From Idea to Aisles: The Making of a CPG Brand
Join Molly Baker, founder of Indie Consulting, and our guest, as he shares his journey from immigrating to the U.S. at 17 to building a culture-first brand that’s redefining the Latino American Dream. From navigating the challenges of a new country to transforming a homemade recipe into a product on retail shelves, our guest shares a story of conviction, community, and building a brand that represents far more than what’s inside the can. From CPG to startups to anyone curious about brand-building with heart, this conversation reveals what it really takes to be resilient, take risks, and unite people behind a vision.
MB (Molly Baker): what are you thinking about professionally today?
GG (Gabe Gonzalez): Rallying people behind the vision. That’s my daily job. It requires conviction and not letting others’ opinions sway you. It’s: are you hopping on the bus or not?
MB: What are you really good at? Brag about yourself.
GG: Reading people. Having empathy, understanding motivations, and adapting.
MB: Learned skill or natural?
GG: Learned unconsciously over time. I think being an immigrant played a role—quiet, listening a lot, observing.
MB: When did you come to the US?
GG: 2012, at 17, from Venezuela.
MB: What was that transition like?
GG: Challenging. Came with my brother right after high school, to North Carolina. Culture shock. I studied English first—98% Chinese students—so I was double-dipping on culture shifts. It ended up amazing, but it was definitely different.
MB: What’s been the most pivotal moment in your career?
GG: Meeting Louis Sheets, a professor at NC State. He invited students for coffee or beer to talk about life and entrepreneurship. Out of hundreds, I was the only one who followed up. He became the most important person in my journey. He launched the Entrepreneurship Clinic, gave me opportunities, believed in me, and today he even has stock in my company.
MB: That’s incredible. What motivates you to keep putting yourself in uncomfortable situations?
GG: Innate curiosity and willingness to reach out. I’m okay being uncomfortable. With my brand, it’s always about the mission—that’s what keeps me going.
MB: Tell us who you are and about your company.
GG: I’m Gabe Gonzalez, co-founder of Casalú. Casalú sells the Latino American Dream. We wanted a brand that represented a new generation of Latinos in the ready-to-drink space—canned cocktails and hard seltzers.
We grew up with black culture leading global culture—Jay-Z, Kanye, NBA, MTV. Now kids are growing up with Bad Bunny and Messi. Twenty-five percent of Gen Z is Latino. Our culture is global now. We didn’t see a brand that represented us in this booming space, so we created one: a sparkling rum in a can.
But it’s more than a drink—it’s identity. When someone drinks Casalú, it’s consuming part of our culture. That joy is what keeps us going.
MB: How long ago did you start?
GG: The idea started in 2020. My co-founder Ricardo never liked beer. During the pandemic he tried seltzers and thought: why isn’t there one with rum, sparkling water, and juice? He started making it at home. I tried it and thought it was good. The name Tropicalization came from a story when I first moved to the US—it was tied to feeling at home, in the right place. That’s the DNA of the brand.
MB: When did you rebrand to Casalú?
GG: In 2021, when we took it seriously. We needed a shorter, stronger name. From Casa (home, heritage) and Salú (cheers), we created Casalú—an open door to our culture, inclusive for everyone. We tested it like Red Bull: could Casalú Football Club work? Could Casalú Formula One? It stuck.
MB: Talk about getting started—were you working other jobs too?
GG: Yes. We validated by applying to the NC State Startup Accelerator. We got $5,000 in non-diluted funding. We spent $1,000 on a trademark, $4,000 on a keg, then went to Miami, crashed parties, and tested. That validation process proved the idea.
A CPG oracle, Andrea from Snackshot, spotted us early. A VC even bought a fake Casalú can online—we weren’t even ready yet. That feedback pushed us to raise capital.
MB: How did fundraising go?
GG: In 2021, we met with a mentor from NC State, who was on the board of Caesars Entertainment. He believed in us, reached out to Caesars leadership, and they funded our round. They’ve been our biggest backers ever since.
MB: Wow. And today?
GG: We’ve grown a lot. Started with one flavor, no distribution. Now we’re in Florida with Breakthru, the distributor for High Noon. We’re in Winn-Dixie Liquors, Fresh Market, Total Wine, and soon Whole Foods and Walmart. Also started selling in North Carolina.
MB: What was it like getting into retail?
GG: Extremely tough. The alcohol industry is three-tiered: maker, distributor, retailer. You can only be one. Early on, we tried opening retail ourselves, but the key was finding champions within distributors to push us in. We incentivized them to take the risk, and once it worked, momentum carried us further.
MB: Now the challenge is driving velocity.
GG: Exactly. Getting on shelves is step one. Selling through is the real challenge.
MB: So Florida is your main focus?
GG: Yes. Prove velocity there, then scale.
MB: At 21, did you think you’d be here?
GG: No. I once said I’d never touch CPG. And here I am. Ironically, the main investor in a company I interned at years ago is now an investor in Casalú. Full circle.
MB: What’s your advice for someone starting a business?
GG: Start. You’ll learn more than in any other way. But also understand the economics of your industry. CPG is different from tech, services, anything else. And keep tempo—sales cure everything. Get out and sell.
Find Gabe on Linkedin and follow Casalú Instagram!
As for us, follow @namedrop.pod on Instagram & LinkedIn and@molbakes on Instagram for all future episodes and insights.
