TESSO Is Officially (Soft) Launched!

I can finally say it: TESSO is officially (soft) launched.

No big announcement, no PR blast, no marketing budget.
Just me, my backpack stuffed with cold cans, and a list of places I hoped might take a chance on a tequila espresso martini from a first-time founder.

I’ve been going door to door — literally — pitching TESSO to liquor stores, bars, buyers, managers, and anyone who’ll give me five minutes. It’s equal parts exhilarating and exhausting.

And let me tell you:
I’ve gotten mostly no’s.

No’s from people who don’t want to add anything new.
No’s because tequila espresso martinis aren’t “a thing.”
No’s because I’m too new, too early, or not on their preferred distributor list.

But every “no” is making the “yes” moments feel that much sweeter.

🥂 The First Wins

We’re officially on shelves in 3 liquor stores and 1 bar.
I could cry typing that.

Not because it’s a huge number — but because it represents hundreds of hours of work, learning, rejection, refining the pitch, carrying heavy backpacks, and believing in something that didn’t exist a few months ago.

And online?
We sold out of our first drop.
And the orders keep coming.

This launch has been small, scrappy, unpolished — and completely perfect.

🚪 The Door-to-Door Grind

There’s no manual for how to hand-sell a beverage brand.
There’s no script for how to introduce yourself to someone who’s never heard of you, with a product they didn’t ask for.

So you just… figure it out.
You listen.
You get better at telling your story.
You learn to take the no’s as information, not failure.
And you celebrate the yes’s like they’re gold.

This is the part of entrepreneurship no one glamorizes — and honestly, it’s the part I’m most proud of.

🚀 This Is Only the Beginning

We’re not widely distributed yet.
We’re not everywhere (yet).
We don’t have huge inventory or a national footprint (yet).

But we’re live.
We’re selling.
People are drinking TESSO in the real world — not just out of sample cups or test batches, but from real cans pulled off real shelves.

It’s surreal.
It’s motivating.
It’s the start of something big.

If this is what a soft launch looks like… I can’t wait for what’s next.

More updates soon — and thank you to everyone who’s believed, bought, shared, tasted, or just cheered me on.

Cheers,

- Austin