Ready To Drink Podcast

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In this episode of Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate Fochtman sits down with Jared Langston, founder of Good Liar Non-Alcoholic Beer and parent company DRY Dept, for a no-script, no-agenda conversation about what it really takes to build a brand in the modern beverage market.

Jared breaks down how Good Liar went from concept to real traction - launching in January 2024, proving viability in 2025 and becoming one of the highest-velocity NA six-packs in Ohio. We get into why liquid quality is the entire game in non-alcoholic beer, how Jared tested multiple brewing technologies before landing with a world-class brewing partner and why staying focused on one SKU + one state can beat “go wide” growth.

We also talk brand-building from the inside out: naming, trademarking, packaging decisions, retail clarity, and why you can’t be precious early - fail fast, learn faster and keep moving.

If you’re building in non-alc, adult beverage or any consumer brand where the shelf is brutal and attention is expensive, this episode is a masterclass in staying grounded, reading data and creating super fans.

Guest: Jared Langston - Founder, Good Liar NA Beer / DRY Dept - GoodLiar.com
Host: Nate Fochtman - The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

Subscribe for more founder stories across beer, NA, RTD, and emerging beverage categories and check out ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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No script. No prompts. Just a real conversation with Josh Furbish, President and Founder of Ground Game Inc., about what actually moves product in retail and why most brands confuse distribution with success.

Josh rebuilt his network after an eight-year digital detox, turned years of bottle shop notes into a playbook, and launched Ground Game in 2025. We get into the unglamorous truth founders need to hear: doors don’t matter if you don’t earn reorders. Shelf space isn’t a win if you can’t drive sell-through. And the frontline staff you ignore is the sales force you’re missing.

We also talk candidly about operating through uncertainty in Minneapolis, how disruption hits mom-and-pop retailers first, and why empathy isn’t a “nice to have” in CPG - it’s survival.

Then we pivot into why Minnesota became the case study state for hemp-derived THC beverages, what other states (including Pennsylvania) can learn about regulation, dosage, and on-premise viability, and why transparency in this category is miles ahead of what most consumers realize.

If you’re a founder, operator, distributor, or service provider trying to build something real in beverage, this episode is a masterclass in how the game actually works.

Guest: Josh Furbish, Ground Game Inc.
Website: groundgameinc.com

Host: Nate Fochtman, The FreeMind Group

Website: FMGStrategy.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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Most supplements don’t work the way people think they do.

In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, I sit down with Dan Margenau, founder of Lix Brands, to unpack one of the most overlooked problems in health, wellness, and functional beverages: bioavailability.

Dan built Lix to solve a simple but massive issue - our bodies can’t absorb most of what traditional supplements deliver. Through a patented encapsulation process, Lix transforms hard-to-absorb ingredients into water-soluble, highly bioavailable compounds that integrate cleanly into beverages, supplements, cosmetics, and hemp-derived products.

We cover:

What bioavailability actually means (and why most products waste nutrients)

How Lix’s encapsulation technology works

Why water solubility changes everything for manufacturers and consumers

Clean label formulation and production efficiency

The impact on CBD and THC beverage onset times

Dan’s journey from operations consulting to building a deep-tech ingredient company

This conversation is part science, part entrepreneurship, and part real-world manufacturing insight - for anyone building in supplements, functional beverages, hemp, or wellness.

Check out LixIngredients.com

Listen on all podcast platforms.

Watch on ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate Fochtman sits down with Gordon Whelpley, Co-Founder of Float House CAN-NA-BREWS, to break down what it actually takes to build a compliant, scalable THC-infused beverage that doesn’t fit neatly into existing categories.

CAN-NA-BREWS was designed to drink like beer without being classified as a malt beverage, creating a new lane inside the hemp beverage market that requires precise formulation, intentional process design, and a deep understanding of regulatory structure.

This conversation focuses on:

• how CAN-NA-BREWS avoids the malt beverage definition while maintaining flavor and structure
• the manufacturing and formulation challenges of non-alcoholic, cannabinoid-infused beverages
• why low-dose THC beverages align with alcohol-style regulation models
• the operational reality of building production infrastructure while co-packing for other brands
• why enforcement and smart regulation matter more than reactionary bans
• what category creation actually looks like when there’s no existing playbook

This episode is a clear, technical, and practical look at how hemp THC beverages are built, regulated, and scaled - without hype and without shortcuts.

Available now on: ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you podcast.

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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Opening a craft brewery in 2025 takes more than good beer - it takes clarity, discipline, and real strategy.

In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate Fochtman sits down with Kyle Underkoffler, co-founder of Berg Brewing Company in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to break down what it actually takes to build a brewery from scratch in today’s crowded beer market.

This conversation covers:

• How Berg Brewing transformed a historic building into a working brewery
• Why European beer styles, simplicity, and quality still matter
• The realities of running a small brewery and wearing every hat
• Building a business with family and maintaining trust
• Why founders need a clear vision before spending their first dollar
• How hospitality, leadership, and culture impact long-term success

This episode is built for craft brewers, beverage founders, and operators who want to understand the business behind the beer - not just the branding.

Subscribe to Ready To Drink for honest conversations with the people building the beverage industry from the inside.

