From Trade Shows to Target’s Shelves: Grow 500% in a Year with Recoup Co-founder Siwat Siengsanaoh
If you want 5x growth, you need more than a great product. In this episode, Recoup co-founder Siwat Siengsanaoh breaks down how trade shows, advisory boards, and fast feedback loops turned ginger-forward beverages into a national Target launch.
You’ll learn how to build an advisory bench, get massive distribution, expand margins, and use polarizing positioning to earn raving fans.
(00:00) Intro — From trade shows to Target shelves
(03:20) Lean teams, volunteers, and winning Pitch Slam
(06:48) Building an advisory board that moves margins
(13:16) Polarization as a brand strategy: the ginger edge
16:33) Customer feedback and fast iteration
(25:45) Rethinking risk: small bets, tight feedback loops
Drink recoup: https://www.recoupwellness.com/
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Full Transcript
Keith Cowing
Siwat, welcome back!
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Thank you for having me again.
Keith Cowing
We talked, I think, almost exactly a year ago. Catch us up — what’s happened with Recoup between then and now?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
We went to Expo West. My co-founder pitched on stage at Pitch Slam, and we won. Expo West is one of the biggest food and beverage trade shows in the country. We got a booth there and were able to connect with a ton of amazing people — one of them being the Target buyer. From there, we’ve had back and forths with Target.
Keith Cowing
Sounds like a productive trip.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Yeah! We’ll be launching Q1 of 2026 in Target, about 500 stores, so we’re super excited about that.
Keith Cowing
Congratulations. Take us into the moment — people think of trade shows as fun and glamorous. If you’ve been in the industry a long time, it can be a boondoggle. But as a startup leader, it’s stressful. You’re doing everything yourself — hustling, meetings at breakfast, meetings at night, working all day, no sleep.
What’s it really like to be at a conference when something like that is on the line? I imagine you’re doing most of this yourself.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Yeah. My co-founder and I usually fly in and hire volunteers to help with the booth.
Keith Cowing
Where do you find them?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
This one was in Anaheim. My co-founder Susan’s on the West Coast, so she reached out through beverage community forums — Naturally San Diego, Included CPG, Startup CPG. We post that we need volunteers for our booth — they get a free ticket if they’re local and want to help. Usually, we get a bunch of responses. It’s been really helpful. Those forums are fantastic.
Keith Cowing
For people not in beverage — that’s a great tactic. If you’re a lean team, bring a little help with you. There are people excited to experience it and give a hand.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. We schedule shifts so they help part of the day and then walk the show, grab food, and network.
Keith Cowing
Do you buy them tickets to the show?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
For us, we got a sponsored booth through Included CPG. You apply, they review you, and if accepted, they give you a package that includes four to five exhibitor tickets. That covered Susan, myself, and our volunteers.
Setting up is always a bear — you go in the day before, ship or hand-carry everything. It’s a lot of work. Sometimes you see other booths with more money — they show up with coffee, and it’s all set. Meanwhile, we’re pulling up banners, plugging in laptops, stocking fridges. Then the show starts — nonstop sensory overload.
People stop by, you’re talking to everyone. There are meetings outside the floor with category managers and buyers, which pull you away — so you train volunteers to represent your brand while you’re gone. We had Target pitch events, Fresh Thyme, Pitch Slam, NCN investor pitches — all across three or four days. Between sessions, you make sure you’ve eaten and stayed hydrated. Luckily, at food and beverage shows, there’s always food.
Keith Cowing
And a nice Recoup to stay hydrated.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly! But yeah, when you’re done, you’re exhausted. Then you spend the next few days reviewing notes, following up, organizing leads — it’s a process.
Keith Cowing
Let’s talk about building the company. Before this, we were talking about you building an advisory board. That’s key — not just for founders, but for anyone learning to surround themselves with people who augment their strengths.
How did you build your advisory board, and what impact has it had on Recoup?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Our business and our advisory board really grew in parallel. From the start, I wanted a soundboard — people I could reach out to when facing challenges. As Susan and I grew our network in food and beverage, we found experts for different areas of the business.
I now meet twice a month with an advisor focused on supply chain logistics. We highlight the top three challenges, set short- and long-term goals, and review progress. His direction and introductions have accelerated our business more than I could have imagined.
Keith Cowing
It sounds like it’s made a huge difference.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Absolutely. Before, I’d reach out to five or six people and get piecemeal answers. Now I have one person with deep experience who helps me focus and make decisions. If I’d known how impactful that would be, I would’ve done it earlier. It weeds out the noise and helps me operate faster and with more confidence.
Keith Cowing
And once you’ve decided, you execute.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. Once I commit, I go full steam ahead. That mindset — face the challenge, fix it, learn — has allowed me to step back and say, okay, if I have help on supply chain, what other areas need that same support? Now we’re finding advisors for sales, marketing, and other functions — each an expert in their domain.
Keith Cowing
And that advisor who helped you the most — how did you meet him?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Susan pitched at BevNet and won. He was an investor there and later invested in Recoup. Once I saw his expertise, I asked if he’d meet with me twice a month to help reduce costs and improve margins.
Keith Cowing
That’s such a disciplined approach. One of the hardest jobs as a founder is making high-stakes decisions quickly with limited info. Having someone help you separate signal from noise must be invaluable.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
It is. He helps me focus on what matters — I’ll never have 100% of the information, but if I’m 75–80% clear, I move forward confidently. I’m comfortable not knowing everything, as long as I’m learning and closing those gaps.
