Individually, Kyle Busch and Jeff Church have highly accomplished resumes within their respective fields. Busch is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and has been one of the top drivers in the sport for nearly two decades, while Church is a seasoned business executive and beverage entrepreneur, best known for his work as the co-founder and former CEO of cold-pressed juice leader Suja.
Together, they comprise a formidable team as the co-founders of Rowdy Energy, an energy drink brand formulated with natural ingredients that launched earlier this year. Named after Busch’s sobriquet, Rowdy is attempting to capitalize on a thriving, albeit consolidated, market for energy drinks and growing consumer demand for better-for-you options.
In an interview included in this episode, Busch and Church spoke about their decision to launch a challenger brand in the energy category and the timing of Rowdy’s debut, leveraging Busch’s fame and fan base in a way that’s authentic to the brand and its positioning, managing conflict in their personalities and ways of doing business and how Church is incorporating lessons from the Suja playbook into Rowdy’s business strategy.