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Episode Description
I sat down with Monica Cornitcher, CEO and co-founder of Medase Cocktails, a premium non-alcoholic beverage brand redefining what it means to drink without alcohol. What started as a simple desire for a real cocktail experience without the after-effects turned into a six-figure investment and a fast-growing brand that’s now catching the attention of major retailers.
Monica shares how she and her co-founder Inga Dyer went from Zoom conversations during the pandemic to building a fully developed beverage company. Instead of rushing the process, they leaned into research, worked with a food scientist, and built a five-year strategy before launching. Their focus was clear: create authentic, full-flavor cocktails that people actually recognize and crave.
In this episode, Monica opens up about the real cost of building a physical product, navigating grief after losing her co-founder, and the strategy behind growing through direct-to-consumer before entering retail. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, intentional growth, and building a brand rooted in purpose and community.
Main Takeaways
- Why taking time to validate your idea and build a strategy can save you costly mistakes
- How to approach launching a physical product without cutting corners on quality
- The importance of direct-to-consumer growth before entering retail
- How resilience, grief, and purpose shaped the future of Medase Cocktails
- 00:00 – Introduction to Medase Cocktails
- 03:00 – Monica’s first business and corporate background
- 06:00 – The idea sparked during COVID and building with intention
- 08:00 – Why they worked with a food scientist instead of DIY
- 10:00 – Creating a 5-year business strategy before launch
- 13:00 – Identifying their target consumer and product positioning
- 21:00 – Funding the business with $100K+ of personal investment
- 26:00 – Attending Expo West and attracting investors
- 29:00 – Navigating grief after losing her co-founder
- 30:00 – Growth on Amazon and direct-to-consumer success
- 33:00 – Why retail is expensive and how to prepare for it
- 45:00 – Lessons from production mistakes and product quality control
- 47:00 – Competing in a growing non-alcoholic beverage market
- 50:00 – Lightning round insights and tools
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- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
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