Ready To Drink Podcast

The FreeMind Group
  • 5.0 (2)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Ready To Drink Podcast is built for founders, operators, and leaders navigating the next era of beverage. Hosted by twenty-year industry veteran Nate Fochtman, the show pulls back the curtain on what actually drives growth - distribution strategy, regulatory navigation, sales velocity, and consumer trust. These are honest conversations with the people doing the work, building brands that last in a crowded and regulated marketplace.

  1. 6D AGO

    Cannabis Beverage Certification, Sober Founders and the Hemp Beverage Revolution | Leigh Gall

    Send us Fan Mail Leigh Gall is the co-founder of Cannabis Beverage Certification and host of The Enlightened Buzz on YouTube, the leading education channel for THC beverages. She came up at Boston Beer, spent years in national accounts and distributor training, got sober, and then helped build the first professional certification program for hemp infusion in the beverage industry. This is her story. In this episode, Leigh and Nate break down why education is the single biggest gap in the hemp beverage category right now, what happens when an untrained retail rep sends a consumer home with the wrong product, and why the cannabis beverage certification model mirrors what Cicerone and Sommelier programs did for craft beer and wine. They also get into the honest conversation most people in this industry avoid: what it means to be a sober founder in the adult beverage world, why both of them left alcohol behind after careers built inside it, and what that actually looks like on the sales floor, at conferences and in distributor meetings. Leigh shares the story behind distributor partners Tryon, Badger Wholesalers and Opici Wine Group certifying entire sales forces, why Climbing Kites built education into their onboarding from day one and what the "Dylan on Aisle 7" framework means for the long-term trajectory of the functional drinks market. They also cover the three-tier distribution argument for HB2309 in Pennsylvania, why the same system that governs beer can and should govern hemp beverages and what drink entrepreneurship looks like when you are building a category that did not exist three years ago. Topics covered: Cannabis beverage certification and the Cicerone comparisonHemp infusion education for distributors and retailersWhy alcohol sales are declining across beer, wine and spiritsGLP-1 drugs, the Bud Light effect and portfolio diversificationSober founders in the adult beverage pairing spaceBuilding a two-hour course that pays for itself in the first weekTryon Distributing, Badger Wholesalers and Opici Wine Group as case studiesVisionary entrepreneurship and being comfortable being misunderstoodHB2309, the three-tier system and the regulation argument for hempFunctional drinks trends and the consumer education gapConnect with Leigh LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leighgall Cannabis Beverage Certification: cannabevcertification.com  The Enlightened Buzz on YouTube: youtube.com/@enlightenedbuzz  Host: Nate Fochtman | The FreeMind Group  Ready To Drink Podcast drops new episodes weekly. Subscribe, leave a review and share this with a distributor rep or retailer that needs to hear it. Pennsylvania breweries, distributors and retailers: get behind House Bill 2309. Learn more at iwantmythc.com Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    58 min

  2. MAY 18

    Quick Sips: Don't Apologize for Your Passion

    Send us Fan Mail Performance coach, Cannabis Beverage Certified co-founder,and Women in Hemp co-leader Leigh Gall joins Ready To Drink Podcast host Nate Fochtman to talk about what actually keeps founders moving in a market this hard to build in.  Passion. Intention. Conviction.  Leigh's work sits at the intersection of behavioral science, Traumatic Intelligence, and beverage industry leadership. This clip is the reason people share episodes.  Follow Ready To Drink Podcast: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    1 min

  3. MAY 14

    Founder & Sergeant Major Mike Waskewich (Ret.) on Flavor Matching, the Adult Beverage Ecosystem and Building What the Industry Was Missing

    Send us Fan Mail Mike Waskewich spent 23 years in the Army, retired as a Sergeant Major and then built two things the adult beverage industry didn't know it needed: The Bar Book, a Spotify-style flavor matching app for spirits, beer, cocktails, NA and THC beverages and CRAFT, a nonprofit coalition connecting veteran-owned beverage brands with buyers, distributors and content creators across the country. In this episode of Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate and Mike cover the full adult beverage ecosystem, from why category beats brand every time at point of sale to how CRAFT is building a nationwide event infrastructure that lets small brands compete without corporate budgets.  They get into the Bar Book's flavor-match algorithm, the direct-to-consumer build-out, and why education drives 90% of sales in this industry. They also go deep on sobriety, on-premise culture, veteran identity in business and the difference between supporting veterans and actually being one. This one covers a lot of ground: mindful drinking, functional drinks trends, hemp industry advocacy, beverage entrepreneurship and the kind of human connection that no marketing deck can replicate. The Bar Book: TheBarBook.App (available in all app stores)  CRAFT: SupportCraft.org  Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mike-waskewich Hosted by Nate Fochtman, founder of The FreeMind Group | FMGStrategy.com  Follow Ready To Drink Podcast: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    53 min

  4. APR 28

    Quick Sips: The drink doesn't make the memory. The moment does.

