FORTO Coffee Shots: A Healthier Caffeine Alternative?
*By Madison Alworth*
Neel Premkumar, CEO of energy-shot company FORTO, thinks he can hit a billion dollars in sales in five years.
And he hopes a recent deal with Walmart can help get him there.
"It's a huge deal. Walmart took us into the coffee aisle, which is the first time a small-rated, coffee shot made it into the big boys' \[club\]," Premkumar told Cheddar on Friday.
FORTO, whose two-ounce shots contain as much caffeine as one or two cups of coffee, expanded its reach to 3,700 Walmart stores just last month.
The growth is part of what Premkumar called a "new wave of coffee."
"We've more than doubled every single year. We are probably the fastest-growing beverage brand in the U.S. at this point."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/forto-coffee-shots-for-energy).
Ben Geman, Energy Reporter at Axios, joins to discuss the latest Middle East tensions, Brent crude price swings, and why gas prices aren’t falling with oil.
Al Root, Associate Editor at Barron's, joins to discuss Tesla’s robotaxis going live in Texas—what it means for autonomy, safety, and the EV race ahead.
Dena Jalbert, M&A expert and CEO of Align Business Advisory Services, on the state of U.S. M&A: deals worth $1–$10 billion (including debt) are surging.
Jeremy Jansen, Head of Supply Chain at Wells Fargo, unpacks the ongoing trade talks between the United States and China as consumers still wonder about tariffs.
A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers is asking Elon Musk to delay his rollout of driverless ‘robotaxis’ in the state this weekend to assure the vehicles are safe enough.
The billionaire slated to takeover the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers has built a career leading businesses investing in everything from sports franchises to artificial intelligence.
IBM Fellow Jerry Chow talks IBM’s expansion of the Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, installing Heron processors that deliver utility‑scale performance.
