrested, right? It was that intense. And so- For us looking back at it, or at least for me looking back at it, I was baffled because we played by the rules. Our beverage was approved by the TTB.

It was approved by every state that it went into. That included the formulas, the cans. Everything that we were being criticized for was legally approved. And so they had, they, Broad Sensitives, had applied pressure to other brewers that were doing similar things and they were much larger than us. And so for them, it was like, this isn't worth, you know, the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

It was approved by every state that it went into. That included the formulas, the cans. Everything that we were being criticized for was legally approved. And so they had, they, Broad Sensitives, had applied pressure to other brewers that were doing similar things and they were much larger than us. And so for them, it was like, this isn't worth, you know, the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

And so they just voluntarily reformulated and changed the products they were selling. For us, it was the only thing we were selling. And so our take was, hey, we will play by whatever rules you put out there, but you have to make them consistent and fair because if we voluntarily change, all that does is leave the the door open for the next person to come along and do it until they get big. Right.

And so they just voluntarily reformulated and changed the products they were selling. For us, it was the only thing we were selling. And so our take was, hey, we will play by whatever rules you put out there, but you have to make them consistent and fair because if we voluntarily change, all that does is leave the the door open for the next person to come along and do it until they get big. Right.

So in terms of communication, it really tested us. Look, my, my theory is like high highs and low lows will bond you, right? They're extreme and they're intense and, and it's easy to get along during those times, but it doesn't mean it's easy to communicate during those times. We were running at breakneck pace.

So in terms of communication, it really tested us. Look, my, my theory is like high highs and low lows will bond you, right? They're extreme and they're intense and, and it's easy to get along during those times, but it doesn't mean it's easy to communicate during those times. We were running at breakneck pace.