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, I sit down on site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Yianni Barakos, Founder of Mason Dixon Distillery - for a raw, unscripted conversation about heritage, resilience, and what it really means to build something that lasts.

Yianni shares the deep roots behind Mason Dixon Distillery, tracing his family’s Greek immigrant story, the culture of hospitality that shaped his upbringing, and the work ethic passed down through generations. We talk about learning how to build a still at age 11, growing up in and around his father’s diner, and how those early lessons in community, craftsmanship, and generosity became the foundation of his business today.

This conversation goes far beyond spirits. We get into:

- Why hospitality is about presence, not just product
- The difference between serving drinks and creating experiences
- Overcoming physical adversity and building a business with intention
- The role of community in sustaining independent businesses
- Raising the next generation with values of competence, confidence, and capability

Mason Dixon Distillery isn’t just a distillery - it’s a living example of how culture, family, and purpose can be poured into every glass.

This episode was filmed cold - no prep, no script - just a real conversation about building something meaningful.

Recorded on location at Mason Dixon Distillery, Gettysburg, PA
Learn more at FindMasonDixon.com

Subscribe for more founder stories from the people shaping the future of Ready To Drink, hospitality, and independent craft.

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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Justin Hoak didn’t set out to build one of the most unique brewery models in Pennsylvania - but that’s exactly what Yah Brew has become. In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Justin breaks down how Yah Brew grew from selling crowlers at pop-ups to launching a full production facility, multiple taprooms, and a completely original 90s-themed brand experience that’s pulling people in for more than just beer.

We talk about the real decisions behind expansion, how to avoid the traps that shut breweries down, why nostalgia still sells, and how a one-barrel basement system is feeding two taprooms while a turnkey production site comes online. Justin also opens up about the early days bartending, learning the craft, shaping a brand built on fun, culture, and details, and building revenue streams that actually make sense in today’s market.

If you’re a founder, brewer, or anyone paying attention to where the industry is heading, this is a masterclass in strategic creativity and survival.

Chapters include:
– The origins of Yah Brew and the 90s theme
– Expanding into Hershey and Middletown
– Hoagie shop and food strategy
– Contract brewing, collaborations, and industry decline
– How to expand without sinking the ship
– Game nights, community, and keeping people in the taproom
– The new production facility and full co-op brewery model

More Stories at ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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On this episode of Ready To Drink Podcast, I sit down with Pete Olander, founder of Happie Beverages, for one of the most candid and grounded conversations we’ve had on the show. Pete walks through the early spark that launched Happie, the years he spent in nutrition and regulated cannabis, and the unexpected realities of building a beverage company from scratch in an industry that shifts under your feet.

We get into the origin story of both lines under the Happie umbrella - the THC beverages built on clean labels and tight compliance, and the functional mushroom line that’s now gaining national traction. Pete also talks openly about regulatory turbulence, why structure is an opportunity rather than a threat, and how founders can stay steady in moments that would shake most people out of the game.

From California’s regulated market to national e-commerce, from formulation work to distribution partnerships, and from the entrepreneurial grind to the role of culture and family in shaping a brand - this is a deep look at what it really takes to build a company that lasts.
If you’re a beverage founder, investor, retailer, or someone following the rise of functional and THC beverages, this is an important episode.

New episodes of Ready To Drink Podcast roll out weekly, featuring the founders, makers, operators, and innovators shaping the future of beverages.

Full Story on ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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Moon Flower Hemp isn’t just another hemp brand - it’s a family legacy built by three generations of Appalachian women, rooted in the moment the 2018 Farm Bill cracked the door open for innovation. In this episode, I sit down with co-founders Riley and Macie Queen to talk about their beginnings, “their father’s early vision”, and the moment their one-acre experiment turned into a vertically integrated craft cannabis business trusted across the country.

We dig into why transparency matters, what it takes to control every step from soil to final product, and why “regulate don’t eliminate” isn’t just a tagline - it’s a call to protect an industry that has given people real alternatives, real relief, and real choices.

We get into the politics, the infighting, and the bad actors hurting honest operators. And we talk about the blended regulatory model that can actually work - borrowing the best of commercial alcohol distribution and the tracking systems used in medical cannabis.

We also talk about unity: between cannabis companies, between craft brewers, and between everyday Americans who are tired of watching their industries get reshaped by people who have never worked a day in them.

Moon Flower Hemp’s West Virginia roots run deep, and their commitment to their community is impossible to miss. This is the kind of story our industry needs right now.

Check out MoonFlowerHemp.com & ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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On this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, host Nate Fochtman sits down with Paul Lemley, founder of Battlefield Brew Works in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - one of the most unique brewery and distillery destinations in America.

Paul shares how he transformed an abandoned barn on the historic East Cavalry Field into a thriving brewery and distillery nearly 30 years ago, long before the craft beer boom. From battling township regulations and limited utilities in the ‘90s to becoming Pennsylvania’s first dual-license brewery/distillery, Paul’s story is one of grit, innovation, and true American entrepreneurship.

This is more than a business story - it’s a testament to resilience, craftsmanship, and community. Whether you’re a brewer, distiller, entrepreneur, or just someone who loves a good story over a cold drink, this episode will hit home.

Watch, learn, and raise a glass to perseverance.

Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com