DNVB to Retail: Omnichannel CPG Secrets From 3-Time 9-Figure Founder Clayton Christopher

Clayton Christopher is the Founder of Astō Consumer Partners, a CPG-focused investment firm. He is also the former CEO and Founder of Sweet Leaf Tea, an organic bottled tea company he started with only $10,000 before selling it to Nestlé. Clayton co-founded and was the Chairman for Deep Eddy Vodka, which became one of the fastest-growing spirits brands under his leadership. As a serial entrepreneur in the CPG space, he co-founded Waterloo Sparkling Water and Rhythm Super Foods, among other brands. Clayton is also a board member and investor in various CPG brands and was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Central Texas.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [0:00] Intro
• [2:50] How Clayton Christopher entered the beverage industry and founded Sweet Leaf Tea
• [7:39] Clayton’s early lessons in prioritization and mindset shifts
• [13:57] The challenges of building, scaling, and selling a perishable beverage brand
• [17:43] How Sweet Leaf Tea inspired Deep Eddy Vodka’s flavors
• [23:46] Gaining awareness in a hyper-competitive market
• [28:59] Why Clayton transitioned Waterloo’s manufacturing in-house
• [34:31] Advice for encouraging consumers to sample your products
• [37:17] Strategic billboard and packaging approaches
• [47:52] How to transition from DTC to retail
• [56:48] Developing a leadership framework to grow your brand
• [1:07:41] Clayton’s criteria for investing in brands
• [1:12:06] Clayton gets personal with William Harris

In this episode…

As a digitally native brand, getting your products into consumers’ hands before launching them isn’t always feasible. Expanding into retail channels allows you to reach a wider audience and promote your products. What should you know before transitioning into retail, and how can you optimize your presence in the market?

Digitally native brands that transition to retail often lose some DTC customers to competitors. Multipreneur Clayton Christopher suggests building a core customer base by offering samples at music festivals or creating memorable in-store experiences to showcase product quality and drive loyalty. He also recommends refining packaging to communicate key product attributes effectively and ensuring organizational focus on strategic priorities to support retail success. These approaches strengthen retail performance, enhance brand visibility, and create lasting consumer relationships.

In this week’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, Clayton Christopher, the Founder of Astō Consumer Partners, joins William Harris to talk about launching CPG brands into retail channels. Clayton explains the importance of launching in a niche market first, his leadership framework for brand growth, and how he built, scaled, and sold his brands.

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