American entrepreneur and former basketball coach Yanni Hufnagel founded the Lemon Perfect Company. Created in 2017, Lemon Perfect is a bottled water beverage infused with organic lemon juice. The improved water category was developed in response to the harmful health effects of consuming sugary sodas.
Yanni Hufnagel spent ten years coaching college basketball students. As part of his morning routine, he drank water infused with freshly squeezed natural lemon juice. It was there that he first came up with the idea of lemon water. After that, he spent a year learning about beverages while living with his folks.
It was challenging to build his brand in the beginning. His initial pitch to an investor could have done better. During the fifteen-minute meeting, the investors said they did not trust anything manufactured from fruit. That was Hufnagel’s initial obstacle. He hesitated but continued anyhow, and things got better.
Hufnagel used flexibility when making two crucial choices. He first altered the original packaging after the bottles were created. He had to persuade the investors to rebuild the brand. He collaborated with a graphic designer to build bottles that fit the brand’s concept of colorful and cheery hues.
He then modified the beverage’s original formulation to increase sales from refrigerated to shelf-stable. The corporation gained a competitive edge through marketing techniques encouraging people to buy the product, such as BOGO (Buy One, Get One).
His brand gained fame after a Dragon Fruit Mango bottle was seen in Beyonce’s limousine. One of the investors helped them forge a bridge with Beyonce after visiting her home a year later and seeing her cache in the refrigerator.
Another good thing happened: The Publix category manager brought the beverage home to his wife, who declared it was the most incredible thing she had ever tasted. Lemon Perfect was available in every Publix store a week later. Lemon Perfect is currently directly competing with beverages like Hint and Bai. At their price point, any local consumer can buy from them.
Conclusion
Hufnagel’s challenging choices paid off. An idea that started with observation has become a brand many people love. The corporation is on its way to becoming a billion-dollar enterprise.