Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST

Send us Fan Mail

This week 📢I talk🎙️with Kate Jerkens at Uncle Nearest, Ella Parlor with EP Consulting and Caitlyn LuBell at BoozeBiz and we discuss the beverage industry changes and updates in 2026. 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

👀📹 Watch here: 👉👉 YouTube🚀✨🍹

CBS Sunday Morning 6 min Video    Presentation Presented

Is beverage alcohol really declining—or are consumers simply drinking differently?

In this Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST industry discussion, Jessie Ott sits down with Kate Jerkens, Caitlyn LuBell and Ella Parlor to unpack the shifts reshaping beverage alcohol—from the RNDC/Reyes distribution shakeup to RTDs, non-alcoholic beverages, premiumization, consumer spending, data and AI. 

🔥 Key Takeaways:

📦 Distribution is changing: What the RNDC/Reyes transition could mean for suppliers, sales teams and brands.

🍹 RTDs & NA keep reshaping the market: Traditional beverage categories are becoming increasingly blurred.

💸 Consumers are changing occasions: $20+ cocktails and affordability pressures may mean drinking at home or drinking less often—not necessarily abandoning alcohol.

🥃 Premium still matters: Consumers may buy less while trading up when the occasion is worth it.

⚽ Experiences drive spending: The World Cup discussion shows consumers will still spend when the experience matters.

📊 We may have a data problem: Traditional datasets don't always capture independent retail, on-premise or emerging categories.

🤖 AI could transform beverage sales: Imagine turning photos of back bars and menus into actionable inventory and sales intelligence.

The big question: Are consumers drinking less—or are they simply drinking differently?

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation!

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

🥗 What's REALLY In Your Food? The App Exposing It All 🔍

This week on Thirsty Thursdays, I sit down with Galen Karlan-Mason, founder & CEO of GreenChoice — a public benefit food health intelligence company that has analyzed over 1 million foods across the US using science, data, and AI! 🌎💡

Watch on YouTube!

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• 🍎 GreenChoice scores every food across 4 dimensions: Nutritional Quality, Processing Level, Ingredient Safety & Climate Footprint
• 📱 The app is 100% FREE — download "Green Choice Food Scanner" in your app store right now
• 🛒 Over 70% of grocery store foods are ultra-processed or contain a harmful ingredient — you deserve to know what you're eating!
• 💊 60% of US adults have a diet-related disease — most of which are preventable through food choices
• 🏛️ 22 states have now restricted SNAP benefits from being used to purchase soda and candy — a seismic shift for the F&B industry
• 💰 For every $1 spent on healthy food benefits, studies show $3 in healthcare savings
• 🌿 About ⅓ of global greenhouse gas emissions are tied to our food system — every purchase is a vote
• 🧪 GreenChoice's science advisory board ensures zero brand influence on scores — brands cannot pay to change their ratings
• 🔄 The platform is helping retailers, healthcare systems, and consumers align around food as medicine
• 📊 GreenChoice tracks over 150 million data points and 1,000+ dietary, health & sustainability attributes

💬 Galen's message: "Times of not knowing what's in our food are behind us. People want to know what they're buying is safe for themselves and their families."

👇 Drop a comment: What app do YOU use to check what's in your food?

�� Subscribe & hit the bell so you never miss a Thirsty Thursday! @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

This week 📢I talk🎙️with Kate Jerkens at Uncle Nearest, Erica Duecy with Business of Drinks and Caitlyn LuBell at BoozeBiz and we discuss the beverage industry changes and updates in 2026. 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

👀📹 Watch here: 👉👉 YouTube🚀✨🍹

The beverage alcohol industry is in the middle of a massive reset. 🍷📉
In this powerhouse panel, JessieO sits down with leaders from whiskey, recruiting, consulting, and beverage strategy to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes. 

From distributor consolidation and exploding RTDs to THC beverage regulation, tariffs, inflation, and consumer spending shifts… this conversation is packed with real-time data, analytics, and honest insight from the front lines of the beverage business.

