Ben Colvin, founder of Devil’s Foot Beverage, shares how he has built a growing beverage company without following the typical “scale fast” playbook.  Devil’s Foot is a craft soda company that makes non-alcoholic beverages using real fruit and herbs sourced directly from regional farms.

From day one, he made a set of decisions that limit how the business can grow—using real fruit instead of concentrates, working directly with regional farmers, and choosing distribution partners that prioritize relationships over reach. Those choices show up everywhere: in cost structure, in how they enter new markets, and in how they spend marketing dollars.

Instead of flooding new regions or optimizing for efficiency, they expand by building local partnerships, supporting community organizations, and hiring people who are already embedded in those markets.

This episode is a look at what it actually takes to scale a business while holding the line on product quality, sourcing decisions, and how you show up in the communities you enter.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why they chose real fruit and direct farm relationships despite higher cost and complexity
• How “farm to can” decisions impact margins, supply chain planning, and brand positioning
• The tradeoff between USDA organic certification and maintaining long-term farmer relationships
• How they evaluate new supplier opportunities that could lower costs but shift the product
• The role of weekly leadership discussions in pressure-testing decisions against company standards
• Why they avoided large-scale distribution early and instead partnered with beer distributors
• How beer distribution created stronger on-the-ground relationships and better account penetration
• Their approach to entering new markets through local nonprofits and community partnerships
• Why marketing dollars are spent in communities instead of on traditional advertising
• How they hire local operators to build credibility and relationships in new regions
• The tension between scaling production capacity and maintaining sourcing standards
• Why they prioritize depth in a market before expanding reach

TIMESTAMPS

02:00 – Patagonia story and early influence on business philosophy
04:40– Founding Devil’s Foot and identifying the product gap
10:39 – Real fruit sourcing and cost tradeoffs
17:35 – How decisions are filtered internally
22:00 – Marketing approach and storytelling choices
28:40 – Rejecting traditional scale strategies
31:20 – Distribution through beer networks
33:45 – Entering new markets through community partnerships
35:15 – Hiring locally to support expansion
36:30 – Scaling challenges and operational tradeoffs
42:50 – Advice for founders on staying aligned

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Devil’s Foot Brewing
• Ben Colvin LinkedIn
• Devil’s Foot Brewing LinkedIn 
• Core Impact Strategy
• Anne Oudersluys LinkedIn 
• Core Impact Newsletter