It’s tough starting a business. Doing it with your brother brings added challenges. Even more so when he’s your roommate, too.

Courtney and Carter Reum, both veterans of Goldman Sachs, run Veev Spirits LLC, a company they launched that makes liquor distilled from acai berry juice. And they share a house.

“The toughest part about being brothers and partners is calling each other out, pushing each other without getting personal,” said Carter Reum. “With siblings, it can get very personal very quickly.”

The idea for the company began when they first tasted acai juice during a 2003 surf vacation in Brazil. Courtney Reum, now 32, decided the berry’s reputation as a health enhancer made it a good base for a spirit.

The brothers contracted with a distiller to produce Veev. In 2006, Courtney Reum quit his job at Goldman in Australia, bought a house in Los Angeles and started selling the spirit to clubs and restaurants.

A few months later, Carter Reum, 29, left his post at Goldman in New York and moved in with his brother to help with the business. The brothers still room together, but the company has set up an office in the Fairfax District near their home. Veev has 40 employees and annual revenue of nearly $5 million.

Being roommates has certain advantages, though – especially for brainstorming.

“We find our best ideas come in the morning,” said Carter Reum. “It’s nice to have Courtney nearby when I wake up.”