Keith Cowing
Let’s talk about the brand itself and your story. One of the hardest things in any business — beverage, software, whatever — is standing out. There’s so much noise. I remember a year ago I asked about ginger — it’s polarizing. You didn’t hesitate. You said, “It’s ginger, period.”
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Yeah, my advisor always asks, “Do you know why you exist in the market?” Susan and I talk about that constantly. Ginger was always the foundation — because of its health benefits and how it’s helped me personally.
We’ve stuck firmly to that. And our ingredients are recognizable — turn our can around, and you’ll see watermelon juice, maple water, pineapple juice, lemon juice — nothing artificial. No added sugar, no stevia, no monk fruit. It’s clean and simple.
Keith Cowing
You’re not trying to be for everyone.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. If someone doesn’t like ginger, that’s fine — we’re not for everyone. But our fans love us. They love the spice, the strength.
Keith Cowing
You want raving fans, not mild approval.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Right. And we’re not a sweet beverage — that’s intentional. We’ve even pushed back with our formulator when new samples tasted too sweet. That’s not us.
Keith Cowing
There’s designing for your taste versus designing for the market. How do you balance that?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
When I started, our drinks were very ginger-forward — strong and tangy. Over time, we learned from feedback. We run focus groups and surveys, iterate on flavor balance, and adjust. Susan really refined that process — she’s great at honing in on what works for the broader audience without losing who we are.
Keith Cowing
Walk me through how that feedback loop works.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
We send samples to people who’ve reached out on our site, ask them to try new flavors, and fill out a short survey — sometimes paper, sometimes digital. We collect the responses, look for themes like “too tart” or “needs more ginger,” iterate with our formulator, and test again. It’s an ongoing loop.
Keith Cowing
That’s such a great way to involve your customers — they become part of the journey.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. They feel invested and share it with their communities, which grows our base organically.
Keith Cowing
There’s a clear thread of empowerment through everything you do — empowering customers, your team, your students.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Yeah, throughout my career I’ve always looked back to see who I can help bring up. I know what it’s like to not have a straight career path. Most people don’t. Sometimes they don’t need hand-holding — they need guidance and options to explore what they love. I try to help them cut through the noise.
Keith Cowing
And once they get close to something, they can decide — this is for me or it’s not — and then adjust course.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. And you can always come back to your advisors and say, here’s what I tried, here’s what I learned, what’s next? That feedback loop applies to everything — business, career, product.
Keith Cowing
Speaking of empowerment — teaching. We’re here at Cornell Tech today. You’re a coach in the Startup Studio, helping students build products and companies. You’re running Recoup and teaching — are you just a sucker for punishment?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Haha — maybe! But every chance I get to help people take an idea and turn it into something tangible, I say yes. If I’d known opportunities like this existed earlier in my career, I’d have jumped at them. Now, with this campus and community, people can test ideas safely. There’s a safety net here — you can take risks, make mistakes, and learn.
Keith Cowing
That’s so true. I tell my students, the whole point is to lower the bar for risk so creativity can flourish. Brainstorm without judgment — that’s how ideas grow.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. Even as a teacher, I try new things here that I might bring into leadership workshops later. This environment encourages experimentation.
Keith Cowing
I remember when my MBA professor said, “If you make the wrong decision here, you’re not losing millions of dollars or getting fired — it’s okay to make mistakes.” That rewired my thinking.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Same. It made me take bolder risks, test hypotheses, and just try. I was cold emailing people in different industries just to learn.
Keith Cowing
That’s how you build a healthy relationship with risk — realizing the downside is rarely as bad as your brain tells you.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. Building a community around you — people who listen and advise — helps, too. That network gives you confidence to take the next step.
Keith Cowing
I love that. It’s not about leaping off a cliff; it’s about taking the next small step, getting feedback, and iterating.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Totally. People think it’s all or nothing — but it’s not. Make one bottle, show it to someone, ask for feedback. Then do it again. Every loop reduces the risk.
Keith Cowing
Yes — it’s the feedback loop that matters. You start, test, adjust, repeat. The risk shrinks with every iteration.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. And if you look at it that way, risk isn’t nearly as risky as it seems at the start.
Keith Cowing
That’s one of my biggest lessons from business school — the real learning happens after the customer touches your product.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. You can study business history all day, but the moment you build something, put it in someone’s hands, and ask them to buy — that’s where the real feedback comes from.
Keith Cowing
That’s why I love this campus — students are actually building and testing. The iteration is the education.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Totally. My 10 student groups are in ideation now, and soon they’ll build and test. That process — going from idea to something real that people can react to — that’s the magic.
Keith Cowing
Otherwise, you get stuck in endless brainstorming with no feedback.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Exactly. Testing gives you real answers, and that’s what keeps you moving forward.
Keith Cowing
Last question — how are you thinking about community today? For your brand, your life, your mentoring?
Siwat Siengsanaoh
As a brand, Susan and I stay close to our supporters — posting updates on social, checking in with retailers like Wegmans, doing demos, saying hi to people who find us in stores. That’s our community.
As a mentor, it’s opportunities like this — coaching at Cornell Tech, guiding early founders. When you make the effort to engage with people, you find others who want to engage back. That’s what community is — on both sides of my life, business and personal.
Keith Cowing
Beautifully said. These are great lessons — building an advisory board, standing out authentically, building community, and using feedback to grow. All timeless skills for building a business, a brand, or a career.
Last time you were talking about getting a little more distribution — now you’re talking about Target. Can’t wait to hear what’s next for Recoup. Congrats on all the progress.
Siwat Siengsanaoh
Thanks so much. I’d love to come back next year.
Keith Cowing
Awesome. Thanks, Siwat.
