Coast Guard, Cold Milk, and a Cuban Kid's First Taste of America Pt. 2

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Tonight's Episode

Sandwiches and cold milk. That's what greeted a five-year-old Gino Santos when the U.S. Coast Guard pulled his family off a sinking shrimp boat and brought them ashore in Key West. For a kid who had just spent the crossing crammed into a shrimp hold with his grandmother, it was heaven. That same resilience and hunger would define Gino's path decades later when he and his brother Henry built Premium Blend Cocktails from nothing. In this episode, Gino walks Forrest through:

The harrowing details of the family's escape from Cuba — a stolen shrimp boat, Soviet-era communism, a Bay of Pigs connection, and a Coast Guard rescue
His academic path through Stetson University and an MBA from the University of Miami
How a sales job with Oscar Mayer led him to discover a wine-based spirit product that nobody was marketing correctly
The origin of the Premium Blend partnership with his brother Henry, who was running a Colombian mining equipment company in Miami at the time
The critical role of Florida Distillers and a mentor named Chris Mitchell, who took a chance on two unknown entrepreneurs with no industry experience
Why education was Premium Blend's biggest early challenge — and how "getting the liquid to the lips" at trade shows and samplings changed everything

The wine-based cocktail space has exploded since the 90s, and Premium Blend was there at the beginning — grinding through skepticism one margarita at a time.

Learn more at premiumblend.com

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Key Takeaways

Gino Santos was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard as a five-year-old from a sinking shrimp boat during his family's escape from Cuba, where he was first given sandwiches and cold milk upon reaching Key West.
Gino and his brother Henry co-founded Premium Blend Cocktails, a wine-based spirit product company, after Gino discovered the product during a sales job with Oscar Mayer and Henry transitioned from running a Colombian mining equipment company.
Florida Distillers and mentor Chris Mitchell were instrumental in Premium Blend's early success, providing support to two entrepreneurs with no prior industry experience.
Premium Blend's biggest early challenge was education about the product, which was overcome by sampling and direct promotion at trade shows to get the product into consumers' hands.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Gino Santos' family escape Cuba?

They escaped on a stolen shrimp boat and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, who brought them ashore in Key West.

What was Gino's educational background?

He attended Stetson University and earned an MBA from the University of Miami.

How did Gino discover the product that became Premium Blend?

He discovered a wine-based spirit product while working a sales job with Oscar Mayer that he felt was not being marketed correctly.

Who was Chris Mitchell and what role did he play?

Chris Mitchell was a mentor at Florida Distillers who took a chance on Gino and Henry as two unknown entrepreneurs with no industry experience.

What was Premium Blend's main early challenge?

Education about the product was their biggest early challenge, which they addressed by sampling and promoting at trade shows.