How Michelle Cordeiro Grant Built Get Gorgie into the Energy Brand Women Deserve
Michelle Cordeiro Grant didn't just launch another drink she launched a wellness movement.
Michelle Cordeiro Grant has a thing for starting movements disguised as brands. First, she founded Lively, a lingerie company built around confidence over cleavage, and sold it for $105 million in just three years. Then she came back with Get Gorgie, a sparkling energy drink that doesn’t just fuel your workday, it fits your lifestyle.
Unlike the frat boy branding of old school energy drinks, Get Gorgie is unapologetically designed for modern wellness consumers: women who want clean caffeine, zero sugar, real adaptogens, and something they’re not embarrassed to post on their feed. With Gorgie, Michelle didn’t just launch another drink. She redefined what energy should look like.
From Corporate to Founder and Back Again
Michelle’s background reads like the founder origin story every branding student dreams of. She was a Victoria’s Secret executive who realized the industry was selling confidence all wrong. So she built Lively, a brand centered around community, not just product. After selling it in 2019, Michelle planned to take a breather.
Then came the pandemic. And with it, the same stillness and self reflection that sparked so many pandemic born businesses. Michelle asked herself what she wanted to build next. The answer was energy, but done differently.
Gorgie launched in 2023, and within months it landed on shelves at Target and Erewhon. In 2025, the brand closed a $24.5 million Series A, no small feat in a crowded CPG landscape.
What Made Gorgie Work So Fast?
It wasn’t luck. It was intention. Michelle built Gorgie the way she built Lively, by putting community at the center of everything. She hosted live taste tests on Instagram, responded directly to early customers, and launched the brand’s digital blog, The Good Energy Edit, to elevate wellness stories and culture.
Her instincts were backed by strategy:
She nailed product market fit. Gorgie wasn’t just clean and adaptogenic, it was also functional and fun.
She understood shelf appeal. Gorgie cans are candy colored and instantly recognizable. This made them photogenic, shareable, and deeply brandable.
She put storytelling at the core. Michelle didn’t just launch a product. She launched a platform for conversations about energy, wellness, and ambition.
What Founders Can Learn from Michelle’s Playbook
If you’re launching a beverage brand, or honestly, any product built around consumer emotion, Michelle’s path offers a blueprint worth studying. Here's how to reverse engineer her approach:
1. Design for Community First
Michelle didn’t build Gorgie in a vacuum. She created a feedback loop from day one, treating customers like collaborators instead of consumers.
2. Get Uncomfortably Specific
Gorgie isn’t for everyone. And that’s the point. Michelle knew exactly who she was designing for and made no apologies for owning her niche.
3. Brand with Soul
Gorgie isn’t just functional, it’s aspirational. The name, the packaging, the voice, it all feels human. Brands that win today aren’t just clean, they’re clear.
4. Grow Loudly and Authentically
Michelle didn’t hide behind a boardroom. She showed up on camera, talked about entrepreneurship honestly, and let people see the real work behind the pretty can.
Final Sip
Michelle Cordeiro Grant isn’t just building beverage brands. She’s building cultural artifacts, things that say something about the people who use them. Whether you’re bootstrapping your first CPG product or pitching investors for a second round raise, there’s something to learn from how she listens, launches, and leads.
She’s not chasing trends. She’s setting them. And that’s the kind of founder every entrepreneur should know.