💥 Key Takeaways:

📦 RNDC, Reyes & distributor consolidation explained
💸 Why $25 cocktails are becoming the new normal
🍹 RTD growth, Surfside momentum & Tito’s comeback
🌿 THC drinks, hemp regulation & cannabis beverages
📉 Why emerging brands are struggling right now
📲 How Hampton Water used TikTok & community to explode growth
🧠 Why sales teams matter more than ever
🌎 How tariffs & global politics are impacting beverage imports
🚚 Why warehouse space & inventory are becoming major problems
🔥 The future of distribution, portfolio strategy & consolidation

👉 If you work in wine, spirits, beer, THC beverages, RTDs, distribution, marketing, or hospitality… this episode is a MUST WATCH.

🎯 CTA:
Subscribe, like, and share this episode with your beverage industry community! 🍻

Comment below: What’s the biggest challenge facing the industry right now?

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

Buyers can’t find brands = lost sales. Learn how Drink Distro connects suppliers & buyers in real time with data, distribution visibility & faster decisions 🍷📊  @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST  

👉🎬 Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/wVPVdF4Zr1o

🔥 Engaging Summary

This episode breaks down a major gap in the beverage industry: visibility. If buyers can’t find your product, it doesn’t get sold. Simple.

Josh Ochoa shares how Drink Distro is changing the game by connecting suppliers and buyers in real time.

DrinkDistro solves visibility for Wine & Spirit brands by creating a connection between buyers searching for products and the brands that want to be found.

For Buyers to Search: https://drinkdistro.com/

For Brands to List: https://drinkdistro.com/learn-more

💡 Key Takeaways:

Buyers struggle to find who distributes products
Suppliers lose sales without visibility
Real-time search = faster decisions
Data signals demand before sales reports
Simplicity wins in a complex system

👉 CTA (Call to Action)
If you’re a brand, supplier, or buyer — this is your wake-up call. Watch now and rethink how you drive sales.


🎇 Follow us!👏😋🥂🍾☕ 🍵 🍶🍸 🍻 🍷 🍺🍽 🍸 🍹 🥃 🍺 🍔
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThirstyThurs3PM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirstythursdaysat3pmest/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessieott/
Website (Podcast): https://thirstythursdaysat3pmest.buzzsprout.com/
***********************************************************************
C-Suite Do's Dont's to Start Bev Brand: https://youtu.be/b3Oy_RhqXmE
Taylor's Daily Advice to Get What You Want: https://youtu.be/ohF_Q1d6Ddk
Insights into Starting a Beverage Brand https://youtu.be/DT81i4bfYek
2X Sales?  Focus on these 5 Things https://youtu.be/3Mk_mepe4YQ

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the Thirsty Thursdays Podcast, I talked with Michael Fors, founder of Liquid Jazz Experience a new way of thinking how to experience your wine while it opens up. Very Innovative Product and perfect for an elevated Restaurant Experience! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

 🎥 Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/efObWn3pG5c

This episode isn’t about wine… it’s about experience, community, and unlocking better answers through simple innovation.

Michael Fors built something that changes how we experience flavor in real time—and the results are wild.

💡 Key Takeaways:

•  🍷 Same bottle, different experience (data doesn’t lie) 
•  🔬 Science + analytics unlock flavor
•  ⏱ 4 minutes = massive impact
•  🤝 Community drives the magic
•  🚀 Experience > product in today’s sales environment

👉 CTA: Want better growth and smarter decisions? Start thinking experience-first. Subscribe for more real-time insights.

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

Launching a beverage brand in 2026? 🍹 Learn the do’s & don’ts, data, analytics, sales strategy, and real-time insights from industry experts. Build smarter, grow faster 🚀  @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST  

📊 Engaging Summary 
This panel breaks down the real answer behind launching a beverage brand today—and why most fail before they ever see growth.

🔥 Key Takeaways:
📉 Data over ego: Build for the market, not yourself
📊 Velocity wins: Sales per account beats distribution count
🧠 Know your “why” or your brand dies early
🌍 Start small, scale smart (1 market → proof → expand)
💰 Cash burn kills brands faster than competition
🧪 Test, learn, adjust in real time
🤝 Community + relationships = real growth
⚠️ Legal + compliance mistakes = expensive setbacks
👉 This isn’t theory. It’s real-world analytics + execution.

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the Thirsty Thursdays Podcast, I talked with Mika Shino, founder of Issei Mochi Gummies, to discuss her incredible journey from Kyoto, Japan to building one of the most innovative better-for-you snack brands in the U.S. 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

Mika shares how her background in jazz, opera, technology, and international work with the UN shaped her creative approach to entrepreneurship. With no formal experience in the food industry, she set out to create a healthier candy option after feeling uneasy about giving her children traditional gummy candies filled with artificial ingredients and gelatin.

