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cover of episode 21 Seeds: Kat Hantas

21 Seeds: Kat Hantas

2024/10/21
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How I Built This with Guy Raz

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Kat Hontas' journey from a home hobby of infusing tequila to creating a $160 million business, focusing on the challenges and strategic decisions that led to the success of 21 Seeds.
  • Kat switched from wine to Blanco tequila due to health issues.
  • She infused tequila with fruits and herbs, initially for personal use.
  • Realizing a market gap, she targeted moms as her primary consumer base.
  • Despite challenges, the mom-strategy proved successful, leading to a $160 million sale to Diageo.

Shownotes Transcript

Kat Hantas turned her home hobby of infusing Tequila into a $160 million business. Her story began when her nightly glass of wine started to give her headaches, and her doctor recommended she replace it with a distilled spirit, like Blanco Tequila. To soften its harsh taste, Kat infused it with fruit and herbs, and began sharing it with appreciative fellow-moms. She eventually realized that hyper-targeting to moms was the perfect way to break into the male-dominated Tequila business. In 2018, she recruited her sister and a friend to launch 21 Seeds, and despite multiple challenges, their mom-strategy paid off. Just three years after launch, 21 Seeds sold for $160 million to Diageo, one of the largest alcoholic beverage companies in the world. 

This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. This episode was edited by Neva Grant, with research by Olivia Rockeman. Our audio engineers were Robert Rodriguez and Gilly Moon.

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