How does a CPG hydration brand scale from zero to 8-figures in under three years?

As it turns out …

• No ads first 12 months
• Athletes, not influencers
• 1k+ package iterations

Today, we’ve got the inside scoop.

🤯 Matty Martin shares five surprising lessons scaling Cadence

📚 Cody Plofker invites you to experience DTC’s new playbook

🗞️ Top-five headlines from this week’s consumer news stories

Matty Martin Head of Marketing, Cadence

How Cadence Scaled to 8-Figures: 5 Lessons

I joined Cadence in February 2024, two months before we launched.

I built the website, ran the ads, and did customer support. I still write, design, and schedule every single email we send.

We were a small bootstrapped team trying to redefine a category owned by Gatorade for 60 years.

Here are five things I’ve learned.

 1. 12 Months, No Ads 

We launched in the UK April 2024; in the US, three months later. We didn’t turn on paid media until April 2025.

Everything before that was organic.

• Founder content (Ross)
• Athlete associations
• IRL running events

Runners are obsessive about what they put in their bodies.

You can’t buy that trust. You have to show up in the right places, with the right people, over a long enough period of time.

That’s where we put all our energy for the first 12 months.

And it worked.

We had hundreds of runners DMing us, posting our products unprompted, sharing it with their communities, tagging us, and telling their friends.

Not only because they liked the product, but because they connected with the founder, the brand, and the vision.

When we turned on paid, we had already earned our place in the category.

Today, Meta is our main acquisition channel by far. We are going to lean into it until we hit the ceiling, then diversify.

 2. 1,000+ Can Iterations ​
​
In retail, you have about two seconds and six feet of distance.

The customer is making a decision based on two things.

• What flavor is it?
• What does it do?

We had three different cans hit the shelves in 2025 alone. And those were only the winners from over one thousand iterations we went through internally.

January–April

The original. A white 250ml can that just said Cadence with a small citrus bar at the bottom. Beautiful on-site. Communicated nothing on the shelf.

April–November

Core 500. A 355ml can that looked slick and spoke an athlete’s language. But when it went into GNC, most people couldn’t easily decode what flavor it was or what the product actually did.

November Onwards

“Daily hydration.” “Electrolyte formula.” Flavor displayed prominently so someone standing six feet away can read it instantly.

This is our current packaging. It’s the packaging that made us the fastest growing hydration drink in GNC.

 3. Subscriptions 2.5X ​
​
Six months ago, 30% of our customers were subscribing at checkout. Today it’s 75%.

How? Our free gift mechanic.

Month 1: Free running cap
​Month 2: Free bottle
​Month 3: Free sports towel

You cannot get these items anywhere else. They are not on the site. The only way to get them is to subscribe.

This is reverse-engineered from our LTV.

If we get a subscriber to their fourth month, they stay with us for roughly a year. The three-month gift-with-purchase sequence is specifically designed to carry people to that threshold.

We first ran this Black Friday 2025. The subscribe rate was off the charts. We restocked the caps as fast as we could and made it our always-on offer.

Note: Our most valuable customers by far are people who trialed through a one-time purchase and never subscribed, but kept coming back. Worth noting, not every customer needs to be a subscriber to be worth acquiring.

 4. Real Athletes ​
​
We have Charlie Lawrence on our team. He’s the 50-mile world record holder.

Before a run, he’ll post a picture of all his fuel — gels, powders, sachets — and break down exactly how many carbs and milligrams of sodium he’s taking in.

He’s one of our most valuable marketing assets.

Not only because his audience buys our product. There are two additional reasons this partnership has been monumental for us.

First, retail.

When we go into specialty retail (running stores) they want to know who uses our product. When we mention Charlie Lawrence or Alex Yee (Olympic gold triathlete, Paris 2024), doors open.

The buyer at a running boutique in Brooklyn or London cares deeply about that.

Second, micro creators.

Since we’ve built this association with tier-one athletes, when we reach out to micro creators, they want to be part of it. Not only because of the offer, but because of who is in the brand’s orbit.

 5. Retail, DTC + Amazon 

We run three parallel businesses right now. Two different yardsticks.

Retail is the simplest.

Just one metric: units per store per week.

That’s the number the retailer judges us on, so it’s the number we judge ourselves on. We treat retail marketing as a completely separate budget, and we go in knowing we’ll over-invest for the first two or three months of any new launch.

DTC + Amazon, we blend these into one P&L.

Because every time we scale Meta spend, Amazon revenue grows in lockstep. People see our ads, then buy on Amazon instead of our site.

The blended business is measured on CAC, CM2, and LTV.

CM2 (contribution margin 2) is what’s left after product costs, shipping, and ad spend. It tells us how fast a customer pays back their CAC. LTV tells us how aggressive we can be to acquire them in the first place.

