On this episode, we’re joined by Jimmy DeCicco, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Super Coffee, the RTD coffee brand started by Jimmy and his two brothers that went from a dorm-room blend to 70,000+ doors and a $50M+ run rate.

A former captain of the Colgate football team, Jimmy unpacks what they got wrong when they tried to go “big-league” too soon, and the profit-first reboot that followed. We dive into how the team executed a 65→15 SKU rationalization and an 80% cost reset, plus Super Coffee’s “neighborhood by neighborhood” approach.

We also cover exec team shake-ups, how a seasoned CMO sharpened positioning, and the systems that actually drive velocity.

—---------------

Episode Highlights:

🏈 From Colgate captain to CPG operator
🧪 Early R&D: cracking protein + coffee + zero added sugar,
🏭 Co-packers
🧃 Brand evolution: early cues from Honest Tea
🎯 Identity-building
🚚 Distributor partnerships: what “true partnership” looks like
🗺️ “Neighborhood by neighborhood” approach
🏟️ Thinking they were “big-league ready” everywhere at a $25M run rate
📊 The 80/20 reality: doubling down on hero SKUs and hero doors
🛒 Big-box takeaways: Target, Walmart, Albertsons
⛽ C-store strategy
✂️ SKU rationalization
💸 Cutting costs by 80%
🧭 Bringing in a seasoned CEO,
🔭 Trends Jimmy is tracking

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:40:23 - Intro and origin story
02:14:01 - Captain of the Colgate football team to captain of Super Coffee
05:39:24 - The early days of R&D and formulation
08:19:15 - Copackers and scaling up
11:51:13 - The evolution of the brand (initial influence from Honest Tea)
13:53:12 - Recommendations for building a brand identity
16:03:13 - An invaluable contribution from Super Coffee’s seasoned CMO
16:49:24 - Building a true partnership with your distributor
19:10:24 - A “neighborhood by neighborhood” approach
21:33:23 - Thinking they were ready for the “big leagues”
22:52:08 - The 80/20 rule is real
23:46:19 - Target, Walmart, Albertsons, etc.
25:53:21 - C-stores
29:04:10 - SKU rationalization (65 SKUs to 15 SKUs)
32:37:21 - Cutting costs by 80%
35:17:01 - Bringing in a seasoned CEO, and back again
37:52:23 - Trends Jimmy is tracking

—---------------

Links:

Super Coffee – https://www.drinksupercoffee.com
Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-decicco/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.