In this episode of DTC Pod, Nicolas Beaupré illuminates the strategies that propelled Mateina's growth in the North American market, where the lure of yerba mate was still largely undiscovered. He emphasizes the crucial role of grassroots efforts like word-of-mouth endorsements and community events in building a loyal customer base. Nicolas shares his journey of self-funding, supplemented later by keen investors, which allowed the brand to foster a robust direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales model. In developing Mateina's signature non-carbonated yerba mate beverage, he underscores the meticulous year-and-a-half-long process of trial and error with suppliers to fine-tune the recipe. Moving into the future, Nicolas envisions continuing to innovate and potentially expand Mateina's retail footprint.Episode brought to you by More StaffingJoin 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter!On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Yerba Mate as a Coffee Alternative2. Grassroots Customer Acquisition3. Self-Funding to Venture Capital4. DTC Revenue Strategy5. Product Development Journey6. Product Sourcing and Production7. Sales and Formulations8. Retail Partnerships9. Educational Marketing StrategyTimestamps03:27 Becoming acquainted with maté in South America05:54 Launching an e-commerce store that sells maté08:41 Introducing a ready-to-drink, cold maté to the market14:07 Educating customers on yerba maté15:51 From bootstrapping to getting private investors19:27 Product development — trials, mistakes, expansion23:57 Factors to consider when coming up with a new formula27:01 Mateina’s product line, inventory challenges32:18 Lessons on product form and communications strategy35:04 Andrew Huberman's role in launching Mateina in the US37:00 Aligning brand, creator, infrastructure, capital, and distribution43:39 Product education, word of mouth, and brand advocacyShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  -----Nicolas Beaupré - Founder & CEO at Mateina Yerba MateBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic