Interview with Cedar Capital Founder and General Partner, and Tribini Founder and CEO, Taylor Grant
“Why food, beverage, and CPGs? Because it's tangible, it's something that's a part of everyday life. It's something that people get a lot of joy out of.”On today’s episode of The Irresistible Factor, I have a very special guest, Taylor Grant. Taylor is not only the Founder and General Partner of Cedar Capital, but he is also the Founder and CEO of Tribini – a ready to drink espresso martini company. When Taylor worked in finance, he started angel investing in products he believed in and immediately fell in love with the CPG industry. He claims he “caught the bug”. Taylor didn’t want to just invest, he wanted to add value. In 2020, Taylor discovered the world of venture syndicates and realized there was a white space in the CPG world, so he decided to fill it. Cedar Capital combines the investment side and the marketing side of growing a successful business.Shortly after he founded Cedar Capital, he founded Tribini, a ready to drink line of espresso martinis. Covid sparked the development of ready to drink cocktails and Taylor knew it was time to hop on board! Tribini offers mixologist-quality cocktails made with only the best ingredients.“I really wanted to create an authentic product, something that people can resonate with the actual authentic Espresso martini or however they envision that experience. Using natural ingredients, vodka-based, six-times distilled vodka is very important. No malt, no wine, nothing alternative, straight vodka, real espresso, all-natural ingredients.”Taylor talks about his decision to launch in DTC first so he can find the best product market fit while being efficient with their capital. Taylor believes DTC is best tool to connect directly with their consumers and test things out, so when it’s time to go to retail there is data to back that up. “We know how to reach our customers. We know who they are, and we'll know how to market to them”. We also talk about the perks of working in the CPG community, why the magic combination for a successful entrepreneur is being both a “dreamer” and a “doer”, and why having a solid network is absolutely everything. Taylor dives into important advice for both investors and entrepreneurs. Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Cedar Capital Founder and General Partner, and Tribini Founder and CEO, Taylor Grant. Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation:
- Why Taylor loves CPG
- Taylor’s decision to launch on premise in NYC
- Taylor’s thoughts on the founder community of the food/beverage space
- How Taylor is going about creating the logo, design, and all the foundational elements of pitching your company
Links mentioned in this episode: Taylor Grant on LinkedIn Taylor Grant on Twitter Tribini The Irresistible Factor Podcast Sawtooth Group