Welcome to Episode 9 of the Business of Drinks podcast, our Season 1 Finale. We are joined once more by Hamlet Hound founder, Christy Frank. She’s been listening to all our interviews with experts, all of whom had great advice on how to build and grow a successful drinks business. Did she agree with any of it? And what did we learn along the way? Were we successful in our mission to show how a startup can go from idea to national distribution? Tune in and then let us know! 

Stay tuned for the key takeaways at the end of the interview as well as a sneak peak into what Season 2 will bring! 

And be the first to know about the insights, data and stories that we’ve captured ― sign up for our shiny new (and free) newsletter here.

Show concept:

This season, we followed a canned cocktail line called Hamlet Hound from launch to growth. Along the way, we interviewed key experts and asked them how a startup can go from idea to national distribution.

We’ve found that people (and brands) don't like to talk about how they become profitable, so we pulled the band-aid off and delved into actual dollars and cents.

Want to know how to build a successful alcohol brand? Tune in to all the episodes we released in this season!

About Christy Frank, guest:

Christy Frank is the Founder of Hamlet Hound, a line of canned cocktails. She has over 20 years of experience in business and the drinks world. She worked for many years as a brand manager at Moet Hennessy, overseeing both spirits and wine brands. She has founded two retail wine shops, including Copake Wine Works in Copake, New York, which she opened in 2015 with her husband Yannai Frank. Her original retail shop, Frankly Wines in New York City — which she launched in 2007 and sold 10 years later — was often touted as one of the top small wine shops in the country. 

Learn more about Hamlet Hound:

https://hamlet-hound.com/

https://www.instagram.com/hamlet_hound/

About Erica Duecy, host:

Erica Duecy is co-founder of Business of Drinks, a podcast and content consultancy, and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies. She also has led digital editorial teams at Architectural Digest and Saveur magazines. Her content, podcast, and video programs have won more than 40 digital and editorial awards. She is a WSET Advanced-certified wine and spirits communicator, and author of the cocktail book Storied Sips (Random House), about the real-life stories behind the world’s most famous cocktails. 

To learn more about Erica Duecy:

https://www.instagram.com/ericaduecy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-duecy-4a35844/

https://twitter.com/ericaduecy

About Felicity Carter, host:

Felicity Carter is a well-known journalist and editor based in Europe. She is co-founder of Business of Drinks, the Editorial Director of ARENI Global in London, International Editor of Star Wine List in Sweden, and a contributing editor to The New Wine Review. Formerly, she was founding Executive Editor for The Drop, and Editor-in-Chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, a trade magazine she built into a global must-read, with subscribers in 38 countries. She has consulted to the Dutch government and to Liv-ex, and been the keynote speaker at the wine industry’s biggest conferences and events, from New York and Sydney to Hong Kong. 

To learn more about Felicity Carter:

https://twitter.com/felicitycarter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicity-carter-a5754380/

https://www.instagram.com/carter.felicity/

https://www.facebook.com/felicity.carter.104/