Ep 464: From Crawfish Boil Pots to a Nationwide Beverage Brand with Christa Cotton

Christa Cotton, CEO of New Orleans-based beverage brand El Guapo, shares the entrepreneurial journey behind building a successful product-based business from the ground up. What started in 2017 with bitters and syrups made in crawfish boil pots has grown into a brand available in all 50 states and eight countries, offering four product lines and expanding into national retail partnerships. Christa shares how her background in family businesses, distilling, marketing, and agriculture shaped her approach to entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on quality ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, sustainability, and customer service. She also discusses how El Guapo evolved from selling individual cocktail ingredients to creating complete cocktail kits, making it easier for customers to enjoy restaurant-quality drinks at home, including full-proof, low-proof, and alcohol-free options.

Beyond building the brand, Christa opens up about the realities of being a CEO, the challenges of scaling a product-based business, and the less glamorous aspects of entrepreneurship, including pricing, logistics, freight costs, and protecting profit margins. She also shares the importance of mentoring other women entrepreneurs, staying grateful while continuing to pursue bigger goals, and creating opportunities for the next generation of women leaders. Through a memorable customer story that unexpectedly connected her with a distant family relative, Christa highlights the power of authentic storytelling and putting yourself out there. In this inspiring conversation, she reflects on what it means to be an empowered woman: unapologetically pursuing what you want while holding the door open for other women along the way.

Connect with Christa:
Website: www.elguapobitters.com
LinkedIn: Christa Cotton
Instagram: @elguapobitters | @hurricane_christa

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