A Drink with Legacy, a Brand with New Life

The origin story of Sunset begins not in a pitch deck or focus group, but around a dinner table. Matthias Memminger was debating German sodas with his sons and when one name kept coming up: Paulaner Spezi—a citrus-cola hybrid that’s outsold Coca-Cola in parts of Germany since the 1970s. Beloved by locals, nearly unknown abroad.

That conversation sparked an idea. Though not affiliated with Paulaner, Memminger negotiated rights to sell Spezi in the U.S. under a new name. He launched Dreaming Sunset Inc, began importing the drink directly from Munich, and rebranded it Sunset—keeping everything else the same: the taste, the formula, even the retro aesthetic.

“We didn’t change the drink. We just gave it a passport,” Memminger said.

Initial growth came fast. Within months, Sunset was stocked in over 120 stores across California. But Memminger quickly realized traditional retail had limits. “Bricks and mortar was good to learn from,” he said, “but not scalable.”

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Focus, Friction, and Finding the Right Pace

The real growth came online. Today, 80% of Sunset’s sales are through e-commerce—split evenly between Shopify and Amazon. Subscriptions are already at 35% on Shopify, and Amazon unlocked key features like recurring orders after hitting volume benchmarks.

The team is lean by design: just seven people, most under 24, with no formal background in consumer packaged goods. Most functions—marketing support, logistics, even retail activations—are outsourced.

But keeping momentum is tricky. Every order is bottled in Munich and shipped to the U.S., with a four-week lead time. Under-forecast, and stock runs out mid-promo. Over-forecast, and inventory hits sell-by limits.

Local bottling is on the roadmap, but complex. Tariffs, freshness, and brand licensing all factor in. “At one stage we have to look at bottling in the U.S.,” Memminger said. “It’s the biggest lever we have to solve a lot of issues.”

Sunset currently offers just two SKUs—original and sugar-free. Paulaner still owns the rights to any flavor modifications, which means expansion is off the table for now. But Memminger sees that as a strength.

“Honestly, it’s quite healthy to have just one product. It keeps us focused.”

Looking ahead, the goal is steady—not explosive—growth. Hit $1 million in revenue by the end of 2025. Launch on Walmart’s online marketplace. Expand selectively in retail, but keep e-commerce as the core engine.

“Every day there’s a new problem,” Memminger said. “But most problems are either solvable or ignorable. You just have to decide which is which.”

In a hyper-competitive U.S. beverage market, Sunset’s staying power isn’t guaranteed—but it’s real. The brand is gaining traction, building repeat customers, and proving that a little-known German classic still has something new to say.

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