    Send us Fan Mail The drink doesn't make the memory. The moment does. Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major and The Bar Book co-founder Mike Waskewich Jr drops something worth sitting with in our upcoming episode - your favorite beverage isn't about what's in the glass. It's about who's around it. Full episode dropping soon. Check out TheBarBook.app & SupportCraft.org (A national 501(c)(3) advancing veteran and first responder employment, entrepreneurship, and long-term brand growth across the adult beverage ecosystem - from production to distribution to on-premise operations.) Find more founder stories at ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com + YouTube + Spotify + Apple Podcasts Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    20 sec

  5. APR 21

    Quick Sips: The Hemp Industry Can't Afford to Fight Itself Right Now | Chris Fontes | High Spirits

    Send us Fan Mail Chris Fontes, founder of High Spirits, breaks down why the hemp beverage space is still a team sport and why operators who treat it like a competition are hurting everyone, including themselves. Right now the category is still fighting to survive. That changes everything about how you have to show up. Ready To Drink | B2B media for the adult beverage industry Check out DrinkHighSpirits.com. Find more founder stories at ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com + YouTube + Spotify + Apple Podcasts Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    1 min

  6. APR 20

    Quick Sips: His boss told him the work was drying up, so he built a brewery instead. | JR Heaps | South County Brewery

    Send us Fan Mail The 2008 housing crash didn't end JR Heaps' career - it started one. JR was doing historic restoration and timber frame design-build work when his boss pulled him aside and basically said: the projects are drying up, you might want to chase that beer thing. So he did. He built his own version of the Brutus 10 homebrew system - pumps, temperature controllers, a 10-gallon setup he'd been dialing in for years. Then he went hunting for affordable commercial equipment and found four Grundy tanks from an old pub in Virginia, originally imported from England. Cut two of them apart to build his own mash tun and kettle. Welded the whole thing together himself. That Frankenstein brewhouse? It's still making beer today - Kyle Neuheimer at Oakbrook Brewing in Reading, PA picked it up and it's still running. That's not just a cool origin story. That's a testament to what happens when a builder puts his hands on a problem. JR Heaps is the founder of South County Brewery in Pennsylvania. Ready To Drink | B2B media for the adult beverage industry Check out SouthCountyBrewing.com Find more founder stories at ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com + YouTube + Spotify + Apple Podcasts Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    3 min

  7. APR 2

    The LEVIA Story with Kristin & Eric Rogers

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate Fochtman sits down with Kristin and Eric Rogers, the husband-and-wife founders who built, sold, and recently bought back their cannabis beverage empire, LEVIA. Transitioning from careers as "recovering marketers" for massive blue-chip brands like AT&T and Home Depot, the duo discusses the grit required to move from a kitchen-top concept in 2017 to a facility-based powerhouse. The conversation dives deep into the "Retail Reality" of the beverage industry, including: The Founder's Buyback: The strategic decision to reclaim their brand two weeks ago and return to independent roots.Effects-Based Branding: Breaking down the science behind Achieve, Celebrate, and Dream to simplify the consumer experience.Parenting & Prohibition: A candid look at normalizing plant medicine at home while maintaining strict 21+ boundaries and label transparency.The Regulatory Landscape: Why federal banking, trademark protections, and state-level bills, like the upcoming Pennsylvania Hemp Beverage Bill, are critical for institutional readiness.Check out LEVIA.Buzz More stories at ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com + YouTube + Spotify + Apple Podcasts Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    41 min

  8. APR 1

    Quick Sips: From "Crazy Idea" to Big Acquisition (and Buying it Back)

    Send us Fan Mail In this Quick Sips from tomorrow's episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, LEVIA co-founders Eric and Kristin Rogers share the incredible "boomerang" story of their brand. From spotting a gap in the market for zero-sugar, zero-calorie cannabis seltzers in 2017 to a major acquisition by Ayr Wellness and their recent move to buy the brand back - this is a masterclass in brand building and persistence. Check out LEVIA.Buzz More stories at ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com + YouTube + Spotify + Apple Podcasts Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

    1 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The Ready To Drink Podcast is built for founders, operators, and leaders navigating the next era of beverage. Hosted by twenty-year industry veteran Nate Fochtman, the show pulls back the curtain on what actually drives growth - distribution strategy, regulatory navigation, sales velocity, and consumer trust. These are honest conversations with the people doing the work, building brands that last in a crowded and regulated marketplace.

Information

  • Creator
    The FreeMind Group
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ready To Drink Podcast
  • Show Website
    Ready To Drink Podcast