Founder Feature - Aaron Nosbisch of BRĒZ

From being merely an idea in January 2023 to grossing more than $2.4 million in a month by July 2024. 

That’s the mindblowing timeline of BRĒZ, a hemp-derived THC and CBD social tonic beverage.

Launched on 4/20/2023 (get it?), BRĒZ has rapidly carved out a niche in the alcohol alternative market. Founded by Aaron Nosbisch, an experienced marketer who leveraged his extensive experience in the cannabis and DTC performance marketing industries to create one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the US. 

We recently sat down with Aaron to discuss how BRĒZ was born and how they have managed to create such explosive growth. 

From Idea to Market in Record Time

Aaron came up with the idea for BRĒZ by recognizing a gap in the market for a healthier option to alcohol. 

“There was no great alternative to alcohol and with as many side effects as it is known for…I simply knew that must be a better way to feel better. A way to feel good without feeling worse. A conscious consumption method.” 

“We couldn’t find it so we decided to create it, leveraging the experience and insights of our rockstar team. We crafted something unique, something special that scratched the itch that alcohol left while being net positive and generative rather than reductive.”

Once the insight clicked, Aaron assembled a team and moved “at lightning speed” to launch the product just a few months later. 

“I had been in the e-commerce world and the positive feel-good and functional wellness world for a very long time. Most recently, I had scaled Lucyd as CEO and founder to the largest cannabis, social advertising firm in the world.” 

“When I experienced THC beverages I realized that this is the medium that Cannabis has been waiting for to properly go mainstream.”

Keys to growth

One key factor in BRĒZ’s success is its ability to resonate with consumers through strategic branding and marketing. 

Their holographic packaging and modern design aesthetic make the product stand out, while their deep experience in performance marketing through channels like Meta, Google, and TikTok powered the sudden, explosive growth once the product went live. 

BRĒZ is a brand built by a team of marketers, like Nick Shackelford,  who have already spent millions on paid media for clients. Aaron and Nick’s foundational understanding of how to structure ad campaigns, develop a creative flywheel, and profitably scale ad spend meant they had a clear process of how to get traction in the market and then leverage it across the digital landscape. 

Their connection to the DTC and e-commerce community has also been a huge benefit.

By implementing a strategy of "building in public" on platforms like X.com and Linkedin, Aaron has been able to quickly iterate based on community feedback, accelerating his path to success.

“Sharing openly in publicly has been very powerful for our brand…

“We find sourcing feedback from the broader e-commerce community would allow us to solve challenges and achieve success more quickly. Many are scared of sharing numbers but we think this is a fear-based decision that holds most brands back. “

“By being so public and open we involve everyone in the journey and when we win, we win together.”

The Challenges

Anyone in the DTC game knows no journey is ever without its speed bumps. And BRĒZ is no exception.

Creating a product in the cannabis space comes with its own set of hurdles, particularly in terms of legal compliance and supply chain logistics. 

Fortunately, Aaron’s days as the founder of Lucyd provided the expertise needed to navigate these challenges. 

“The experience (at Lucyd) allowed us to understand the nuances of this market which facilitated a clear pathway for scale. We also retain the leading cannabis attorneys in the world to ensure our ducks are always in a row.”

Recently the team had to battle a shutdown of their Meta and TikTok accounts, freezing them out of their primary growth channels. 

They quickly pivoted to spinning up a new Meta account and getting TikTok back up and running. Clearly, another benefit of having a deep bench of digital performance marketers to draw from. 

Aside from legalities and platform glitches, the biggest challenge has been one that plagues all high-growth consumer businesses - the supply chain. 

“We struggle with this like everyone but have an awesome team and strategic partners who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and do whatever it takes to ensure we can handle our growth,” says Aaron.

What’s Next?

With a strong foundation in e-commerce, BRĒZ is now setting its sights on retail and international markets.

The company is rapidly expanding its retail distribution across the U.S. and is preparing for global expansion. Aaron’s vision for the future is clear: continue to innovate, maintain transparency, and move BRĒZ to reach new markets.

“Our lack of experience in retail has been a weakness in the past, but thankfully, we’ve started to build a remarkable team around this area and are now using our direct consumer success as leverage to scale rapidly in retail.

(The next step for us is) Continued expansion online and rapid expansion into retail distribution across the US including major retail partners. As we achieve that we'll be expanding internationally!“

Check out BRĒZ here if you want to try their disruptive alcohol alternative. 

You can also follow the BRĒZ remarkable story through Aaron’s X account here.

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