On this episode, we’re joined by Gabriel González, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Casalú, the rum-based RTD cocktail brand.
In Gabriel’s own words, his goal is to build the Red Bull of Latino culture.
We dive into the initial insight that rum was missing from the hard seltzer boom, and the broader cultural shift that made a Latino-first brand not just viable, but necessary. Gabriel shares how Casalú was built for their own community first, and why Latin culture becoming pop culture fundamentally changed the opportunity.
We also dig into early formulation and R&D decisions, including painful product failures and fermentation issues that forced production shutdowns and hard resets. Gabriel walks through what those moments taught them about liquid development, co-packers, and knowing when to rethink both product and process.
We talk candidly about starting with self-managed distribution, learning the hard way how to actually drive velocity, and what it really takes to succeed with major retailers like Walmart. Gabriel also breaks down Casalú’s recent brand refresh, why clarity at shelf matters more than just being “cool,” and how they’re thinking about culture, community, and scale heading into 2026.
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Episode Highlights:
🍋 Why rum was missing from the hard seltzer boom
🧪 Early formulation and R&D lessons
🏭 What they learned working with co-packers
⚠️ Product failures that shut down production
🎶 Building the Red Bull of Latino culture
📈 Growing a following from nothing
🚚 Starting with self-managed distribution
⚡ Tactics for driving real retail velocity
🏪 Getting in the door and succeeding at Walmart
🎨 The strategy behind the Casalú brand refresh
🎯 2026 goals and what’s next
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Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro
00:51 – Origin story
02:55 – Formulation and R&D
05:20 – Co-packers
10:22 – Formulation challenges and failed product
12:32 – Building the Red Bull of Latino culture
19:07 – Building a following from nothing
22:21 – Starting with self-managed distribution
25:40 – Tactics for driving velocity
29:48 – Getting in the door and succeeding at Walmart
32:30 – The what and why of the Casalú brand refresh
40:46 – 2026 goals
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Links:
Casalú – https://casalu.com/
Follow Gabriel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielgonzalezorta/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
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