DrinkUp Live Podcast

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Forty Years to a $50M Exit: Jeff House of California Cider Company on Being Early, Broke and Stubborn

2026-11-0156:11

Jeff House, founder of California Cider Company and ACE Cider, joins Samuel Anderson and Adam Smith on DrinkUp. From importing British beer and building a cider category to a roughly $50 million exit and the fight to rescue his brand, Jeff shares the long view of beverage entrepreneurship.We talk about bootstrapping, owning your brand, surviving before the market catches up, pineapple cider, national distribution, and why the exit is not always the finish line.DrinkUp | Season 5, Episode 31The Cider King: https://ciderking.net/https://drinkuppodcast.com/https://calendly.com/d/cn2n-r3x-hfx

Nobody Cares About Your Launch Party: Mad Lemon on Pay to Play, Cost of Goods and Building a Brand People Fall In Love With

2026-11-0155:23

Max and Corina, founders of Mad Lemon, join Samuel Anderson and Adam Smith on DrinkUp to talk about building a canned cocktail brand from a lemonade stand, earning reorders, distributor incentives, controlling cost of goods, and creating a community people want to join.175 Colorado accounts. A fresh start in Los Angeles. And why a big launch party is not the place to spend your last dollar.DrinkUp | Season 5, Episode 30https://drinkmadlemon.com/https://drinkuppodcast.com/https://calendly.com/d/cn2n-r3x-hfx

Thirty Stores, Ninety Days: Warren Ezra of Brand Vault 360 on Testing Before You Scale

2026-10-2401:04:13

Thirty stores. Ninety days. Test before you scale.Warren Ezra, founder of Brand Vault 360 and author of Avoid the Learning Curve, joins Sam Anderson, Adam Smith and Chris Sico on DrinkUp to talk about protecting founders from expensive mistakes.We cover honest market tests, retail velocity, sponsorship spending before launch, celebrity partnerships, speed to shelf, and why signing a distributor is only the beginning.Learn more: Brand Vault 360More DrinkUp: drinkuppodcast.comCommercial strategy and field execution: Frontline Beverage | BevAssets

The 44 Foot Shelf Problem: Brian Rosen on Capital, Bourbon Gluts and Founders Who Get Back Up

2026-10-2051:50

Every founder wants a check. Brian Rosen writes them.InvestBev founder Brian Rosen joins Sam Anderson on DrinkUp to talk about capital, bourbon inventory, crowded retail shelves, and the founders who keep getting back up.We cover the pitches that end an investor meeting, why distribution needs real support in the market, the role of credit and insurance, and why the founder can matter more than the liquid.Connect with Brian and InvestBev: investbev.comMore DrinkUp: drinkuppodcast.comCommercial strategy and field execution: Frontline Beverage | BevAssets

Craft Spirits Is Not Dead. It Just Went Back To The Tasting Room.

2026-10-1952:42

Emily Pennington of the American Craft Spirits Association joins Sam Anderson to discuss craft distillers, tasting rooms, creating demand, distributor partnerships and building a business for the long term.Season 5, Episode 25American Craft Spirits Association | DrinkUp Podcast

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