The entrepreneur’s journey is often messy, but in the case of Stursi, publicly sharing the highs and lows may have given its founders an initial sales boost.
Stursi comes from Alexandra “Lexx” Mills and Olivia “Livv” Mills, Baltimore-based sisters who more than a year ago set out to create a culturally resonant zero-proof cocktail as good as the real thing.
Livv brought her expertise as a mixologist and beverage consultant to crafting the liquid, which debuted this summer in three flavors: Revvl (purple papaya and sweet ginger), Rein (lush pineapple and autumn spices), and Debauchery (dewy blood orange and cardamom chili). Stursi forgoes any functional ingredients for bold flavors, high-contrast colors, and a tagline, ‘more than a mocktail, it’s a whole mood.’
“We were really intentional about creating a brand that was just as cool and sexy as any alcoholic brand so that this really is a cocktail reimagined, it just so happens to not have alcohol in it,” Lexx said.
As Black women, Stursi’s founders are eager to attract diverse audiences, and especially people of color who “are not used to seeing themselves represented in CPG food and beverage,” Lexx said. That spirit of inclusivity is portrayed by the illustration of a confident woman on the cans in mirrored sunglasses, each flavor a different color palette.
When the brand does events, “most people assume we work for the company,” Lexx said. “The look of pride and joy and support and pleasant surprise when they find out this is actually our company, that we own this – it’s so amazing. And every time we do an event with these cans it happens.”
A Build-In-Public Approach
Building in public isn’t an entirely unique growth hack these days, but it’s a newer approach to the bev-alc industry, which has thrived off sexy ad campaigns and polished celebrity launches. As young entrepreneurs from outside the industry step in – Lexx spent her career working in economic development – Stursi joins the founders of brands such as Junglee that have taken to social media to share their ups and downs in a complicated industry.
Stursi is a bootstrapped business: the sisters raised more than $60,000 in non-dilutive funding through grants and pitch competitions, and saved $150,000 in startup costs thanks to Livv’s formulation expertise and design skills. From losing or winning pitch competitions to rebranding after pivoting to a different trademark, sharing their wins and setbacks in carefully crafted lessons-learned social media posts has been part of illustrating the founders’ persistence.
“It allowed us to build a community of support all this time while we were figuring out how to actually get this product into a can,” Lexx said.
Even before the sisters had a final product or packaging, they touted their liquid samples in unlabeled plastic bottles to events across DC and Maryland, from social gatherings (including Pajama Parties) to athletic events and fundraisers.
“Through that process, 2,000 people had actually tried Stursi before we had put it into the can,” Lexx said. “So by the time it was time for us to do the pre-sale, we had a community of people waiting and ready to purchase.”
The first 2,000-can run was sent out to that preorder list this summer – and as those consumers got their orders, Stursi launched to the public, haloed in a nice organic social media boost. At least half of the company’s email list pre-ordered products.
The cans are now available via direct-to-consumer and for corporate and arena partnerships. A deal with the Chesapeake Arena in Catonsville, Md. hints at the company’s further goals.
“It’s such a blessing to have so many people who share in our joy, and who tell us they really enjoyed watching our journey and they want to continue to be a part of it,” Lexx said.