Yanni Hufnagel, a former college basketball coach, is behind the success of Lemon Perfect, a flavored water startup disrupting the enhanced water market. Although his success with Lemon Perfect may seem an abrupt move from his coaching career, Hufnagel’s background has helped him build a brand that has now reached a valuation of over $100 million.
Hufnagel’s journey to creating Lemon Perfect began with a eureka moment during his last year coaching at the University of Nevada, Reno. He discovered a daily routine that involved drinking a glass of pure water with the juice of half a squeezed organic lemon as part of an intermittent fasting routine. However, he found cutting and squeezing lemons every morning annoying and messy, which prompted him to wonder if he could create a great-tasting beverage with the healthy benefits of lemon water.
With the advice of an entrepreneurial friend, Hufnagel created Lemon Perfect to capture someone’s daily routine of drinking flavored water. Lemon Perfect came to him while standing on a street corner in Paris, and he immediately registered the domain name. However, the startup had to undergo changes in its first year, including rebranding, redesigning the bottle, and reformulating the drink into a shelf-stable beverage.
Despite having yet to gain prior experience in the beverage industry, Hufnagel made big decisions that gave Lemon Perfect a chance at success. The startup went through a seed round of 40 investors, and he has been fortunate that they have always prioritized having cash in the bank. Hufnagel says that the beverage business is capital-intensive, bordering on insane, especially early when you don’t have large distributors behind you.
Lemon Perfect’s success is no fluke. Hufnagel’s experience in coaching and working with athletes to reach their goals has taught him the discipline, perseverance, and attention to detail required to run a successful startup. His background has also exposed him to various people and situations, enabling him to network and build relationships with key players in the beverage industry.
In conclusion, Yanni Hufnagel’s journey from coaching to creating Lemon Perfect is a testament to his innovative spirit and vision. Yanni Hufnagel has used his background and experience to develop a brand that provides a healthy, refreshing beverage for people’s daily routines. To reach a $5 billion valuation, Lemon Perfect is poised to disrupt the enhanced water market and cement Hufnagel’s place as a successful entrepreneur.