Episode 23: Steve Luttman from Tortoise & Volt Marketing & Ventures on founding Leblon, how Cannabis will affect the beverage industry, and what brands have to do to persevere in today's world
Steve Luttman started his career at Unilever, working in Europe, the United States, and Brazil on various brands including Lipton Iced Tea, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, and Ragu Pasta Sauce. In 2003, he joined Diageo & Moët Hennessy’s Schieffelin & Somerset as Senior VP Marketing. In 2005, he created and launched Leblon Cachaça, the leading superpremium Cachaça in the United States. Leblon is now found in over 40 countries, and was acquired by Bacardi Ltd in 2015. Steve is now the Managing Director of Tortoise & Volt Marketing & Ventures, a boutique creative marketing and innovation agency based in New York City.
In the podcast today we discuss
Why Steve decided to launch Leblon
Leblon’s initial go-to-market strategy, and barriers faced along the way
What characteristics make great entrepreneurs
When to bootstrap vs raise capital
Thoughts on how the Cannabis industry will affect the alcoholic beverage industry
…...And what brands have to do to persevere in today’s world
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Learn more about the host of Movers and Shakers, April Wachtel
