Rock band Greta Van Fleet is giving a major boost to a Cary startup.
Tribucha kombucha co-founder Adrian Larrea said a collaboration is happening with the band, and it’s being seen on the shelves of Publix grocery stores.
Greta Van Fleet wanted to offer its fans something they liked to drink, but that was non-alcoholic. Tribucha’s “Controlled Burn” flavor fit the bill. A full rebrand followed including limited edition designs for the drink labels.
“We worked with them to create art around their most recent ‘Starcatcher’ album,” Larrea said. The launch happened just as the brand was partnering with Publix, something the Cary company had been working toward for six years.
“I reached out to our Publix buyer. … She just happened to be a Greta Van Fleet fan," Larrea said.
It didn’t happen overnight. Larrea first made contact with management for Greta Van Fleet unexpectedly while attending a conference. After scoring tickets and experiencing Greta Van Fleet, Larrea was impressed — so much so that he sent kombucha their way.
“They reached back out to us … they said it made their throats feel better after shows,” he said.
That led to collaboration discussions.
But then Covid hit, wiping out about half of the firm’s business. Tribucha dropped down to a skeleton crew, its founders working the canning line and any deal talks with Greta Van Fleet stopped cold. For nine months, Tribucha self-distributed to 90 Harris Teeter (NYSE: KR) stores in two different states.
Meanwhile, Greta Van Fleet was becoming more popular.
They reached back out and the collaboration deal finally happened.
Larrea sees it as another example of Tribucha breaking barriers — first with cans instead of bottles, then with its “visual identity” and branding, and now collaborating with musicians, something it started with partnerships involving Dreamville Festival in Raleigh and Durham pop duo Sylvan Esso. Larrea sees it as a huge play – an untapped segment for Tribucha that could make it a national brand. Larrea said the plan is to pick up another 1,000 locations in the first quarter of 2024.
“We are in the middle of it right now,” Larrea said. “There’s just so many things happening, so many opportunities. The buyers at these grocery stores are finally seeing it.”
In addition to the 550 Publix stores that are part of its initial launch deal, the brand is in places like Harris Teeter, Whole Foods (NYSE: AMZN) and Fresh Market.
“We’re pumping out these cans all over the place,” Larrea said.
Tribucha recently raised $2.4 million in convertible notes, a sum that could push it through the end of the year when it will be on the hunt for a “true institutional investor,” Larrea said.
“We’ve got the money behind us, we’ve got the brand behind us and 2024 is going to be the year where we’re for the first time ever able to market and sell and advertise this brand,” he said.