We were lucky to catch up with Joe Grasso recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joe, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My grandparents, on both my mother’s and my father’s side of the family, we’re Italian immigrants. They came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century seeking a better way of life. They were young, poor and hungry, but they had a burning desire to work, prosper and raise their families. I think that ethos, combined with a belief that anything is possible continues, and has permeated every facet of our family since; we’re workers and believers, plain and simple. My grandparents were entrepreneurs and small business owners. Over the years they owned bakeries, butcher shops and farms, as well as ice cream shops and barber shops. I watched my father and mother both work and have careers throughout their lives. I started working an actual job when I was 13, and prior to that it was lawn mowing and paper routes, the usual stuff. We’ve just always worked hard and believed in doing the best job possible. And so if there is any work ethic that I have, I can trace it directly to the DNA of my parents and grandparents and to the example they set for all of us.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We’re a small LA-based family craft-spirit brand. We handcraft Mario’s Hard Espresso in small batches using my father Mario’s Sicilian recipe. We came to market about 18 months ago, and in that time it’s been like having a tiger by the tail. Mario’s is currently in over 200 locations in 3 states and growing.
For as far back as I can remember, my dad made his Hard Espresso for friends and family. Nothing made him happier than people getting together to share a drink, a story and a laugh, and it’s why we do what we do every day. It’s super fun too. The best part is that as a small family brand honoring my dad, we get to tell his story and share his Crazy Delicious concoction every day. We get to watch as people learn about him, and we get to see the giant smile come across their face when they try Mario’s for the first time. They realize their having something really special. An amazing spirit that’s made with care, is incredibly good, and comes from a real family with an authentic history, and not something created by some giant corporation somewhere. And that just feels amazing for us.
Mario’s Hard Espresso is a true Espresso liqueur that contains only 4 ingredients; 100% Arabica Dark Roast Espresso, Organic Madagascar Vanilla, Cane Sugar and Triple-Distilled Grain Neutral Spirit. And Mario’s is naturally Vegan and Gluten-Free too. Pretty cool stuff. Did I mention it’s also delicious?
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I’m not really comfortable talking about my skills or knowledge, because while I may have some, I really don’t think about it. I’ve just tried to maintain a clear sense of what Mario’s Hard Espresso is as a brand, what we stand for, and how best to convey it.
If I’ve learned anything it’s to trust my gut. I use my Dad as our North Star, and then listen to the little voice that tells me what feels right and what feels wrong. I hear it, acknowledge it, and act on it accordingly. I feel like if we can always focus on integrity and doing what is right, than whatever happens will be right too.
I just try to stay true to the key elements, and those are:
1) Honoring my Dad in a way that rings true to his spirit and ethos.
2) Telling the story of Mario’s Hard Espresso honestly, and in a way that resonates with people.
3) Producing an incredibly delicious product to the absolute highest standards we are capable of.
And not only working our butts off, but having fun doing it.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I met an 86 year old artist a few years ago that carves giant wooden sculptures from huge logs by hand. Working alone with a mallet and chisel, he chops away, one little chip at a time until eventually an incredible piece emerges. Seriously amazing. I asked him how he approached a project of this magnitude; with logs so large it seems totally overwhelming. He looked at me and said, “man, people ask me that all the time and I tell ‘em. You gotta be like a termite. One small bite at a time, you don’t have to eat the whole log all at once.” For me, that was like a bomb going off in my head because I realized that the only thing that mattered was to make progress, even small progress, every day. To chip away slowly but surely knowing, and taking comfort in the fact that eventually you’ll reach your goal, and so that’s what I do.
You will always have more to do than you will have time for. Whether or not you allow yourself to become “overwhelmed” is a choice. Just make progress every day. Just keep chipping away.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drinkmarios.com
- Instagram: @marioshardespresso
- Facebook: Mario’s Hard Espresso
