For decades, the energy drink category has been defined by neon colors, extreme sports, and a list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients. But Michelle Cordeiro Grant, the serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of building $100M+ community-first brands, is flipping the script by making energy flavorful and, even more importantly, female-first. Her latest venture, GORGIE , isn’t just an energy drink; it’s a category-defining wellness brand that has officially made energy feel aspirational again. Following a breakout year that saw the brand become the number one fastest-growing energy drink in the natural channel, GORGIE further bent the rules to expand its functional lineup with the launch of GORGIE Protein.

The move comes on the heels of a major strategic milestone with media mogul and entrepreneur Alix Earle joining the brand as a strategic investor. By combining Earle’s cultural influence with Grant’s expertise, GORGIE is positioning itself as the definitive beneficial beverage for a new generation of health-conscious consumers. Cordeiro Grant is no stranger to disruption. After scaling her first company, LIVELY, from a simple concept to a $105 million acquisition by Wacoal in under three years, she turned her attention to the $20 billion energy market. For Michelle, the transition from intimates to ingredients was less about the product and more about the person.

The inspiration for GORGIE struck while Grant was living in Florida, where she noticed a stark disconnect: women who invested heavily in their skincare and fitness were carrying energy drinks that felt "built for CrossFit aficionados and intense gamers," but not for them. She realized that the same woman who wanted "Leisurée" also wanted a "better-for-you" boost that didn’t come with a side of jitters or a crash. “We created GORGIE after thousands of asks from our community,” says Cordeiro Grant.

True to her community-led roots, GORGIE went from idea to retail shelf in just six months. Grant treats her customers as a de facto R&D department, crowdsourcing feedback and product expansions via social media. The result? A philosophy ensuring that by the time a product hits the shelf, it already has a built-in fan base waiting for it. Her marketing playbook is simple: listen to the consumer.

“I believe it's a combo of instinct and just obsessive listening! I’ve never walked into a category thinking I already knew the answer. I walk in, asking myself, which audiences aren’t being looked after here? Who are they, what are the gaps, and why? There are so many thriving multi billion dollar categories with amazing legacy brands still holding sincere market share; however, are those brand still delivering and creating what the world wants? Are they delivering on the conversations, wants and needs that are being shared and shouted in our communities and on social? With LIVELY, it was women who wanted to feel confident and comfortable, not provocative. With GORGIE, it also was women at first! Where was the drink for us, the one we were proud to hold, post and share like a beauty product? Once I started digging (i.e. asking everyone I could), I realized that there was an invisible gap! There was a large group of humans walking into retailers like Whole Foods and realizing they couldn’t buy an energy drink they loved because of the ingredients. It was super difficult to find one without sucralose, erythritol, and aspartame,” she further shared.

“When the cashier tells you they can’t sell you the trendy drink because of what’s in it, that’s your gap right there! Immediately after that conversation, I just asked the biggest audience I could find, TikTok! I posted the question, what if we made an energy meets wellness drink? 100,000 likes in such quick succession, and GORGIE was born. All to say, the playbook is actually pretty simple: find the massive category that legacy brands stopped listening to, go talk to the people who are being underserved, and build with them, not just for them. Find unique and personal ways to surprise and delight. Put real faces on the can. Listen when they choose benefits like L- Theanine instead of BCAAs, and say they want a maximum of 150mg of caffeine. Let them vote on new flavors. Let them find those chosen new flavors (like our protein line) in Target before it even launches and flood social with hundreds of posts. When you co-create with your community instead of just selling to them, the brand almost builds itself. That’s not just instinct, that’s asking the right people the right questions, listening obsessively, and actually following through on what they tell you. Our community has been a constant pillar to our success, and over time we’ve created structures to continue leaning in on engagement with them!”

Grant’s playbook has always been community-first. Just as she grew LIVELY through a network of 165,000 ambassadors, she built GORGIE by treating followers as collaborators. When Grant initially considered launching wellness supplements in powder or candy form, she turned to her community via Google Forms and social media surveys. The verdict was unanimous: they wanted a ready-to-drink beverage. This organic connection is what ultimately brought mega influencer Alix Earle into the fold as a strategic investor. Earle, who famously used GORGIE to fuel her grueling rehearsals on Dancing With The Stars , transitioned from a loyal consumer to an equity partner. “GORGIE didn’t just keep me awake - it sustained a demanding training schedule without the crash I’ve experienced from other energy drinks,” Earle noted. For Grant, bringing Earle on was less about her 10 million followers and more about a shared vision to make wellness feel fun and authentic.

While GORGIE’s sparkling energy drinks have already secured their spot as the #1 independent brand in Target and the fastest-growing energy brand in the U.S. natural channel, Michelle is already moving on to the next frontier with GORGIE Protein , the first of its kind to hit the market. The brand’s expansion into protein combines 150mg of clean green tea caffeine with 8g of protein, Biotin, B Vitamins, and L-Theanine. This functional combination is designed for the multi-hyphenate woman who needs her morning pick-me-up to work as hard as she does. When GORGIE launched its new Protein Energy Drink, more than 100,000 cans had already sold before the official announcement, as their brand fans organically discovered it on shelves at their local Target stores and quickly began sharing it widely.

The brand’s momentum is visible in high-traffic hubs of wellness culture. GORGIE was the first-ever energy smoothie featured at Erewhon in 2024, and the demand was so high that it was brought back for a three-month encore in 2025 and featured a continuous sellout. Today, GORGIE is a national powerhouse, shipping to every state in the U.S. each week. With GORGIE, Grant is playing the long game, turning a playful energy drink into a longevity brand. Looking forward, Michelle’s vision is firmly set on functional ingredients like creatine and collagen that support general longevity and cognitive health. The emphasis on longevity is particularly poignant at this moment in time, with recent reports suggesting that caffeine intake may be linked to a reduced risk of dementia later in life.

By combining these high-performance ingredients with GORGIE’s signature vibe, Cordeiro Grant is ensuring that her community isn’t just energized for the afternoon, they’re fueled for the future. With $37 million in funding to date and a community that reorders every eight days on average, GORGIE isn’t just playing in the energy aisle; it’s owning it. Cordeiro Grant told me she’s not slowing down anytime soon with GORGIE Protein launching in HEB and Costco in March.