The two channels balance each other …

Amazon customers buy once, at full price, with high intent.

• Fast payback
• Short relationship

DTC customers cost more to acquire (discounts, free gifts), but they subscribe and stay for a year.

• Slow payback
• Long relationship

Amazon’s quick cash funds DTC’s slow burn, which lets us spend more aggressively than DTC alone would allow.

 We broke most the rules 

We launched into Walmart and Target recently. We’re building a fueling app that links to Whoop, Garmin, and Apple Watch to tell athletes exactly how to hydrate and fuel based on their training data.

We’re targeting 500% growth this year. We’re ahead of that forecast every single month so far.

But I think the most surprising thing is, we almost never made the conventional DTC moves.

• No paid ads year one
• RTD cans before sachets
• Brand focus before performance
• Athletes instead of creators

The community is the asset that made every other decision work.

When you build a community with your brand at the center, every channel gets cheaper … because you’re harvesting demand instead of just buying it.

Matty Martin is the Head of Marketing at Cadence. Go follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter (X).

Cody Plofker CEO, Jones Road Beauty

Get the (New) Playbook to Growing in 2026 + Beyond

Right now, ecommerce and DTC is evolving:

• Converging roles via AI
• Omni-channel distribution
• Organic and social first
• Leaner, more focused teams
• GMV Max + TikTok Shop
• Head of Creator is new HoG

It’s hard to keep up.

That’s why I’m keynoting our New DTC Playbook Live Event happening June 25th at 1pm EST. I’m also requiring my entire team to attend it.

More than 20 operators behind real 8- and 9-figure brands will be sharing …

• What’s working
• What’s no longer working
• What they’re betting on in 2026

Plus, plenty of time for Q&A.

If you want clarity on your next best move, click the button below to sign up. It’s 100% free.

THE FEED

​How to Pick a 3PL Without Getting Burned: Red Flags Versus Green Flags​

​How AI Is Reshaping Ecommerce Growth Teams: HexClad & Jones Road​

The Trends

Curated by the editor of CPG Wire, the five top stories in commerce and DTC.

1. Suja Life Delivers in Q1: LinkedIn​

Suja Life reported Q1 results and net sales jumped over 22% to $107M, up from around $87M in the prior corresponding period. The beverage maker also generated $7.7M of net income, up from a modest net loss in Q1 2025.

CEO Maria Stipp attributed their success to volume growth, distribution gains, and successful promotional activities. Suja Life debuted on the Nasdaq in May. The company owns Suja Organic, Vive Organic, and Slice Soda.

2. L Catterton Backs Remedy: Business Wire​

Dermatologist-developed skincare brand Remedy closed a $20M Series A round led by L Catterton. Existing investor Norwest also participated in the round alongside newcomer Sonoma Brands Capital. Remedy has grown fast since Dr. Muneeb Shah launched the brand in March 2024.

In addition to launching nationwide at Target in December, Remedy expects to top $50M in sales this year. In March, L Catterton led a $27.5M investment in Mars Men, the fast-growing natural testosterone support brand.

3. Stars + Honey Secures $24M: Business Wire​

Stars + Honey, a Detroit-based purveyor of protein & collagen nutrition bars, closed a $24M growth equity round led by VMG Partners. Founded in 2023 by Daniel Rainey, Stars + Honey has bootstrapped until this point and expects to hit $50M in revenue this year.

VMG has been incredibly active lately. Their recent investments include Brami, Fruit Riot, Vacation, The Doux, and several others.

4. Second Nature Acquires Tillamook: PR Newswire​

Second Nature Brands (SNB) acquired branded meat snacks maker Tillamook Country Smoker for an undisclosed sum. SNB has purchased several snack brands since 2022, but this is their first foray into the meat snacks category.

Tillamook currently operates two manufacturing facilities in Oregon and annual sales are north of $175M. SNB is backed by CapVest Partners and the company owns Voortman Bakery, Sahale Snacks, and Brownie Brittle.

5. Diamond Brew Closes Round: Daily Coffee News​

Chicago-based craft instant coffee brand Diamond Brew closed a 7-figure pre-seed funding round. G/7 Venture Studio, Beckett Industries, Charlie Walk, Daniel Faierman, and several other strategic angels also invested. Springdale Ventures alum Douglas Yu launched Diamond Brew in late 2024.

The company uses a proprietary flash-freezing process to lock in the full flavor profile of freshly brewed espresso. The product is third-party tested for mold and toxins then packaged in 100% recyclable aluminum.

With thanks and anticipation,
Aaron Orendorff
🤓 Chief Executive Officer

PS: Still reading? Then please, go sign up for the Operators New DTC Playbook With 20+ Leaders! After that, immediately write me back with you most-burning question for the live Q&A that Sean Frank will be leading on the big day.

​Read online | Unsubscribe​