What started as homemade treats for her two boys quickly became a neighborhood favorite as their friends began asking for them too. From that small kitchen experiment, the idea was born—and the brand grew from there. 

Issei Mochi Gummies—a unique, rice-based gummy made from simple ingredients like rice and water, delivering a chewy texture with all-natural flavors. The product is gluten-free, vegan, and intentionally less sweet, offering a cleaner alternative in the candy aisle. She 

Mika explains the difficult early stages of launching the brand, including the challenge of finding manufacturers willing to work with her clean ingredient requirements. She even hand-managed production for the first order when Whole Foods placed an exclusive launch across 170 stores, requiring over 3,000 pounds of mochi gummies.

The conversation explores the cultural meaning behind the brand name Issei, which pays tribute to first-generation Japanese immigrants who bring the best of their heritage to America. Mika also shares how building the company in the U.S. helped open doors to exporting the product back to Japan, where entering the food industry without family connections is extremely difficult.

Jessie and Mika also discuss:

• The inspiration behind mochi gummies and their clean ingredient philosophy
 • Lessons from launching in Whole Foods and Sprouts
• Her Target launch
• Winning Most Innovative New Product at the Sweets & Snacks Expo
• Being named #2 Female Founder by Inc Magazine in 2024
• How jazz philosophy influences her leadership and business mindset
• Why personal customer engagement is central to her brand

Mika also offers honest insight into the realities of entrepreneurship—from manufacturing struggles to retail scaling—and shares advice for founders: start before you feel ready and don’t let fear of failure stop you.

This episode is a powerful story about culture, innovation, and building a mission-driven brand that brings healthier snacks—and immigrant spirit—to the global stage.

Learn more about Issei Mochi Gummies:
https://mochigummies.com

Media features:
CBS Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJRBx1BN5dM

Food Institute Spotlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIyAypJ-rj4

🎧 Listen to more conversations with founders, innovators, and beverage & CPG leaders on Thirsty Thursdays at 3PM EST.

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

This week 📢I talk🎙️with Amanda Swift Co-Founder at Swift Distillery that produces a Texas based Single Malt with Scottish Two-Row barley and yeast! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

 🎬 Watch on YouTube Here 👉🍿 

Texas single malt, women in whiskey, bourbon barrels & Sauternes finish 🥃 Amanda Swift shares distilling, aging in Texas heat & UK Amazon launch. Craft spirits story @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST

🔥 Engaging Summary

Amanda Swift, Co-Owner of Swift Distillery in Austin, Texas, joins me to talk science, single malt, Texas aging, and building a craft spirits brand from the ground up 🥃

From studying fire ants 🐜 to crafting award-winning whiskey, Amanda shares what makes Texas distilling different — and why bold decisions build great brands.

💡 Key Takeaways:

✅ Why Texas heat accelerates whiskey aging
 ✅ The difference between Sauternes & Oloroso cask finishes
 ✅ Why grain & yeast choices define your flavor profile
 ✅ The truth about bourbon barrels vs French oak
 ✅ Why alcohol sales are harder in the U.S. than the UK
 ✅ How Amazon UK changes craft spirits strategy
 ✅ The power of women leadership in whiskey

This episode blends science, entrepreneurship, flavor, and fearless growth.

🥃 Try Swift Distillery & taste the difference
 🌍 Explore Texas single malt on Amazon UK
 🎙 Subscribe for more founder stories in food & beverage
 💬 Comment: Are you team Oloroso or Sauternes finish?
 👍 Like, share & support independent craft distillers

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

This week 📢I talk🎙️with Pete Olander Founder at Drink Happie, and we discuss the differences in Delta 8-10, the timing of why Cannibis was changed from Sechedule 1 to 3 Classification by Trump so research can be done and the odd timing of the FM 4121 Banning Cannibis in various formats in the goverment opening last November! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

THC drinks, CBD vs Delta-9, hemp regulation, functional mushroom beverages & cannabis laws explained 🍄🍒 Inside the $1B hemp beverage boom! 

Watch Here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nbPK6S-S7II

🔥 Engaging Summary

In this episode of Thirsty Thursdays, Jessie Ott sits down with Pete Olander, founder of Drink Happy, to break down the fast-growing world of THC beverages, CBD drinks, hemp regulation, and functional mushroom wellness.

