Podcast appearances and mentions of heather manley

Behind Mixly Cocktail Co. is a group of friends. Some met in college, others through work, but they all came together with their shared love of craft cocktails and thought they could offer a complex craft cocktail base that you could make at home. Whether you are making Mocktail or Cocktails, any of Mixly's 7 cocktail varieties or their new Spritz line will transport you to a craft cocktail bar experience at home.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT :Stephanie [00:00:16]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to dishing with Stephanie's dish. This is a Minnesota maker edition, which are always extra special to me because it's how I got started in the podcast space. I'm here with Jonna Rosbach, and she is the founder of Mixley, which is a we'll call it a cocktail concentrate. Is that what you would call it, Johnna? I think Johnna?Johnna [00:00:36]:I think you could. I mean, we still refer to it as a mixer, but it certainly is more concentrated than typically what you find on shelf.Stephanie [00:00:44]:And what it is is this delicious fruit forward mixer that you can mix with mocktails. You can have it in a cocktail. You can have it with sparkling wine. You can just have it with, you know, soda pop, really. If you wanted to have it with 7 Up, it would be equally delicious. What made you think that, like, this was a place in the market that there was a hole that you could fill with this product?Johnna [00:01:12]:So there was a couple things. I think the the first area was, well, we all we started the journey, when we set out to you know, wanting to do our own business, and we love the idea of cocktails. Me and my business partners, we love cocktails, and just kind of the faucet making great cocktail. And then we went to the shelf to see you know, curious what our mixers like these days. Yeah. And we were shocked to see, oh, oh my gosh.Stephanie [00:01:40]:There's bad.Johnna [00:01:41]:Bad. Really bad. Bad ingredients, bad branding, bad flavors, same old flavors. And so we were just really excited. 1, I think just let's clean up the ingredient deck. Like, we all know in every other beverage category, we've evolved. So let's 1, step 1. 2, let's bring exciting flavors, like what you would want to see at a craft, you know, at a great bar, at a you know, getting a craft cocktail.Johnna [00:02:06]:And then I think 3rd, this was I was pregnant at the time. The kind of sober, curious, any movement was just coming. So, like, let's make this versatile. Let's make this for everyone. So whether you're drinking or you're not, you can really make it your way and, you're not no one's having to feel left out, you know, if they're not drinking alcohol.Stephanie [00:02:27]:I think a lot of products too thought that they were gonna deliver on that message, but then kind of few did. Because if you weren't having them with alcohol, some of them didn't have the flavor punch. Others, if you were drinking them strictly as a mocktail, they were a little too much. Like, you guys really seem to hit the right balance. So go through your flavor profile because you've been pretty consistent too.Johnna [00:02:54]:Yeah. It's really about a balanced cocktail. So you're gonna have you know, you want the balance of the sweetness. So obviously, or tartness. Right? So the fruit, whether like the strawberry, pomegranate, you're gonna have some of that tartness. We wanna balance that then with a honey. So we used a honey in our simple syrup base, and that is really just gonna create a more balanced sweetness versus cane sugar can be really intense. And then the benefit to a lot of people do, you know, prefer honey as a sweetener these days over cane sugar and then acid.Johnna [00:03:28]:So, obviously, it's lemon or lime in all of our flavors, and that acidity is, not only part of a great cocktail or can be part of a great cocktail, but also for us, that is what acts as our kinda natural, stabilizer. Right? So we are shelf stable, but because we, you know, lean into some of those, you know, to the using fresh lime and lemon, it allows us to be shelf stable longer without having to add preservatives. So I think right. It's like the sweetness or tartness and then a really good acid. And then we do have a lot of, bring in a lot of, earthy flavors as well. So we have, like, the pineapple basil lime. So we're adding in, you know, the freshness of the babel basil or the mint, cucumbermint lime has that, you know, really, refreshing element. And same thing too, like, one of my favorites we just launched, as part of our spritz line is the elderflower mint.Johnna [00:04:26]:And that again, it's floral. It's refreshing with the mint. It's, yeah. So it's really all about, yeah, that combo to create a nice balanced cocktail.Stephanie [00:04:36]:So I'm talking with cofounder at Mixley, Jonna Rosbach, and you mentioned that you have this spritz line. It is a new we'll call it an extension. Is that fair? And why did you rebrand it and make it somewhat different looking than the traditional mixed line? I was curious what the thought process was there.Johnna [00:04:57]:We were really great summer, you know, sipper. And we felt too that this was not only do we want to, you know, jump into the spritz, scene with our Mixley take, And it was a fun truly, like, Megan, our my business partner who's our designer is just so creative, wanted to have fun and and see, you know, how a kind of different branding would do. But I think it's also just, you know, it's an interesting test for us of how does a a mixer that's for a single a single type of cocktail do versus the versatility message we've had with Mixley where you can make it with rum or tequila or vodka. Like, how does that resonate with consumers when it's, like, really easy? It's a spritz. You mix it with sparkling wine, and there you go. So we wanted to distinguish it a bit, have fun with it, and then also it's just interesting to see, yeah, how it performs.Stephanie [00:05:54]:Can you talk a little bit about that? Because, clearly to me, that seems like people that have a marketing background that are doing sorta AB testing that are really as interested in the brand packaging and the messaging as the actual love of the cocktail itself. So what was your background and your business partner's background getting here? Because it seems sort of packaged goods focused.Johnna [00:06:20]:You are correct. Very much. Yes. So my background is all CPG marketing. Came up through the agency world and then spent, years in in corporate marketing at, you know, 2 different big food, CPG firms. And Megan, my business partner, the same. So, yes, we have that background. Her background's design.Johnna [00:06:41]:My background is more the marketing communication. So some ways, that's very helpful. In some ways, you have to take everything that you learned in your big CPG world and forget that you learned it because it doesn't apply.Stephanie [00:06:53]:Yeah. To yeah. That's really interesting too because I think that's one of the if I'm talking with people that are manufacturing products or talking about products and that's their background, I usually do tell them that. And you also don't have the depth of, staff or even the depth of resources or time. So you have to kinda move a lot faster than people are comfortable with.Johnna [00:07:19]:Yeah. Move faster. And I think even as you think about, like, the marketing tactics, things that we would do, it's like, it's so different when you already have brand awareness and distribution. Yeah. We made a lot of mistakes early on. I was like, oh, that lesson, that thing I thought I did really well. Like, that does not apply to Mixley to what we're doing. SoStephanie [00:07:40]:What's an example of that?Johnna [00:07:44]:I would say, for example okay. Spending on influencers. Right? Everyone wants to spend on influencers. And I'm not to say that's wrong. However, it is a very different game when you don't have, on shelf presence. Also, if you're just gonna do and true if you're truly going to invest in d two c, you have to do it right. So if you're having influencers drive to your website, you really have to be focused. And I think when we launched, we were trying to do too much.Johnna [00:08:12]:We were doing retail and a little d two c. So you're just your spend in a in a tactic like influencer marketing is really not gonna go far in the stage we were at, and that's where we learned to focus and prioritize early on. We launched we went heavy into retail, and that's what we did. So influencers at our stage of the game don't make sense. What makes sense is in store tastings. So that's where if I'm gonna spend a $100, I'm better spending in it on a brand ambassador doing an in store tasting versusStephanie [00:08:41]:an insJohnna [00:08:41]:you know, a a Instagram post.Stephanie [00:08:43]:Yeah. And I think too, maybe you can speak to this. I feel like the influencer world is changing, we're discovering that real influence is hard to come by and isn't always with the person with the 100,000 followers in a marketplace. Like, that maybe those micro influencers and doing an event or something that's different might have actual more influence than the gal that has, you know, 50,000 followers and hold something up, and her pretty smile just for lack of a better way of saying that. But do you know what I'm saying?Johnna [00:09:25]:Yeah. We're all become very savvy. I think we're very now we look at anyone who posts on and, again, it's not it's not putting anyone down, but we do look at that. I think we're all skeptical, or we know now. They're getting paid to say that. That's not you know, it doesn't feel authentic anymore. And I think too I think you're right in where the real influences, and I will say influence in as it relates to purchase for us has been in store tastings, has been, local media. So partners like you and whenever, you know, we get the opportunity to be on local media or do an interview, we see a direct correlation between that and sales.Johnna [00:10:05]:Events are also critical for us, not only in, obviously, you're in front of the consumer, but people word-of-mouth. Like, oh, I saw someone. They just told me to come down here. Like, these are really powerful tools that, you know, maybe to a sophisticated digital marketer, like, they may seem outdated, but they're tried and true. And for us right now, they work.Stephanie [00:10:25]:Well and you and I kind of I mean, originally, I think we met just through the cocktails and packaged goods in Minnesota Makers. But then, you come to the Stone Arch Festival. You come to a lot of these festivals that I program. And I try to explain to these packaged good culinary folks, and a lot of them are local and many Minnesota or Midwest made. You look at those events as an opportunity to sample, to trial, and create brand awareness. So, yes, selling your product there is awesome. And if you can get a return on