How HOLY conquered the mass market and cracked 60 million euros in revenue within 4 years, with HOLY co-founder Mathias Horsch

About this episode

In just four years, HOLY has grown from an idea to an international Direct-to-Consumer brand with over 60 million euros in revenue. Co-founder Mathias Horsch shows on the Unicorn Bakery Podcast how the startup built a loyal fanbase of hundreds of thousands and conquered the mass market.

From Gaming Energy Drinks to Better-for-You Soft Drink Brand

HOLY started as a powder-based gaming energy drink and quickly evolved into a broader soft drink alternative. The key to getting started? "Naivety" and fast action, as Horsch explains. Instead of planning for months, the founders brought their product to market quickly and learned through direct customer feedback.

Today, HOLY positions itself as an international Better-for-You soft drink brand offering healthier alternatives to conventional soft drinks. The product portfolio now includes energy drinks, hydration beverages, and iced tea – a strategic expansion to reach new target groups.

The Three Growth Levers: Internationalization, Distribution, and Product Expansion

Horsch identifies three central levers for HOLY's growth:

Internationalization: HOLY expanded into international markets like France and the UK early on. This step enabled the company not only to serve the German market but to scale across Europe.

Distribution: The path led from pure Direct-to-Consumer business to strategic entry into retail. While the online business formed the foundation, the retail sector opens new growth opportunities and increases brand awareness.

Product Expansion: By expanding from energy drinks to hydration and iced tea, HOLY could significantly broaden its target audience and tap into new use cases.

Community Building as Success Factor

A key building block of HOLY's success is authentic community building. The company relies on creative testing programs and works intensively with micro-influencers. This strategy creates a loyal fanbase that authentically recommends the product.

Direct customer contact is central to this approach. HOLY maintains a close relationship with its community and uses their feedback for product development. Authenticity is crucial – the brand avoids marketing jargon and communicates at eye level with its customers.

Efficient Scaling with Lean Structure

HOLY's efficiency is impressive: with only 50 employees, the company achieves over one million euros in revenue per person. HOLY achieves this efficiency through a clear focus on its core competencies.

Instead of doing everything in-house, the company relies on strategic partnerships for production and logistics. This approach keeps HOLY lean and scalable, while the internal team can focus on brand building, product development, and customer retention.

Profitability and Unit Economics in Focus

A central topic of the conversation is unit economics and customer acquisition costs. Horsch emphasizes how important it was to develop profitable unit economics early and build healthy retention rates. These metrics formed the foundation for sustainable growth.

The challenge was finding the right balance between growth and profitability. HOLY solved this through efficient customer acquisition channels and a strong focus on customer retention.

The Future: Retail Expansion and Innovative Campaigns

For the future, HOLY plans to further scale its entry into retail while simultaneously expanding its online community. Brand marketing, sampling campaigns, and innovative campaigns like "Seven vs. Wild" are set to shape the next growth phase.

The challenge in retail lies in the changed dynamics: while online customers can be reached directly, retail requires new strategies for brand awareness and product trial.

Learnings for Founders

Horsch's key insights for aspiring founders:

• –Start quickly: Naivety can be an advantage – perfect planning is less important than fast action
• –Community first: Authentic relationships with customers are more valuable than traditional advertising
• –Stay focused: Partnerships for non-core areas enable lean growth
• –Watch the metrics: Profitable unit economics are the foundation for sustainable growth

HOLY's success story shows how a clear vision, authentic community building, and efficient scaling can make a startup a market leader in just four years.