Jesse Held has been a fixture on the Twin Cities craft cocktail scene heading up numerous cocktail programs around town at some of our most prestigious establishments. Now it's his turn to embarking on this next phase by opening the Earl Giles Distillery in North East Minneapolis.

The new space gives Earl Giles Distillery the opportunity to add spirits to their wildly successful cocktail mixers, elixirs, and syrups menu. from Earl Giles Bottling Company.  Look for the Distillery to make everything in-house in their cocktails including the vodka, gin, and rum to start; eventually adding whiskey, brandy, and a full line of liqueurs.

Support the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

Rob Bathe has been killing it the last 5 years with Folly Coffee (Season  2 Episode 18) so imagine my surprise when I saw Folly Coffee Hot Sauce featured in my local Lunds and Byerlys magazine. We catch up with Rob and talk about his hot sauce, Folly Coffee, his podcast, and the imposter syndrome.  

Support the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

Peter Erickson and George Abide are the founders of Green Wagon Foods. Their mission is to help consumers eat more whole plants including vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains.
The first product from these former General Mills folks is Steam Mates vegetable seasonings.

SteamMates is designed to keep vegetables from being boring.  SteamMates come with a paper bag and a bag of seasoning. All you have to do is open the paper bag, take the bag of seasoning and toss it in, add vegetables, add a tablespoon of olive oil, fold up the bag and shake it up, then toss it in the microwave for about three and a half minutes.

Hear how these guys are bringing a new grocery product to mark during the Pandemic.
Buy Online here or find in stores here

Support the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

We talk with Salvia Lani about her Arctic Denim.
Imagine a pair of cute, stylish, made in Minnesota jeans or jackets that have a bonded liner to keep you warm (not sweaty) outside in the Minnesota Winter. Hurry while we still have some Winter left and pick up a pair! Shop here.

Support the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

Do you live for paddling and enjoy being on the water?  Then look for Paddle North Paddle Boards, Wake Board, and Floating Utility Docks and accessories made in Minnesota. We talked with Peter Mogck about their company and how they are expanding in the hopes of getting more Minnesotans out on the lakes. 

Crud Cloth is the shower in a bag invented by serial entrepreneur Tim White. The product is composed of water, soap, and essential oils and it is made locally in Hermantown Minnesota.
Crud Cloth is vacuum-sealed to keep the ingredients fresh and ensure it doesn’t dry out. There are no artificial chemicals, no artificial smelly fragrances, or thin wipes that fall apart or push the crud around. Crud Cloth can be recycled and re-used around the house.

We catch up with Angela Gustafson from Gustola Granola who was a @makersofmn guest on episode 54 of Season 1 (Listen here).
With 200 grocery stores in the Twin Cities Metro area and greater Minnesota as customers, 
how is this granola company faring in the pandemic?  What's next on the horizon for this tasty maker?

The Nordic Waffles concept was brought to America by the waffle queen, Stine Aasland. She launched in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2016.  For the next two years, the freshly-made waffle concept expanded into coffee shops, convenience stores, and amusement parks.  When the call came from Minnesota State Fair in 2018, they served over 42,000 Nordic Waffles in just 12 days.

November of 2019, Nordic Waffles opened a retail location at Potluck Food Hall.    Just as they were preparing for their next phase of growth, the global pandemic shuttered their doors.   Nordic Waffles would soon regroup and enter grocers' freezer doors with their most popular item: The All-Day Breakfast. Nordic Waffles now has two varieties sold in 160 grocery stores and rapidly expanding outside of Minnesota.

Support the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

Therese Gibbons and her sister started Alora Ambiance after coming back to the United States from Italy, and not finding any home fragrances on the market that they loved. From room diffusers and eventually, to candles, Alora has been making our homes smell wonderful for over twenty years from their manufacturing facility on West 7th Street in St Paul where they hand-assemble every package.

Support the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

For the past five years, Skaalvenn Distillery owners Tyson and Mary Schnitker have produced their popular line of spirits in a Brooklyn Park. This year, as Covid descended they opened a Japanese-inspired cocktail room. Known for their Nordic graphics on their bottles their vodka, rum, aquavit, habanero rum, and straight bourbon are all being featured in the taproom. Make sure to try the Habenero Rum in a Daquiri - it's delicious.