your investment, that's great. That's what everybody strives for.Stephanie [00:11:03]:But that it's also a big marketing opportunity to get in front of so many people. And we see a lot of people that come to these events with their packages or their items and they don't sample, I'm like, oh, wow. You know, that is, like, you need to sample. Well, we just don't wanna give product away to the looky loos. It's like, well, those looky loos are also purchasers. You have to see them as the consumer that they are even though they're standing there with holding their kid's hand, who's eating a sweaty popsicle, and holding a beer. They still shop too.Johanna [00:11:36]:Mhmm. That's that's that's exactly it. And a lot of these events, you know, one, I I will tell you, like because we have, you know, 7, 8 different flavors. I love when people are like, can I try one of each one? I'm like, please. Yeah. Because then, like, I'm gonna upsell you on my bundle package. No. But I I do think too, like, some of these events, you know, we'll hear, well, you know, I don't wanna carry around glass right now.Johnna [00:11:56]:Do you have a card I can take with you? Like, where can I find you? And I really do believe that these people, they're taking a picture of our booth, that they're taking our card. It was a great interaction. They may not buy us now, but I think we're top of mind. And when they see us, you know, on shelf at France 44, like, hopefully, that's when they purchase. SoStephanie [00:12:14]:I was thinking about you guys recently because it seems natural with the launch of the spritz line that you might consider canned cocktails down the road. Is that something you're thinking about? Or I was even thinking about we're seeing now, like, Tattersall just launched a bunch of cocktails in a I call it a slap bag for lack of a better term. It just says the party girl in me. But the sort of canned, you miss the can, you miss the bottle, and it's just in this plastic thing that has a handle that you can carry around. You can put it on the boat. Are any of those packaging options something you guys might look at down the road or getting into the full canned cocktail?Johnna [00:12:55]:I think so. I think packaging, for sure. You look at other brands, mixer brands like Filthy, and right there in that bag. And it's really great for if you think about expansion into on premise and airlines. So I think for sure, packaging we would look at. In terms of ready to drink cocktails in a can, you know, the market's so saturated right now that I could see it maybe one day we've scaled and we're in thousands of doors, you know, retailers nationwide, and people want to see that from Mixley. But at this point, I think it it would just be too expensive to try to stand out in the noise. But I think that's really smart.Stephanie [00:13:36]:Yeah. I think that's really smart, actually. And, also, there is so many cool packaging options. Like, if you think of the Capri sun size or even if you think of the small canned, not cans, box. Small box like wine. I could just see that being a cool packaging idea for you. And, also, one of the things I love is you do have this rainbow sort of branding. And when you put all of the line together in a packaging item, it really feels like you're getting a lot.Stephanie [00:14:05]:I think you have the is it $45 for your do you call it your pride package?Johnna [00:14:10]:Rainbow package. Yeah. Okay. This month, we'll call it pride.Stephanie [00:14:14]:Yeah. And I always think of it as pride because I haveJohnna [00:14:16]:to beStephanie [00:14:16]:a daughter. So when I hear rainbow, like, I think, oh, okay. Right away. Yep. I thought that was a really clever way to market that because it gave you an opportunity to try all of them. Yeah. So the the jury is probably still out because the, spritz line is new. But so far, are you having fun with it? Does it feel like it was a good risk to take?Johnna [00:14:38]:Yeah. We are. We're having fun with it. We already flew through our 1st batch, like, what we produce, so that's great. Yep. So we're on track to, like, what we projected it to do for us, which is awesome. And, we launched it primarily as, you know, an event in kind of online product. We are in some boot in some shelves here in the Twin Cities, but we just wanted to kinda see again, like, how can we do this as a test and and do a smaller kind of more, you know, smaller launch, and then we'll see from there if it sticks with us for the long term.Stephanie [00:15:11]:I do love the idea of being able to have that on an airline as you're going on a trip. Like, I know Sun Country has had a good relationship with Crooked Water Spirits and our friend Heather Manley. But, like, I could see a spritzy kind of version of that and really covering all those warm weather destinations. And, well, that would be so fun, wouldn't it?Johnna [00:15:34]:Yes. From your lips to God's ears. Right? So, no. I agree. And that certainly I think, we know we can produce in 4 ounce bottles. We have that capability. And so, obviously, glass isn't ideal for our airlines. So back to your, you know, the packaging conversation, that's something that we're looking at and and how do we how do we break into that market? Because I agree.Johnna [00:15:56]:I think we've all been, you know, on a plane and wanting a good cocktail, and your mixers are pretty limited. It's, you know, a Coke, a Sprite, whatever they got, or a bloody, you know, a Bloody Mary. But, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:08]:Alright. So if anybody's listening, because we have a lot of fans, the Sun Country route, that would be great. And you could mix it with, they like to support local female driven companies, so that's exciting. So talk about you mentioned one of the spritzes is sort of an elderflower profile. What's the other one? It's orange. Right?Johnna [00:16:26]:Bitter orange cherry. So that's really, you know, reminiscent of, Aperol spritz. So, yeah. It's, it's, again, it's other it's another well balanced, mixer. And it really is just like this delightful summer sipper. And you can mix it. You don't need to add sparkling wine. You can just add, you know, soda water.Johnna [00:16:47]:Yep. And it still works. So, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:49]:Okay. So let me ask you. Are there any products or, like, packaged goods that you're using or seeing lately that you're just like and doesn't necessarily have to be food. That you're like, oh, I just love this product. It's so clever.Johnna [00:17:09]:Oh, the olive oil. The the, The green bottle? Yes. What is that?Stephanie [00:17:16]:Grossi, is it called?Johnna [00:17:18]:Yes. I mean, the branding, the packaging, the storytelling of the Spanish olive oil, it actually tastes good. Like, it is I'm obsessed, and that's another one too where I thought once I saw it, I go, yes. Another category that has really yet to evolve. And we're in packaging. Right? Like, I'm sure all you know, the olive oil is not all pretty equal equal. But just in terms of the design, I was like, this is so exciting.Stephanie [00:17:46]:And it feels super fresh and, like, you have to try it.Johnna [00:17:51]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:17:51]:Because everybody buys olive oil, but there is something about that product. And I actually haven't purchased it yet because I'm, like, the person who would be like, oh, that's just a marketing gimmick. You can because I'm just like because I'm cooking all the time. Yeah. But I do think it's super clever. And, also, when we look at, you know, who's coming back into the kitchen and learning to cook, It's a lot of millennials and date nights and kind of there's a more fun factor. And I think that olive oil has hit that right on the head. So that's a really good one.Stephanie [00:18:20]:I hadn't thought about that before. In town, are you, like, are you doing anything fun, or do you have any restaurants that you love? Or what do you do for fun?Johnna [00:18:30]:Oh my well, we you know, I will say this. For fun, I've got kiddos. So we're up Minnetonka. Minnetonka. Maynard's is, like, our standard. So if anyone from Maynard's is listening, I've been trying to get, like, Mixley on the menu. I'm like, I would love to enjoy my own mixer while I'm out here. But Sure.Johnna [00:18:47]:I feel like it just feels like that's the summer place out my way. But I did just eatStephanie [00:18:52]:at Starling. Oh, did youJohnna [00:18:53]:love it? I loved it. I mean, the food was great and the cocktails were fabulous. What was so interesting is they had, some, like, cranberry Red Bull based cocktails, which I have not had. Tell about party days, vodka Red Bulls. Yeah. It's been it's been a minute since I've had that. But anyway, it was on their cocktail list and surprisingly, it was really, really quite delicious.Stephanie [00:19:17]:Okay. I might have to check that out because it sounds a little weird. I'm like, okay. I feel alright.Johanna [00:19:24]:Alright. I know. On this beautiful elevated space, we have Red Bull on the menu. I have to try it. So yeah.Stephanie [00:19:30]:I still feel like whenever we get something on the, like, west of Saint Louis Park I live in Golden Valley. So, you know, we're still building out kind of the scene on the west side. And there's always been a good kinda late culture party scene, but and and maybe, like, we don't maybe it's not even fine dining, but just getting something that's a step above the chains feels so welcome and so right on right now.Johanna [00:19:58]:Absolutely. Yeah. Like, I I mean so even like an Excelsior ley line, that's just been such a really nice addition to the Excelsior food scene. You know, I guessStephanie [00:20:09]:Ivy and Hopkins is another one.Johanna [00:20:11]:Pink Ivy and Hopkins. Fabulous. Yeah. Amazing cocktails. And I would say to excellent food, and the value for what you get there is incredible. I love that space. Yeah.Stephanie [00:20:21]:Yeah. I do too. It's fun to see. And I'm excited for, the new, Grocers Table sister restaurant next door. I think that'll be fun.Johanna [00:20:31]:And Yeah. No. Same. That's it. And I just can't believe like, I'm so excited. You know, Lindsay has done so well with Grocer's Table. I'm excited for her to expand. Every time I go in that place, it is just buzzing.Johanna [00:20:43]:So I'm sure she's gonna do a great job, yeah, with the dinner concept.Stephanie [00:20:47]:Yeah. I think so too. Well, it's been super fun to catch up with you. I just I saw the spritz, and I thought, oh, I can't wait to talk to her about about them and why she did it the way she did it and what her thinking is. And I knew you'd have some really insightful thoughts about it. And I'm excited to try it too. I haven't tried it yet, but I promise I will.Johanna [00:21:05]:Okay. Well, I think I can hook you up if you need it. If you need a permit.Stephanie [00:21:09]:Guys soon. So Yes. Alright.Johanna [00:21:10]:Well, thank you, Stephanie. I appreciate it.Stephanie [00:21:12]:It's always fun to have you on. Thanks so much.Johanna [00:21:14]:Yeah. Likewise. Thanks. Bye bye. Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Behind Mixly Cocktail Co. is a group of friends. Some met in college, others through work, but they all came together with their shared love of craft cocktails and thought they could offer a complex craft cocktail base that you could make at home. Whether you are making Mocktail or Cocktails, any of Mixly's 7 cocktail varieties or their new Spritz line will transport you to a craft cocktail bar experience at home.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT :Stephanie [00:00:16]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to dishing with Stephanie's dish. This is a Minnesota maker edition, which are always extra special to me because it's how I got started in the podcast space. I'm here with Jonna Rosbach, and she is the founder of Mixley, which is a we'll call it a cocktail concentrate. Is that what you would call it, Johnna? I think Johnna?Johnna [00:00:36]:I think you could. I mean, we still refer to it as a mixer, but it certainly is more concentrated than typically what you find on shelf.Stephanie [00:00:44]:And what it is is this delicious fruit forward mixer that you can mix with mocktails. You can have it in a cocktail. You can have it with sparkling wine. You can just have it with, you know, soda pop, really. If you wanted to have it with 7 Up, it would be equally delicious. What made you think that, like, this was a place in the market that there was a hole that you could fill with this product?Johnna [00:01:12]:So there was a couple things. I think the the first area was, well, we all we started the journey, when we set out to you know, wanting to do our own business, and we love the idea of cocktails. Me and my business partners, we love cocktails, and just kind of the faucet making great cocktail. And then we went to the shelf to see you know, curious what our mixers like these days. Yeah. And we were shocked to see, oh, oh my gosh.Stephanie [00:01:40]:There's bad.Johnna [00:01:41]:Bad. Really bad. Bad ingredients, bad branding, bad flavors, same old flavors. And so we were just really excited. 1, I think just let's clean up the ingredient deck. Like, we all know in every other beverage category, we've evolved. So let's 1, step 1. 2, let's bring exciting flavors, like what you would want to see at a craft, you know, at a great bar, at a you know, getting a craft cocktail.Johnna [00:02:06]:And then I think 3rd, this was I was pregnant at the time. The kind of sober, curious, any movement was just coming. So, like, let's make this versatile. Let's make this for everyone. So whether you're drinking or you're not, you can really make it your way and, you're not no one's having to feel left out, you know, if they're not drinking alcohol.Stephanie [00:02:27]:I think a lot of products too thought that they were gonna deliver on that message, but then kind of few did. Because if you weren't having them with alcohol, some of them didn't have the flavor punch. Others, if you were drinking them strictly as a mocktail, they were a little too much. Like, you guys really seem to hit the right balance. So go through your flavor profile because you've been pretty consistent too.Johnna [00:02:54]:Yeah. It's really about a balanced cocktail. So you're gonna have you know, you want the balance of the sweetness. So obviously, or tartness. Right? So the fruit, whether like the strawberry, pomegranate, you're gonna have some of that tartness. We wanna balance that then with a honey. So we used a honey in our simple syrup base, and that is really just gonna create a more balanced sweetness versus cane sugar can be really intense. And then the benefit to a lot of people do, you know, prefer honey as a sweetener these days over cane sugar and then acid.Johnna [00:03:28]:So, obviously, it's lemon or lime in all of our flavors, and that acidity is, not only part of a great cocktail or can be part of a great cocktail, but also for us, that is what acts as our kinda natural, stabilizer. Right? So we are shelf stable, but because we, you know, lean into some of those, you know, to the using fresh lime and lemon, it allows us to be shelf stable longer without having to add preservatives. So I think right. It's like the sweetness or tartness and then a really good acid. And then we do have a lot of, bring in a lot of, earthy flavors as well. So we have, like, the pineapple basil lime. So we're adding in, you know, the freshness of the babel basil or the mint, cucumbermint lime has that, you know, really, refreshing element. And same thing too, like, one of my favorites we just launched, as part of our spritz line is the elderflower mint.Johnna [00:04:26]:And that again, it's floral. It's refreshing with the mint. It's, yeah. So it's really all about, yeah, that combo to create a nice balanced cocktail.Stephanie [00:04:36]:So I'm talking with cofounder at Mixley, Jonna Rosbach, and you mentioned that you have this spritz line. It is a new we'll call it an extension. Is that fair? And why did you rebrand it and make it somewhat different looking than the traditional mixed line? I was curious what the thought process was there.Johnna [00:04:57]:We were really great summer, you know, sipper. And we felt too that this was not only do we want to, you know, jump into the spritz, scene with our Mixley take, And it was a fun truly, like, Megan, our my business partner who's our designer is just so creative, wanted to have fun and and see, you know, how a kind of different branding would do. But I think it's also just, you know, it's an interesting test for us of how does a a mixer that's for a single a single type of cocktail do versus the versatility message we've had with Mixley where you can make it with rum or tequila or vodka. Like, how does that resonate with consumers when it's, like, really easy? It's a spritz. You mix it with sparkling wine, and there you go. So we wanted to distinguish it a bit, have fun with it, and then also it's just interesting to see, yeah, how it performs.Stephanie [00:05:54]:Can you talk a little bit about that? Because, clearly to me, that seems like people that have a marketing background that are doing sorta AB testing that are really as interested in the brand packaging and the messaging as the actual love of the cocktail itself. So what was your background and your business partner's background getting here? Because it seems sort of packaged goods focused.Johnna [00:06:20]:You are correct. Very much. Yes. So my background is all CPG marketing. Came up through the agency world and then spent, years in in corporate marketing at, you know, 2 different big food, CPG firms. And Megan, my business partner, the same. So, yes, we have that background. Her background's design.Johnna [00:06:41]:My background is more the marketing communication. So some ways, that's very helpful. In some ways, you have to take everything that you learned in your big CPG world and forget that you learned it because it doesn't apply.Stephanie [00:06:53]:Yeah. To yeah. That's really interesting too because I think that's one of the if I'm talking with people that are manufacturing products or talking about products and that's their background, I usually do tell them that. And you also don't have the depth of, staff or even the depth of resources or time. So you have to kinda move a lot faster than people are comfortable with.Johnna [00:07:19]:Yeah. Move faster. And I think even as you think about, like, the marketing tactics, things that we would do, it's like, it's so different when you already have brand awareness and distribution. Yeah. We made a lot of mistakes early on. I was like, oh, that lesson, that thing I thought I did really well. Like, that does not apply to Mixley to what we're doing. SoStephanie [00:07:40]:What's an example of that?Johnna [00:07:44]:I would say, for example okay. Spending on influencers. Right? Everyone wants to spend on influencers. And I'm not to say that's wrong. However, it is a very different game when you don't have, on shelf presence. Also, if you're just gonna do and true if you're truly going to invest in d two c, you have to do it right. So if you're having influencers drive to your website, you really have to be focused. And I think when we launched, we were trying to do too much.Johnna [00:08:12]:We were doing retail and a little d two c. So you're just your spend in a in a tactic like influencer marketing is really not gonna go far in the stage we were at, and that's where we learned to focus and prioritize early on. We launched we went heavy into retail, and that's what we did. So influencers at our stage of the game don't make sense. What makes sense is in store tastings. So that's where if I'm gonna spend a $100, I'm better spending in it on a brand ambassador doing an in store tasting versusStephanie [00:08:41]:an insJohnna [00:08:41]:you know, a a Instagram post.Stephanie [00:08:43]:Yeah. And I think too, maybe you can speak to this. I feel like the influencer world is changing, we're discovering that real influence is hard to come by and isn't always with the person with the 100,000 followers in a marketplace. Like, that maybe those micro influencers and doing an event or something that's different might have actual more influence than the gal that has, you know, 50,000 followers and hold something up, and her pretty smile just for lack of a better way of saying that. But do you know what I'm saying?Johnna [00:09:25]:Yeah. We're all become very savvy. I think we're very now we look at anyone who posts on and, again, it's not it's not putting anyone down, but we do look at that. I think we're all skeptical, or we know now. They're getting paid to say that. That's not you know, it doesn't feel authentic anymore. And I think too I think you're right in where the real influences, and I will say influence in as it relates to purchase for us has been in store tastings, has been, local media. So partners like you and whenever, you know, we get the opportunity to be on local media or do an interview, we see a direct correlation between that and sales.Johnna [00:10:05]:Events are also critical for us, not only in, obviously, you're in front of the consumer, but people word-of-mouth. Like, oh, I saw someone. They just told me to come down here. Like, these are really powerful tools that, you know, maybe to a sophisticated digital marketer, like, they may seem outdated, but they're tried and true. And for us right now, they work.Stephanie [00:10:25]:Well and you and I kind of I mean, originally, I think we met just through the cocktails and packaged goods in Minnesota Makers. But then, you come to the Stone Arch Festival. You come to a lot of these festivals that I program. And I try to explain to these packaged good culinary folks, and a lot of them are local and many Minnesota or Midwest made. You look at those events as an