In this Founder Fundraising Journey episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Victor Guardiola, Founder and CEO of Bawi, a sparkling agua fresca brand bringing authentic Hispanic flavors into the modern beverage aisle with a healthier twist. Beyond the product, Victor is equally driven by a mission to increase representation for Latino and minority founders in CPG.
Victor's path started with a food and beverage entrepreneurship practicum at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business, where he uncovered the data behind sugar-sweetened beverages' outsized impact on the Hispanic community and realized there was no mass-market, better-for-you Hispanic beverage to fill that gap. From there, he spent months selling on tap at farmer's markets, cold-emailing hundreds of potential investors, and eventually landing his first checks from Austin business figures like Patrick Terry of P. Terry's.
Hannah and Victor dig into the brutal reality of raising a first round without a "rich uncle," the tipping-point moment when a notable investor's name unlocked the rest of the round, and how Bawi is now scaling food service and retail density across its two core markets, Texas and California.
Listen in as they discuss:
- Why 80% of initial startup funding comes from friends and family, and what that means for founders without that access
- How a UT Austin entrepreneurship practicum turned into the idea for a mass-market Hispanic beverage
- Selling agua fresca on tap at farmer's markets, carbonating overnight in a commercial kitchen until 3am
- Landing the first equity round from Patrick Terry of P. Terry's and Torchy's Tacos founder Mike Rypka
- The "golden follow-up": how one notable investor joining the cap table triggered a tipping point
- Why cold-emailing without leading with a pitch dramatically increases response rates
- Building initial retail density through independents and the natural channel before chasing national programs
- The risk of emerging-brand retail programs that can hang small brands out to dry
- Restructuring go-to-market strategy around food service in Texas and California, and the Cosmic Coffee case study
- Victor's mission to provide a healthier alternative to sugar-laden big beverage offerings
- Slack Q&A: how to structure an elevator pitch and initial outreach email
Episode Links:
- Victor Guardiola - Founder & CEO, Bawi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorhguardiola/
- Email: victor@drinkbawi.com
- Instagram: @vichg
- Website: drinkbawi.com
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
- Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
- Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
- Follow @startupcpg
- Visit host Hannah's LinkedIn
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
