Building a Product Lineup That Wins

Stop guessing. Start building with intention.

Most beverage brands build their product lineups reactively - one SKU at a time, in response to pressure, opportunity, or gut instinct. The result? Products that compete with each other, confuse distributors, and dilute focus.

This playbook shows you how to design a product lineup where every SKU has a clear role, sales teams know what to lead with, and your roster works together instead of against itself.

Inside this playbook:

• The 4 Core Product Roles — How to assign every SKU a specific job (Volume Builder, Flagship, Seasonal, Profit Engine) so your lineup functions as a system

• The Basketball Roster Framework — Why great lineups work like great teams, and how to stop putting three scorers on the floor at once

• Product Attribute Checklist — Pressure-test every product before launch to ensure it fits its role and supports your economics

• Sales Priority Mapping — Translate product roles into clear selling strategies so reps lead with the right SKU in the right account

• Distributor Value Alignment — Design your lineup to make distributors' jobs easier, so they prioritize your brand

• Current Roster Audit Worksheet — Step-by-step framework to identify gaps, overlap, and internal competition

• 12-24 Month Lineup Plan — Build a strategic roadmap for strengthening, adding, or sunsetting products with intention

30 pages. Fully actionable. Built from real brands that win.

This playbook is for beverage brand owners and operators who:

• Are building their first product lineup and want to design it with intention from day one

• Have multiple SKUs but lack clarity on which products should lead in which accounts

• Feel like their lineup is competing with itself instead of working together

• Want to design products that distributors actually prioritize and retailers actually support

• Are ready to build a portfolio with structure, not guesswork

After working through this playbook, you'll:

• Assign a clear role to every product in your lineup

• Identify which SKUs are creating friction, overlap, or internal competition

• Know exactly which product to lead with in which type of account

• Build a 12-24 month product roadmap grounded in strategy, not guesswork

• Design future products with distributor value and sales clarity built in from day one