opportunity to sample, to trial, and create brand awareness. So, yes, selling your product there is awesome. And if you can get a return on your investment, that's great. That's what everybody strives for.Stephanie [00:11:03]:But that it's also a big marketing opportunity to get in front of so many people. And we see a lot of people that come to these events with their packages or their items and they don't sample, I'm like, oh, wow. You know, that is, like, you need to sample. Well, we just don't wanna give product away to the looky loos. It's like, well, those looky loos are also purchasers. You have to see them as the consumer that they are even though they're standing there with holding their kid's hand, who's eating a sweaty popsicle, and holding a beer. They still shop too.Johanna [00:11:36]:Mhmm. That's that's that's exactly it. And a lot of these events, you know, one, I I will tell you, like because we have, you know, 7, 8 different flavors. I love when people are like, can I try one of each one? I'm like, please. Yeah. Because then, like, I'm gonna upsell you on my bundle package. No. But I I do think too, like, some of these events, you know, we'll hear, well, you know, I don't wanna carry around glass right now.Johnna [00:11:56]:Do you have a card I can take with you? Like, where can I find you? And I really do believe that these people, they're taking a picture of our booth, that they're taking our card. It was a great interaction. They may not buy us now, but I think we're top of mind. And when they see us, you know, on shelf at France 44, like, hopefully, that's when they purchase. SoStephanie [00:12:14]:I was thinking about you guys recently because it seems natural with the launch of the spritz line that you might consider canned cocktails down the road. Is that something you're thinking about? Or I was even thinking about we're seeing now, like, Tattersall just launched a bunch of cocktails in a I call it a slap bag for lack of a better term. It just says the party girl in me. But the sort of canned, you miss the can, you miss the bottle, and it's just in this plastic thing that has a handle that you can carry around. You can put it on the boat. Are any of those packaging options something you guys might look at down the road or getting into the full canned cocktail?Johnna [00:12:55]:I think so. I think packaging, for sure. You look at other brands, mixer brands like Filthy, and right there in that bag. And it's really great for if you think about expansion into on premise and airlines. So I think for sure, packaging we would look at. In terms of ready to drink cocktails in a can, you know, the market's so saturated right now that I could see it maybe one day we've scaled and we're in thousands of doors, you know, retailers nationwide, and people want to see that from Mixley. But at this point, I think it it would just be too expensive to try to stand out in the noise. But I think that's really smart.Stephanie [00:13:36]:Yeah. I think that's really smart, actually. And, also, there is so many cool packaging options. Like, if you think of the Capri sun size or even if you think of the small canned, not cans, box. Small box like wine. I could just see that being a cool packaging idea for you. And, also, one of the things I love is you do have this rainbow sort of branding. And when you put all of the line together in a packaging item, it really feels like you're getting a lot.Stephanie [00:14:05]:I think you have the is it $45 for your do you call it your pride package?Johnna [00:14:10]:Rainbow package. Yeah. Okay. This month, we'll call it pride.Stephanie [00:14:14]:Yeah. And I always think of it as pride because I haveJohnna [00:14:16]:to beStephanie [00:14:16]:a daughter. So when I hear rainbow, like, I think, oh, okay. Right away. Yep. I thought that was a really clever way to market that because it gave you an opportunity to try all of them. Yeah. So the the jury is probably still out because the, spritz line is new. But so far, are you having fun with it? Does it feel like it was a good risk to take?Johnna [00:14:38]:Yeah. We are. We're having fun with it. We already flew through our 1st batch, like, what we produce, so that's great. Yep. So we're on track to, like, what we projected it to do for us, which is awesome. And, we launched it primarily as, you know, an event in kind of online product. We are in some boot in some shelves here in the Twin Cities, but we just wanted to kinda see again, like, how can we do this as a test and and do a smaller kind of more, you know, smaller launch, and then we'll see from there if it sticks with us for the long term.Stephanie [00:15:11]:I do love the idea of being able to have that on an airline as you're going on a trip. Like, I know Sun Country has had a good relationship with Crooked Water Spirits and our friend Heather Manley. But, like, I could see a spritzy kind of version of that and really covering all those warm weather destinations. And, well, that would be so fun, wouldn't it?Johnna [00:15:34]:Yes. From your lips to God's ears. Right? So, no. I agree. And that certainly I think, we know we can produce in 4 ounce bottles. We have that capability. And so, obviously, glass isn't ideal for our airlines. So back to your, you know, the packaging conversation, that's something that we're looking at and and how do we how do we break into that market? Because I agree.Johnna [00:15:56]:I think we've all been, you know, on a plane and wanting a good cocktail, and your mixers are pretty limited. It's, you know, a Coke, a Sprite, whatever they got, or a bloody, you know, a Bloody Mary. But, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:08]:Alright. So if anybody's listening, because we have a lot of fans, the Sun Country route, that would be great. And you could mix it with, they like to support local female driven companies, so that's exciting. So talk about you mentioned one of the spritzes is sort of an elderflower profile. What's the other one? It's orange. Right?Johnna [00:16:26]:Bitter orange cherry. So that's really, you know, reminiscent of, Aperol spritz. So, yeah. It's, it's, again, it's other it's another well balanced, mixer. And it really is just like this delightful summer sipper. And you can mix it. You don't need to add sparkling wine. You can just add, you know, soda water.Johnna [00:16:47]:Yep. And it still works. So, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:49]:Okay. So let me ask you. Are there any products or, like, packaged goods that you're using or seeing lately that you're just like and doesn't necessarily have to be food. That you're like, oh, I just love this product. It's so clever.Johnna [00:17:09]:Oh, the olive oil. The the, The green bottle? Yes. What is that?Stephanie [00:17:16]:Grossi, is it called?Johnna [00:17:18]:Yes. I mean, the branding, the packaging, the storytelling of the Spanish olive oil, it actually tastes good. Like, it is I'm obsessed, and that's another one too where I thought once I saw it, I go, yes. Another category that has really yet to evolve. And we're in packaging. Right? Like, I'm sure all you know, the olive oil is not all pretty equal equal. But just in terms of the design, I was like, this is so exciting.Stephanie [00:17:46]:And it feels super fresh and, like, you have to try it.Johnna [00:17:51]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:17:51]:Because everybody buys olive oil, but there is something about that product. And I actually haven't purchased it yet because I'm, like, the person who would be like, oh, that's just a marketing gimmick. You can because I'm just like because I'm cooking all the time. Yeah. But I do think it's super clever. And, also, when we look at, you know, who's coming back into the kitchen and learning to cook, It's a lot of millennials and date nights and kind of there's a more fun factor. And I think that olive oil has hit that right on the head. So that's a really good one.Stephanie [00:18:20]:I hadn't thought about that before. In town, are you, like, are you doing anything fun, or do you have any restaurants that you love? Or what do you do for fun?Johnna [00:18:30]:Oh my well, we you know, I will say this. For fun, I've got kiddos. So we're up Minnetonka. Minnetonka. Maynard's is, like, our standard. So if anyone from Maynard's is listening, I've been trying to get, like, Mixley on the menu. I'm like, I would love to enjoy my own mixer while I'm out here. But Sure.Johnna [00:18:47]:I feel like it just feels like that's the summer place out my way. But I did just eatStephanie [00:18:52]:at Starling. Oh, did youJohnna [00:18:53]:love it? I loved it. I mean, the food was great and the cocktails were fabulous. What was so interesting is they had, some, like, cranberry Red Bull based cocktails, which I have not had. Tell about party days, vodka Red Bulls. Yeah. It's been it's been a minute since I've had that. But anyway, it was on their cocktail list and surprisingly, it was really, really quite delicious.Stephanie [00:19:17]:Okay. I might have to check that out because it sounds a little weird. I'm like, okay. I feel alright.Johanna [00:19:24]:Alright. I know. On this beautiful elevated space, we have Red Bull on the menu. I have to try it. So yeah.Stephanie [00:19:30]:I still feel like whenever we get something on the, like, west of Saint Louis Park I live in Golden Valley. So, you know, we're still building out kind of the scene on the west side. And there's always been a good kinda late culture party scene, but and and maybe, like, we don't maybe it's not even fine dining, but just getting something that's a step above the chains feels so welcome and so right on right now.Johanna [00:19:58]:Absolutely. Yeah. Like, I I mean so even like an Excelsior ley line, that's just been such a really nice addition to the Excelsior food scene. You know, I guessStephanie [00:20:09]:Ivy and Hopkins is another one.Johanna [00:20:11]:Pink Ivy and Hopkins. Fabulous. Yeah. Amazing cocktails. And I would say to excellent food, and the value for what you get there is incredible. I love that space. Yeah.Stephanie [00:20:21]:Yeah. I do too. It's fun to see. And I'm excited for, the new, Grocers Table sister restaurant next door. I think that'll be fun.Johanna [00:20:31]:And Yeah. No. Same. That's it. And I just can't believe like, I'm so excited. You know, Lindsay has done so well with Grocer's Table. I'm excited for her to expand. Every time I go in that place, it is just buzzing.Johanna [00:20:43]:So I'm sure she's gonna do a great job, yeah, with the dinner concept.Stephanie [00:20:47]:Yeah. I think so too. Well, it's been super fun to catch up with you. I just I saw the spritz, and I thought, oh, I can't wait to talk to her about about them and why she did it the way she did it and what her thinking is. And I knew you'd have some really insightful thoughts about it. And I'm excited to try it too. I haven't tried it yet, but I promise I will.Johanna [00:21:05]:Okay. Well, I think I can hook you up if you need it. If you need a permit.Stephanie [00:21:09]:Guys soon. So Yes. Alright.Johanna [00:21:10]:Well, thank you, Stephanie. I appreciate it.Stephanie [00:21:12]:It's always fun to have you on. Thanks so much.Johanna [00:21:14]:Yeah. Likewise. Thanks. Bye bye. Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to another episode of "Dishing with Stephanie's Dish." On February 6, at The Lexington in St Paul, we are hosting a Makers of Minnesota 4-course paired cocktail dinner featuring Crooked Water Spirits founded by Heather Manley. This woman-owned, Minnesota-made spirits company is bringing luxury spirits to our bars and tables and, in the case of the “Manleys Old Fashioned”, our Sun Country flights!Episode Transcript Follows:Stephanie [00:00:15]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the podcast. I'm excited to have you here with me today. I am talking with I call her my friend Heather. I call her my friend Heather on all the things. My friend Heather Manley, who is originally crossed my path as a spicemaker and has Heather dirty goodness spices, which I'm still crazy about. And then, she took her progression into her professional life with on demand group. And from there, decided, hey. I'm not busy enough.2 companies, why not have a third? And started Crooked Water Spirits. And Crooked Water Spirits is women owned and is currently being produced in, Minnesota. So it's Minnesota maker. Minnesota. And You just have really let me Heather, welcome to the program. I I feel, like, so proud of you.Heather Manley [00:01:11]:Aw. Thank you.Stephanie [00:01:12]:Yeah. You just you, like, from the time I met you, have this maker spirit, this entrepreneurial spirit, And you let no grass grow. Like, when you wanna do something, you just do it, and I admire that so much. Where did you get that energy from?Heather Manley [00:01:31]:You know, I don't know. I think it's like a it's a work ethic, and, I'll tell you in college, I didn't know it was Funny to have 10 w twos a year. I didn't know that was funny. I didn't have a work ethic in college. I I I wanted to go party, work to party, Go party. Work again.Stephanie [00:01:48]:Yeah.Heather Manley [00:01:49]:And then the second I graduated, I think my parents my my my mom and my dad, they own their own business. An entrepreneurial grandfather, and, I saw how hard they work. I know I wanted their life for better. And the like, literally, the month I graduated, it was like a switch. And and then I just I wanted to work. I love to work. And, and all of a sudden, I didn't wanna sit still, and I just wanted to build. And and people build a lot faster and a lot better than I do, but I do it at my capacity and how I can do it and the pace I can do it, and, and I love it.Stephanie [00:02:26]:When you started in food and the food world, liquor world, what was it about that industry in particular that appealed to you?Heather Manley [00:02:36]:Well, my passions are family food and booze. I've said that since I was in college. So the the tech company is family. The Heather's Dirty Goodness is food and Crooked Waters is booze. And at some point, I'll love to make a wine because I wanna drink really nice wine at cost. But, like, I'm driven by all that. So and it's a very, sometimes, shallow life because I'm very easily pleased with, like, stunning food And amazing cocktails and, always the conversation has to be better than all of that, and it's like the perfect It's the perfect day for me. It literally fills my bucket.Heather Manley [00:03:11]:So from travel to how I spend my time to the businesses I started, they all surround that, and they're all definitely in varying levels of success, but all passion, which makes it all fun.Stephanie [00:03:24]:I love that you're unapologetic about saying that Because when you talk about, you know, like, someone said called it my hobby life. And I was like, yeah. I guess it is my hobby life, but it's also like my work life, my life life, like my everything life. It's what makes me get out of bed every morning is thinking about What I'm gonna eat that day or some cool new cheese that I know that someone's preparing or, The wine that I get to have later on because I'm going to a multi course dinner, like, it's not shallow. It's fun. It's not.Heather Manley [00:04:00]:It is. It's and it you know what? And we're curious. We're just curious in different areas than other people. Like, I love going to a grocery store. Literally, I will not go with my SO with Rhett because he will be like, we're on a time line. You said you needed 10 things. Why are you looking at this? This is not on the list. So I'm like, This is something new, and I'm very excited about it, and it's like affordable splurges.Heather Manley [00:04:22]:But I I was chatting with somebody again, And he really shared that, like, his work was a means to an end, and priority was family and, and some hobbies. And I'm like, I to me, it's like, Jesus. That's really hard when, like, 10 hours of your day and no doubt the weekends And your whole of what you're building and doing, if if it's not based on something you love or it's not a means to end, it is a job. That sucks. So I feel very lucky that I get to choose what I wanted. We all get the choice. I'm I feel very lucky that I've made that choice, and that I know what I love.Stephanie [00:05:02]:So let us because I can see, like, looking and thinking, oh, spices. Yeah. I've got these blends. Like, I can do that. I can buy bulk spices and but you, like, took that a lot further with Crooked Water and creating your own spirit company. And, I mean, how did you figure out what you were even supposed to do to get that started?Heather Manley [00:05:25]:Let's be clear, there's no money in spices. So we all know that. No one's ever I mean, it's just it's more expensive the higher quality, Less salt, the high the more expensive. People aren't used to spending that, and it's okay. You just gotta call it. I know I know what it is, And that was kind of my 1st POC, b to c, business to consumer, proof of concept. I learned a lot in that whole journey. So it wasn't even that failure in a lot of air areas brought a lot of wealth of knowledge on how to do it better.Heather Manley [00:05:56]:With booze, I mean, I still don't know what I'm doing. I just got off my the call with Johnson Brothers with Emery. And I'm like, what? I go, this doesn't exist, but what do you think of this? And he's like, I have no idea. And I'm like, yeah. I don't even know if I can legally do this, but let's maybe explore. Right? And it's and it's the curiosity That I think is a differentiator. Our ability to have the pallet in house. We don't outsource anything.Heather Manley [00:06:21]:Also makes it really Feasible to do something like this and the creative in house. So, you know, Rhett and I, knowing each other since art school, we Can make these beautiful labels. I I know how to, get corks made out of Germany that are fire branded and our investment back into the brand because we don't take any profits out of the brand. We still, in year, oh my god, 8? I mean, or 10? 10. We still reinvest every effing sent back into the company because I'm more excited to see how that money can make it grow than I am about putting it in my pocket. But it's also like I I know how to cook. And when you know how to cook, you know how to put flavors together. You work with people who are willing to also be curious or take chances or Give you the time to, create and innovate.Heather Manley [00:07:11]:And I started with just cold calling 10 distilleries and ended up with, At the end of the day now, 2 in Minnesota, but people that were willing to give me an opportunity to leverage their talent, leverage their infrastructure, Use my recipes, and it's just kind of evolved from there. But you don't need to know what you're doing. I mean, what's the worst? That you have a shitty liqueur that you give to all your friends for a year? I mean, it's True. Still alcohol at the end of the day. It doesn't suck.Stephanie [00:07:39]:True. But nobody else would think about it like that except for you, which makes me laugh. Because you're like, yeah. Like, everybody thinks like this. I'm like, no. No. They don't. Okay.Stephanie [00:07:49]:Take us through the 1st Crooked Water flavor all the way to where you're at today. So,Heather Manley [00:07:59]:when ODG when I came into it, it was broke. It well, not broke, but it Ten people. Right? Like, I think even after 4 months in the tech business, we were in the red, and that's where Sean and I said, okay. Let's strategize. What what are we doing? Where are we going? And in saying that, we needed to rebrand, knowing Rhett. We we weren't even dating that. Well, no. We weren't dating then.Heather Manley [00:08:20]:And I asked them to rebrand, but we had really no money for marketing or design services and all the iterations that need to happen in rebranding. So I paid them in a very high end scotch, And I had a really beautiful collection overdoing 2 to 3 bottles a month for a year. I realized, After, hearing about Gamel Ode and their beautiful De La Aquavit, it helped me understand the beaut like, the beauty of craft of micro versus macro. And when I sat and thought, what could I bring to market that nobody's doing? I looked up, and all of my favorite scotches and I drink I drank a lot of scotch in college, which is hilarious, hence the, you know, 10 w twos a year. And I realized that all my favorite scotches were Task finished, and nobody was doing that that I could find, in the country for Sherry and only 1 company for Port. So that's how I decided to come up with Kings Point In Lost Lake, I found a broker out of Colorado to find me a stunning $700 casks. I interviewed a dozen people, ended up at Yahara. We executed that.Heather Manley [00:09:23]:Sold out in, like, 3 days or or like and it was very small amount of bourbon. But it's sold out. We're I think we're the 1st to formally launch in the States, and from there, it was like, oh, s**t. This could be Business. I didn't really think about it. I was just having fun, and how stupid. Like, I didn't realize how liquor stores would be pissed off that I didn't have any more product for them because they made room to put my you on there. I mean, just very naive.Heather Manley [00:09:48]:I think there's beauty in being naive because you don't know what you can't do. Right? But definitely lessons learned. So Once I sold out of everything, I I was like, oh, okay. This could be a business. Now what do I need to do? I don't have any investors. I don't have any debt, But I slowly built my barrel program, so we're still small. We're like a couple 100 barrels. And while I was building that, I launched the aged vodka, which we don't even sell anymore, because it was just different fun.Heather Manley [00:10:15]:Nobody was doing it, and it it was more of an educational tool. And then I launched Sundog, which is our number one selling gin, citrus, forward. If you hate gin, you won't hate this because it's really like a citrusy vodka. Then we made Abyss, And then, you know, now we have QuadCast finished up with brandy, and espresso ready to pour. We're the 1st ready to pour to launch in Minnesota, which is insane to think about now. We make a boulevard EA that nobody knows about, apparently, from my sales records nor my Negroni. Very boutique y. Like, a 100 cases of each of those a year.Heather Manley [00:10:48]:I know about it. Yeah. Well, thank you. I haven't really pushed them because we we're we moved distilleries, but this year will be a big year of just evangelizing those because They're beautiful. I'm super proud of them, but I think we have really 12 or 11 SKUs, including the 50 mils that are on the plains and some 200 mils. And now it's really more about it's really noisy with the THC and, Bigger brands coming in with a lot more money, and a lot of SKUs can be very confusing. So now we're just focusing on maybe a subset of, like, 5 5 really core products, And then that's what we'll be really pushing in 2024 and 2025.Stephanie [00:11:27]:I like that strategy. It always tickles me when I'm on a Sun Country flight, And they asked me what I want, and I always say that I would like the manly old fashioned.Heather Manley [00:11:37]:Thank you.Stephanie [00:11:38]:And then I tell everybody around me, this is my friend Heather's cocktail. And they get really jazzed about it, and then they order it too. And then they, like, take their 1st sip, and they'll look over, and they'll be like, oh, this is really good.Heather Manley [00:11:52]:Oh, that just melts my heart. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. And, like, like, I mean, for that old fashioned I mean, I made it like Parler, like Marvel, like Constantine. I partner with Angostura. I partner with Bitter Q for their bitters. I use a 3 year, at least, Bourbon in there. A lot of times, foyer.Heather Manley [00:12:11]:I use demerara. I mean, there's all these things that there's no corner skirted. Even though Everyone's tried to persuade me to do that to save money. I will not because I wanna drink it, and I don't make s**t. And so I wanna make things that I'm proud about. If I wanted to build a company and sell it with a skinny girl b s product, I could have done that already, but I would not be able to look you in the face and say support me.Stephanie [00:12:35]:Yeah. And support you, I'm very proud to do. We are having a dinner, and we're coming out of the Dry January, which a lot of people I read that, like them. 33%, though, This year versus, like, 22% last year, and many people are doing, like, damp or moist January, which is fine.Heather Manley [00:12:59]:Moist. Yeah.Stephanie [00:13:00]:Moist. Yes. Very moist January. But we're gonna be coming out of dry January, rolling heavy and hard right into February 6th At the Lexington, we're having a 4 course dinner. You will be able to get, have we determined I don't even know if we Finally determine what the cocktail is that the Lex will be featuring all of February.Heather Manley [00:13:22]:Yes. Oh, no. I don't know. I'm I'm hoping it's The Sundog product because that's, like, one of my favorite patio pounding cocktails. He added mint to it as well, which I think would be beautiful and kind of we're all a little desperate for spring, so I'm hoping that's up the menu. But that will be the, I think, the first drink that we have on the tasting menu.Stephanie [00:13:41]:And do you know the other 3? I hate to put you on the spot.Heather Manley [00:13:45]:1 will be, coffee old fashioned, And 1 will have, 1 I have no idea, but I also know it has our rye in it. 1 will be a bourbon cocktail, And then, I think we said screw vodka because right? You meanStephanie [00:14:04]:Yeah. You can do vlogging at home.Heather Manley [00:14:07]:I think it's 2 gins. Oh, it's a gin. It's a bourbon. It's our quad cast gavel brandy, and it's an old fashioned.Stephanie [00:14:13]:Perfect. Yeah. And we will be pairing each of those with courses that chef has designed for us. This is a $120 ticket, but you'll walk away with Four cocktails and a beautiful course meal. And what I think is so special about these dinners is People will get to hear you tell your story. They'll get to ask you questions. You're right there. The the attendance is capped at 50.Stephanie [00:14:38]:So it's a small intimate group in the Lexington. We're in kind of their, Williamsburg room, which is where they have the jazz normally. And it's just it's really pretty, and it's a nice opportunity to get in front of some of your favorite makers. When I've gone to dinners in the past and, you know, you have multiple courses, I love having one point of view from a spirit perspective because We kinda get to take, you get to take us on this journey all the way through all of your recorded water influences, How, you started with 1 and how you ended up with another, it's really a a fun thing to do. Is it more challenging in the environment with some of the taste changing with THC? Or is it just always kinda the same game and there's always something new and different?Heather Manley [00:15:31]:I think it's always something new and different. I think we're 25% down in off prem just because I think of THC and people not drinking as much, But then we're up 30% on prem. Right? And and the year before, we're up a 100% on prem and Up 30 you know, it's just it's always all over the board pending on what the trends are. You know, I think THC will probably get more regulated. I hope it you know, I don't I don't do it, so I don't really pay attention to it, but for sure, I know reps are saying that they're just seeing it kind of just fly off the shelves. I like to manage my buzz, and I think with THC, it's like you're in it, and you're in it for, like, 2 or 3 hours. Whereas AndStephanie [00:16:15]:that's how I feel too.Heather Manley [00:16:17]:Yeah. If I feel a buzz with alcohol, I can have a glass of water, and it's right back down within 15 minutes. So maybe that's the control freak in me. A little bit, type a, but, you know, I just I think it's I think it's exciting. I think the more that we can have freedom to do business in Minnesota, the better everybody will be. SoStephanie [00:16:37]:Yeah. Because whatever that ends up being, if we stop being what they call the nanny state, You know, where the state is governing all of your choices, that is better for business.Heather Manley [00:16:49]:Yeah. We're a fun sponge state.Stephanie [00:16:51]:Yes. Yeah.Heather Manley [00:16:54]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:16:55]:Can I ask you kind of a weirdly unrelated but related question? One of the things that I'm obsessed with in both your personal and your professional life is your tablescapes. You have the most beautiful tablescapes. You've also designed a house That just speaks to my heart so much because it's designed for entertaining. Like Yeah.Heather Manley [00:17:20]:Yeah. You walk in, and it's a the 10 foot table in your face. I realized, like, probably how odd that is, but I absolutely love it.Stephanie [00:17:28]:It it works for me so much, and it's part of why I love to come to your house. And You just every space in your home feels warm and entertainment worthy. You know what I mean? Like, Even your bathroom feels like you could hang out in there with a cocktail if you wanted to.Heather Manley [00:17:45]:Because there's a speaker in there. Everyone's just gonna move with a speaker in their bathroom just for privacy.Stephanie [00:17:51]:And there's just, like, beautiful smells in there. And, I mean, I say this with a 100% sincerity. You are one of my favorite, like, entertainers. And when I get invited to be in your entertaining presence, I'm so excited. And your tables. And What do you think like, people are kinda hesitant to entertain at home, I think. They just don't feel like they know how to put a menu together or that it's so much work. What makes entertaining feel effortless to you? Because it sure looks effortless when you do it.Heather Manley [00:18:23]:Oh, I love you for saying that. And second, I'll add you to even other weird events if I know you're willing to come out into the middle of nowhere.Stephanie [00:18:30]:Jeez. I'm closer than I used to be.Heather Manley [00:18:33]:I know who you are. You know, like, I we did a charity event on I think it's my my creative background, we did a charity event, with Smack Shack for Great River Greening, and I had nothing on the table and, like, even Dawn, the sous chef, she was like, so do you want help with this? I'm like, no. No. No. I'm just gonna go outside. And I went outside with scissors, and I cut all my hydrangeas, and it's, like, probably one of my favorite tables keeping I've ever done, though I did warn everybody it could go up at any moment. So, like, have your drinks ready. But, like, I just I love finding the weirdest things and making them beautiful, and it is stressful.Heather Manley [00:19:10]:Like, I mean, I I plan. I like perfection. Perfection doesn't exist, So that's my own problem. What I I think my my thing is that I'm trying to find joy in just the experience. Right? The joy of having friends that wanna come here. The joy of, Even having a table for 12 that I can you know? Like like, there's there's and and my expectations are my own. People don't come in with them, and they they just wanna be here. And I I will say, I think I even told you.Heather Manley [00:19:38]:Remember the party, like, 4 years ago? Or It might even been pre COVID or in COVID. I'm, like, I can't host, like, every every party. Everyone needs to have parties. Yes. Yeah. The like, for me, the biggest joy is to go somewhere else and not have to clean and not have to think about it. And I'm horrible, because sometimes I even forget the hostess gift, because I'm so ready to let everything go. And then I am so embarrassed when I show up that I have nothing.Heather Manley [00:20:05]:But I love it when other people host, and I think what people need to get into their head is it's never a competition. Get that get your inspiration from from Instagram, but Comparison is the thief of happiness. Right? So do it to what makes you happy, but don't compare yourself to anybody else.Stephanie [00:20:22]:Right. And, like, your friends just wanna be in your presence. You know? Like, you can even make hot dogs and beans. No one cares.Heather Manley [00:20:30]:And they they would effing love that if you made hot dogs and beans. Right? And and, like, and do it in the cutest way and all. I mean, they just really wanna hang out.Stephanie [00:20:39]:Yeah. I think for me, one of the goals I had for this year was to entertain more. I've gotten a little complacent since COVID. You know, we came out of the sorta Just we came out of COVID, and it was like, every everything's on again. But I was trying to find a good balance Of Yeah. I enjoyed some of the COVID things. So I wanted to come back and be more intentional about how I was