From Delta-9 vs Delta-8 confusion to Schedule 3 cannabis shifts and the future of hemp drinks in grocery and liquor stores — this is the real talk the beverage industry needs. 🍹🌿

They also taste test THC microdose drinks and mushroom-infused beverages (Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi) and discuss why low-dose THC could disrupt alcohol.

🚀 Key Takeaways

✅ Delta-9 is naturally occurring — Delta-8 & Delta-10 are synthetic
✅ THC beverages are tested multiple times before reaching consumers
✅ Hemp drinks are a billion-dollar category in 2025
✅ Functional mushrooms are exploding in wellness retail
✅ Schedule 3 cannabis could unlock more medical research
✅ Beverage regulation may follow the alcohol model
✅ Microdose THC = controlled experience vs dispensary high-dose products
✅ AI & real-time sales data are helping emerging beverage brands scale

This episode blends entrepreneurship, wellness, beverage innovation, and policy insight into one powerful conversation.

We cover:
• Hemp beverage compliance & testing standards
• Cannabis beverage distribution models
• Functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane & Reishi
• Real-time Amazon beverage sales data
• The billion-dollar hemp drink market

If you’re in food & beverage, CPG, wellness, cannabis retail, or alcohol distribution — this conversation is essential. 🚀

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

This week 📢I talk🎙️with Rob Minucci CEO & Co-Founder at TalkHouse Encore and we discuss how he has used his experience in operations to build out a CRM and win Accounts and Distributors! 👏🍷 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏 🥂 😁

How do RTD brands actually scale? 🍺 Rob Minucci, CEO of TalkHouse Encore, breaks down data, operations, CRM, distributors & real-world sales strategy for CPG growth. @ThirstyThursdaysat3PMEST 

 “Everything I’ve built is based around systems, processes, and procedures that are repeatable—with as little human intervention as possible.”  Rob Minucci

Watch Here!  https://youtu.be/AeZl7vXfigo

Most RTD brands chase hype.
TalkHouse Encore built systems.

In this episode, Jessie Ott sits down with Rob Minucci, CEO & Co-Founder of TalkHouse Encore, to break down how operations, data, and distributor trust drive real growth in CPG and beverage.

🔥 Key Takeaways:
 • Why beer distributors outperform spirits distributors for RTDs
 • How CRM + real-time data create sales accountability
 • Building velocity before chasing expansion
 • Why on-premise still matters (40% of sales!)
 • How systems beat guesswork every time
 • Using tastings + analytics to drive reorders

This is a masterclass in execution over noise.

How Rob’s Team Actually Differentiates (and Why It Works)

Most RTD brands compete on flavors, packaging, or hype.
 Rob and the TalkHouse Encore team compete on execution.

That difference shows up in a few very specific ways.

They build systems before scale
While many brands rush distribution, Rob’s team focused early on operational processes that remove friction. Sales, inventory, distributor activity, and account follow-ups are tracked in real time. Less guessing. More control.

They designed a CRM for beverage reality
Instead of forcing reps to live in bloated software, they built a CRM that works the way beverage teams actually work:

• Simple inputs
• Shelf photos
• Account scoring
• Inventory flags
• Route efficiency

It’s not “data for reporting.”
 It’s data that drives action in the field.

They treat distributors like partners, not order takers
Rob’s team doesn’t just hand off the brand and hope for the best. They create clarity for distributors by:

• Showing exactly where velocity is working
• Identifying underperforming accounts early
• Making it easier for reps to win

That builds trust — and trust gets priority.

They use focus as a competitive advantage
Instead of chasing national presence, they went deep in hard markets. Fewer states. Better execution. Higher velocity. 

They win on-premise to pull through off-premise
With roughly 40% of sales on-premise, TalkHouse uses bars and restaurants as marketing engines. Sampling, education, and activation create demand that shows up later in retail 

They remove ego from pricing and product decisions
Pricing wasn’t set to “fit the shelf.” It was set to reflect quality, margin, and sustainability. The mixed vodka + tequila variety pack wasn’t trendy — it was intentional differentiation that helped open doors fast.

👉 CTA:
 Share this with a founder who needs systems, not hype

Watch ON YOUTUBE!!!  Thank you for Listening! Join us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Host Jessie Ott's Profile on LinkedIn