Tastes Like Money: Rumchata and the Making of a Beloved Brand - Hardcover

by Tom E. Maas (Author)

An extraordinary tale that starts with a home kitchen recipe and ends with the multi-million-dollar sale of a world-famous liquor company - and everything in between

In Tastes Like Money, veteran liquor industry leader and founder of RumChata - the clever kitchen experiment that became a global phenomena - Tom Maas, delivers a first-hand story that exposes the behind-the-scenes battles, trademark wars, crises, and triumphs that built a world-famous product.

The book begins with the day Maas was unceremoniously and unexpectedly dismissed from his role as Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Jim Beam at age 49. From there, the author details the ups and downs of what would turn out to be his true calling: the creation of a drink called RumChata. Tastes Like Money draws generalizable lessons from Maas' wild ride: about passionate selling, brand protection, and the critical importance of never compromising on quality or cutting corners just to make a quick buck.

In the book, you'll also find:

• Specific strategies for building distributor relationships without the benefit of a huge corporate war chest
• How to compete against industry titans when you've got a target on your back
• A detailed, unvarnished memoir of from-scratch ingenuity from an entrepreneur who pulled out all the stops in the pursuit of his dream

Perfect for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking inspiration and guidance as they navigate their own business journeys, Tastes Like Money is a gripping and instructive story about ambition, resilience - and a little bit of luck. It's a must-read for everyone interested in how a global brand got built from scratch and what it took to make it happen.

Front Jacket

In Tastes Like Money, veteran liquor industry executive and the founder and creator of RumChata, a popular cream liqueur, Tom Maas delivers a no-holds-barred account of how he transformed a homemade horchata recipe into one of the most successful cream liqueur launches in modern spirits history. Drawing on close to fifty years' experience with industry powerhouses like Jim Beam, Jack Daniel's, and Canadian Club, Maas reveals how he bootstrapped RumChata into a billion-dollar phenomenon that generated over $2.5 billion in retail sales across 26 countries.

This gripping entrepreneurial memoir takes readers inside the high-stakes world of the spirits industry, exposing trademark wars with billion-dollar competitors, the delicate art of building distributor relationships as the underdog, and the behind-the-scenes battles that determined whether RumChata would succeed or fail. Maas shares the hard-won lessons that fueled his company's success, created the Cinnamon Toast Crunch shot craze, and earned appearances on Jeopardy! and The Big Bang Theory. Along the way, you'll explore the critical importance of passionate selling, unwavering quality standards, and brand protection strategies that turned a long-shot startup into a top five liqueur in the United States.

Tastes Like Money is essential reading for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for actionable insights into building a business against impossible odds, spirits industry professionals fascinated by one of the category's greatest David-versus-Goliath success stories, and anyone who believes in the power of perseverance, creativity, and the American Dream. It's a powerful narrative that entertains while it informs, proving that with the right combination of expertise, determination, and a little bit of luck, even your most audacious dreams can become reality.

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR Tastes Like Money

"I LOVE it.... Like Shoe Dog, it describes a world no one knows about."
--Jim Cramer, Host of CNBC's Mad Money and New York Times Bestselling Author of How to Make Money in Any Market

"I first met Tom at Jim Beam and have always enjoyed working with him, always a true gentleman. Admirably, his remarkable and well-deserved success with RumChata has never changed him."
--Jim Clerkin, Former President and CEO, Mo?t Hennessy USA

Author Biography

TOM MAAS is the founder and creator of RumChata. He has close to fifty years' experience in the liquor industry, having held senior executive positions at Jim Beam, Brown-Forman, and Hiram Walker. Maas currently oversees the Dancing Goat Distillery in Wisconsin, continuing his family's whiskey-making legacy while mentoring the next generation of spirits entrepreneurs. He resides in Illinois with his wife and business partner, Susan.