spending my time. But Yeah.Stephanie [00:21:05]:I'm not entertaining as much in my own home as I wanted to.Heather Manley [00:21:09]:I'm not Stephanie, I'm not either. I actually, like, Turned into this, unexpected introvert in, quote, in COVID, which I loved because I was so out of balance Of being so social that I now kinda covet that or or need a little bit of that that private time that I I didn't really, I didn't need before, which is really interesting.Stephanie [00:21:34]:Yeah. And I always I felt very similarly, and I thought, like, woah. Is this age? But for me, I think, You know, the more that life gets lived out loud through social and through our work and, you know, the the radio show and now the TV stuff, and All of that is so energy, producing, but also draining that I need, like, a lot more time by myself.Heather Manley [00:22:00]:Yeah. It's kinda comforting to hear that because, like, even this year and last year, I made my holiday party at the American Legion, which is Insane because, like, my house is meant to have a party, but it's like it's almost like I don't I I wanna outsource the bartender to the bar. You know, spill your drink. I don't give an f. Right? Like, everyone get wild, have fun, and it's, like, it's so so interesting to have that mindset. Like, at some point, I'll have to have party here maybe this summer where we can kind of leverage all the spaces, but it like, it's even weird to be outsourcing my parties when IStephanie [00:22:33]:I thought about that. I thought about that with you, but I think what I came to was, you know, you're probably doing like, at holidays, we might be entertaining multiple days in a row.Heather Manley [00:22:44]:Yeah. I last year, I did 4 Thanksgivings in 1 week, and I cried at the third one.Stephanie [00:22:52]:Yeah.Heather Manley [00:22:52]:Like, with all my YPO guys, all dudes, and I just lost it. And they're like, what's going on? And I'm like, like, I don't know. But I'm like, I'm f*****g exhausted.Stephanie [00:23:03]:And overwhelmed. Yes.Heather Manley [00:23:04]:And I had another Thanksgiving to do in 2 days, and they're so kind. But they're like, So maybe we don't do this next year in Thanksgiving week. And I'm like, yeah. I I think post COVID, I just have different Boundaries of, like or stress levels I'm willing to take on.Stephanie [00:23:21]:Well, I'm glad that you're willing to take on the event at the Lexington with me because we're gonna have fun.Heather Manley [00:23:27]:I'm I'm not gonna cry, and I'm super excited.Stephanie [00:23:30]:No. You're not gonna cry. We're just gonna be able to revel in your flavors, Your profile of your botanicals that you bring to the party, and I think you'll be really just impressed by the people that come and how fun they are and how excited they are to learn about your product. SoHeather Manley [00:23:46]:We do a lot of these events, but I haven't done, like, a great tasting dinner in a while, so I'm really excited just to hang out and do something really fun, have amazing food, and and, have my spirits associated with them, so I'm really excited.Stephanie [00:24:04]:Well, thank you for joining me today, Heather. I'm gonna get this podcast posted right away so that people can hear the story And join us at your great event that we're gonna be having at the Lexington's Crooked Water Spirits, Heather Manley. We'll see you soon. Couple weeks.Heather Manley [00:24:17]:Love it. Love you. Thank you. Heather. Alright. Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to another episode of "Dishing with Stephanie's Dish." On February 6, at The Lexington in St Paul, we are hosting a Makers of Minnesota 4-course paired cocktail dinner featuring Crooked Water Spirits founded by Heather Manley. This woman-owned, Minnesota-made spirits company is bringing luxury spirits to our bars and tables and, in the case of the “Manleys Old Fashioned”, our Sun Country flights!Episode Transcript Follows:Stephanie [00:00:15]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the podcast. I'm excited to have you here with me today. I am talking with I call her my friend Heather. I call her my friend Heather on all the things. My friend Heather Manley, who is originally crossed my path as a spicemaker and has Heather dirty goodness spices, which I'm still crazy about. And then, she took her progression into her professional life with on demand group. And from there, decided, hey. I'm not busy enough.2 companies, why not have a third? And started Crooked Water Spirits. And Crooked Water Spirits is women owned and is currently being produced in, Minnesota. So it's Minnesota maker. Minnesota. And You just have really let me Heather, welcome to the program. I I feel, like, so proud of you.Heather Manley [00:01:11]:Aw. Thank you.Stephanie [00:01:12]:Yeah. You just you, like, from the time I met you, have this maker spirit, this entrepreneurial spirit, And you let no grass grow. Like, when you wanna do something, you just do it, and I admire that so much. Where did you get that energy from?Heather Manley [00:01:31]:You know, I don't know. I think it's like a it's a work ethic, and, I'll tell you in college, I didn't know it was Funny to have 10 w twos a year. I didn't know that was funny. I didn't have a work ethic in college. I I I wanted to go party, work to party, Go party. Work again.Stephanie [00:01:48]:Yeah.Heather Manley [00:01:49]:And then the second I graduated, I think my parents my my my mom and my dad, they own their own business. An entrepreneurial grandfather, and, I saw how hard they work. I know I wanted their life for better. And the like, literally, the month I graduated, it was like a switch. And and then I just I wanted to work. I love to work. And, and all of a sudden, I didn't wanna sit still, and I just wanted to build. And and people build a lot faster and a lot better than I do, but I do it at my capacity and how I can do it and the pace I can do it, and, and I love it.Stephanie [00:02:26]:When you started in food and the food world, liquor world, what was it about that industry in particular that appealed to you?Heather Manley [00:02:36]:Well, my passions are family food and booze. I've said that since I was in college. So the the tech company is family. The Heather's Dirty Goodness is food and Crooked Waters is booze. And at some point, I'll love to make a wine because I wanna drink really nice wine at cost. But, like, I'm driven by all that. So and it's a very, sometimes, shallow life because I'm very easily pleased with, like, stunning food And amazing cocktails and, always the conversation has to be better than all of that, and it's like the perfect It's the perfect day for me. It literally fills my bucket.Heather Manley [00:03:11]:So from travel to how I spend my time to the businesses I started, they all surround that, and they're all definitely in varying levels of success, but all passion, which makes it all fun.Stephanie [00:03:24]:I love that you're unapologetic about saying that Because when you talk about, you know, like, someone said called it my hobby life. And I was like, yeah. I guess it is my hobby life, but it's also like my work life, my life life, like my everything life. It's what makes me get out of bed every morning is thinking about What I'm gonna eat that day or some cool new cheese that I know that someone's preparing or, The wine that I get to have later on because I'm going to a multi course dinner, like, it's not shallow. It's fun. It's not.Heather Manley [00:04:00]:It is. It's and it you know what? And we're curious. We're just curious in different areas than other people. Like, I love going to a grocery store. Literally, I will not go with my SO with Rhett because he will be like, we're on a time line. You said you needed 10 things. Why are you looking at this? This is not on the list. So I'm like, This is something new, and I'm very excited about it, and it's like affordable splurges.Heather Manley [00:04:22]:But I I was chatting with somebody again, And he really shared that, like, his work was a means to an end, and priority was family and, and some hobbies. And I'm like, I to me, it's like, Jesus. That's really hard when, like, 10 hours of your day and no doubt the weekends And your whole of what you're building and doing, if if it's not based on something you love or it's not a means to end, it is a job. That sucks. So I feel very lucky that I get to choose what I wanted. We all get the choice. I'm I feel very lucky that I've made that choice, and that I know what I love.Stephanie [00:05:02]:So let us because I can see, like, looking and thinking, oh, spices. Yeah. I've got these blends. Like, I can do that. I can buy bulk spices and but you, like, took that a lot further with Crooked Water and creating your own spirit company. And, I mean, how did you figure out what you were even supposed to do to get that started?Heather Manley [00:05:25]:Let's be clear, there's no money in spices. So we all know that. No one's ever I mean, it's just it's more expensive the higher quality, Less salt, the high the more expensive. People aren't used to spending that, and it's okay. You just gotta call it. I know I know what it is, And that was kind of my 1st POC, b to c, business to consumer, proof of concept. I learned a lot in that whole journey. So it wasn't even that failure in a lot of air areas brought a lot of wealth of knowledge on how to do it better.Heather Manley [00:05:56]:With booze, I mean, I still don't know what I'm doing. I just got off my the call with Johnson Brothers with Emery. And I'm like, what? I go, this doesn't exist, but what do you think of this? And he's like, I have no idea. And I'm like, yeah. I don't even know if I can legally do this, but let's maybe explore. Right? And it's and it's the curiosity That I think is a differentiator. Our ability to have the pallet in house. We don't outsource anything.Heather Manley [00:06:21]:Also makes it really Feasible to do something like this and the creative in house. So, you know, Rhett and I, knowing each other since art school, we Can make these beautiful labels. I I know how to, get corks made out of Germany that are fire branded and our investment back into the brand because we don't take any profits out of the brand. We still, in year, oh my god, 8? I mean, or 10? 