By Will Wieters
Some businesses start with pitch decks and five-year plans. Banagua started in a grocery store aisle.
During his time in Vanderbilt’s Executive MBA program, Rob Smithson, already deep in the consumer-packaged goods world, picked up a tall can that stopped him mid-shop. The ingredient list was literally the product. No additives. No flavoring. Just banana water. It was almost too simple.
“It was truly like a lightbulb,” Smithson said. “I’ve worked around beverages my whole career, and this was something I hadn’t seen done right.”
Five months in market, Banagua is no longer just a curiosity. The brand, co-founded by Smithson and fellow EMBA alum Jose Herrera, is now distributed nationally. It is an outcome that reflects both strong founder instinct and the kind of real-time execution Vanderbilt’s EMBA program is designed to unlock.
Finding Opportunity Inside the Executive MBA
Rob Smithson (Left) & Jose Carrerra (Right)
Smithson entered the EMBA program with deep product experience but a clear goal: sharpen his leadership skills, expand his strategic toolkit, and plug into a network that pushes people to think bigger. What he did not expect was how quickly the program itself would begin surfacing opportunities.
“The Executive MBA program puts you in this constant evaluation mode,” Smithson said. “You’re reading cases, breaking down markets, and talking through ideas every weekend. You start noticing gaps everywhere.”
One of those conversations happened with classmate Herrera, a seasoned operator and CEO of one of the Southeast’s largest Hispanic goods distributors. Their backgrounds complemented each other, and like many EMBA friendships, conversations naturally drifted toward ‘What could we build?’
Where the Idea Started
After discovering banana water at a local Turnip Truck, Smithson did what most EMBA students do instinctively. He went deeper. Nutritionally, banana water rivaled coconut water with higher potassium and magnesium content. Online among the Reddit community, it had a cult following. In store, retailers could not keep it on shelves.
There was just one problem: no brand behind it.
“I couldn’t sleep the whole night,” Smithson said. “My mind was just going crazy.”
He dropped a can in Herrera’s mailbox and waited. Five minutes after tasting it, Herrera called back.
“I’m in,” he said.
That was it.
Turning an Idea Into a Product
The product’s origins traced back to Thailand, where advanced bioreactor technology extracts water naturally found inside bananas. What surprised Smithson most was not just the science, but the sophistication of the operation itself. Instead of a small, makeshift facility, the production site operated more like a high-tech research campus, complete with teams of biochemists refining a process designed to preserve nutrients while minimizing waste.
The method leaves behind nutrient-rich biomass that is repurposed into biopolymers, helping reduce single-use plastic waste across Asia. For Smithson, the sustainability element was not an afterthought. It was a differentiator. “Not only is this an incredibly healthy liquid,” he said. “It’s a meaningful sustainability win.”
Just days after returning from visiting the facility overseas, Smithson was back in class—jet-lagged, energized, and ready to test the idea. Marketing strategy, category placement, pricing, and packaging were no longer hypothetical exercises. Professors offered immediate feedback. Classmates with CPG and distribution experience pressure-tested assumptions. Financial models were refined between lectures.
“Instead of guessing, I had resources immediately,” Smithson said. “The program didn’t slow this down. It accelerated it.”
What the Executive MBA Made Possible
Banagua’s momentum did not come from theory. It came from execution. Financial modeling, packaging decisions, go-to-market strategy, and category alignment all happened alongside coursework.
“When you walk into investor or distributor meetings as an Owen grad, there’s instant credibility,” Smithson said. “They know you’ve been trained to think this through.”
In an industry where only a small fraction of CPG brands survive, and even fewer reach scale, that credibility matters.
But when asked about the biggest return on his EMBA investment, Smithson does not hesitate.
“It’s the people,” he said. “You go through hard things together. Long weekends. Tough exams. High-pressure pitches. That bond doesn’t go away after graduation.”
Looking Ahead
Today, Banagua sits at the intersection of health, sustainability, and smart execution, and it continues to grow. For Smithson, the brand represents more than a successful launch.
“If Banagua hadn’t happened,” he said, “I still would have left this program thinking bigger.”
Learn More: Executive MBA