10. We still reinvest every effing sent back into the company because I'm more excited to see how that money can make it grow than I am about putting it in my pocket. But it's also like I I know how to cook. And when you know how to cook, you know how to put flavors together. You work with people who are willing to also be curious or take chances or Give you the time to, create and innovate.Heather Manley [00:07:11]:And I started with just cold calling 10 distilleries and ended up with, At the end of the day now, 2 in Minnesota, but people that were willing to give me an opportunity to leverage their talent, leverage their infrastructure, Use my recipes, and it's just kind of evolved from there. But you don't need to know what you're doing. I mean, what's the worst? That you have a shitty liqueur that you give to all your friends for a year? I mean, it's True. Still alcohol at the end of the day. It doesn't suck.Stephanie [00:07:39]:True. But nobody else would think about it like that except for you, which makes me laugh. Because you're like, yeah. Like, everybody thinks like this. I'm like, no. No. They don't. Okay.Stephanie [00:07:49]:Take us through the 1st Crooked Water flavor all the way to where you're at today. So,Heather Manley [00:07:59]:when ODG when I came into it, it was broke. It well, not broke, but it Ten people. Right? Like, I think even after 4 months in the tech business, we were in the red, and that's where Sean and I said, okay. Let's strategize. What what are we doing? Where are we going? And in saying that, we needed to rebrand, knowing Rhett. We we weren't even dating that. Well, no. We weren't dating then.Heather Manley [00:08:20]:And I asked them to rebrand, but we had really no money for marketing or design services and all the iterations that need to happen in rebranding. So I paid them in a very high end scotch, And I had a really beautiful collection overdoing 2 to 3 bottles a month for a year. I realized, After, hearing about Gamel Ode and their beautiful De La Aquavit, it helped me understand the beaut like, the beauty of craft of micro versus macro. And when I sat and thought, what could I bring to market that nobody's doing? I looked up, and all of my favorite scotches and I drink I drank a lot of scotch in college, which is hilarious, hence the, you know, 10 w twos a year. And I realized that all my favorite scotches were Task finished, and nobody was doing that that I could find, in the country for Sherry and only 1 company for Port. So that's how I decided to come up with Kings Point In Lost Lake, I found a broker out of Colorado to find me a stunning $700 casks. I interviewed a dozen people, ended up at Yahara. We executed that.Heather Manley [00:09:23]:Sold out in, like, 3 days or or like and it was very small amount of bourbon. But it's sold out. We're I think we're the 1st to formally launch in the States, and from there, it was like, oh, s**t. This could be Business. I didn't really think about it. I was just having fun, and how stupid. Like, I didn't realize how liquor stores would be pissed off that I didn't have any more product for them because they made room to put my you on there. I mean, just very naive.Heather Manley [00:09:48]:I think there's beauty in being naive because you don't know what you can't do. Right? But definitely lessons learned. So Once I sold out of everything, I I was like, oh, okay. This could be a business. Now what do I need to do? I don't have any investors. I don't have any debt, But I slowly built my barrel program, so we're still small. We're like a couple 100 barrels. And while I was building that, I launched the aged vodka, which we don't even sell anymore, because it was just different fun.Heather Manley [00:10:15]:Nobody was doing it, and it it was more of an educational tool. And then I launched Sundog, which is our number one selling gin, citrus, forward. If you hate gin, you won't hate this because it's really like a citrusy vodka. Then we made Abyss, And then, you know, now we have QuadCast finished up with brandy, and espresso ready to pour. We're the 1st ready to pour to launch in Minnesota, which is insane to think about now. We make a boulevard EA that nobody knows about, apparently, from my sales records nor my Negroni. Very boutique y. Like, a 100 cases of each of those a year.Heather Manley [00:10:48]:I know about it. Yeah. Well, thank you. I haven't really pushed them because we we're we moved distilleries, but this year will be a big year of just evangelizing those because They're beautiful. I'm super proud of them, but I think we have really 12 or 11 SKUs, including the 50 mils that are on the plains and some 200 mils. And now it's really more about it's really noisy with the THC and, Bigger brands coming in with a lot more money, and a lot of SKUs can be very confusing. So now we're just focusing on maybe a subset of, like, 5 5 really core products, And then that's what we'll be really pushing in 2024 and 2025.Stephanie [00:11:27]:I like that strategy. It always tickles me when I'm on a Sun Country flight, And they asked me what I want, and I always say that I would like the manly old fashioned.Heather Manley [00:11:37]:Thank you.Stephanie [00:11:38]:And then I tell everybody around me, this is my friend Heather's cocktail. And they get really jazzed about it, and then they order it too. And then they, like, take their 1st sip, and they'll look over, and they'll be like, oh, this is really good.Heather Manley [00:11:52]:Oh, that just melts my heart. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. And, like, like, I mean, for that old fashioned I mean, I made it like Parler, like Marvel, like Constantine. I partner with Angostura. I partner with Bitter Q for their bitters. I use a 3 year, at least, Bourbon in there. A lot of times, foyer.Heather Manley [00:12:11]:I use demerara. I mean, there's all these things that there's no corner skirted. Even though Everyone's tried to persuade me to do that to save money. I will not because I wanna drink it, and I don't make s**t. And so I wanna make things that I'm proud about. If I wanted to build a company and sell it with a skinny girl b s product, I could have done that already, but I would not be able to look you in the face and say support me.Stephanie [00:12:35]:Yeah. And support you, I'm very proud to do. We are having a dinner, and we're coming out of the Dry January, which a lot of people I read that, like them. 33%, though, This year versus, like, 22% last year, and many people are doing, like, damp or moist January, which is fine.Heather Manley [00:12:59]:Moist. Yeah.Stephanie [00:13:00]:Moist. Yes. Very moist January. But we're gonna be coming out of dry January, rolling heavy and hard right into February 6th At the Lexington, we're having a 4 course dinner. You will be able to get, have we determined I don't even know if we Finally determine what the cocktail is that the Lex will be featuring all of February.Heather Manley [00:13:22]:Yes. Oh, no. I don't know. I'm I'm hoping it's The Sundog product because that's, like, one of my favorite patio pounding cocktails. He added mint to it as well, which I think would be beautiful and kind of we're all a little desperate for spring, so I'm hoping that's up the menu. But that will be the, I think, the first drink that we have on the tasting menu.Stephanie [00:13:41]:And do you know the other 3? I hate to put you on the spot.Heather Manley [00:13:45]:1 will be, coffee old fashioned, And 1 will have, 1 I have no idea, but I also know it has our rye in it. 1 will be a bourbon cocktail, And then, I think we said screw vodka because right? You meanStephanie [00:14:04]:Yeah. You can do vlogging at home.Heather Manley [00:14:07]:I think it's 2 gins. Oh, it's a gin. It's a bourbon. It's our quad cast gavel brandy, and it's an old fashioned.Stephanie [00:14:13]:Perfect. Yeah. And we will be pairing each of those with courses that chef has designed for us. This is a $120 ticket, but you'll walk away with Four cocktails and a beautiful course meal. And what I think is so special about these dinners is People will get to hear you tell your story. They'll get to ask you questions. You're right there. The the attendance is capped at 50.Stephanie [00:14:38]:So it's a small intimate group in the Lexington. We're in kind of their, Williamsburg room, which is where they have the jazz normally. And it's just it's really pretty, and it's a nice opportunity to get in front of some of your favorite makers. When I've gone to dinners in the past and, you know, you have multiple courses, I love having one point of view from a spirit perspective because We kinda get to take, you get to take us on this journey all the way through all of your recorded water influences, How, you started with 1 and how you ended up with another, it's really a a fun thing to do. Is it more challenging in the environment with some of the taste changing with THC? Or is it just always kinda the same game and there's always something new and different?Heather Manley [00:15:31]:I think it's always something new and different. I think we're 25% down in off prem just because I think of THC and people not drinking as much, But then we're up 30% on prem. Right? And and the year before, we're up a 100% on prem and Up 30 you know, it's just it's always all over the board pending on what the trends are. You know, I think THC will probably get more regulated. I hope it you know, I don't I don't do it, so I don't really pay attention to it, but for sure, I know reps are saying that they're just seeing it kind of just fly off the shelves. I like to manage my buzz, and I think with THC, it's like you're in it, and you're in it for, like, 2 or 3 hours. Whereas AndStephanie [00:16:15]:that's how I feel too.Heather Manley [00:16:17]:Yeah. If I feel a buzz with alcohol, I can have a glass of water, and it's right back down within 15 minutes. So maybe that's the control freak in me. A little bit, type a, but, you know, I just I think it's I think it's exciting. I think the more that we can have freedom to do business in Minnesota, the better everybody will be. SoStephanie [00:16:37]:Yeah. Because whatever that ends up being, if we stop being what they call the nanny state, You know, where the state is governing all of your choices, that is better for business.Heather Manley [00:16:49]:Yeah. We're a fun sponge state.Stephanie [00:16:51]:Yes. Yeah.Heather Manley [00:16:54]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:16:55]:Can I ask you kind of a weirdly unrelated but related question? One of the things that I'm obsessed with in both your personal and your professional life is your tablescapes. You have the most beautiful tablescapes. You've also designed a house That just speaks to my heart so much because it's designed for entertaining. Like Yeah.Heather Manley [00:17:20]:Yeah. You walk in, and it's a the 10 foot table in your face. I realized, like, probably how odd that is, but I absolutely love it.Stephanie [00:17:28]:It it works for me so much, and it's part of why I love to come to your house. And You just every space in your home feels warm and entertainment worthy. You know what I mean? Like, Even your bathroom feels like you could hang out in there with a cocktail if you wanted to.Heather Manley [00:17:45]:Because there's a speaker in there. Everyone's just gonna move with a speaker in their bathroom just for privacy.Stephanie [00:17:51]:And there's just, like, beautiful smells in there. And, I mean, I say this with a 100% sincerity. You are one of my favorite, like, entertainers. And when I get invited to be in your entertaining presence, I'm so excited. And your tables. And What do you think like, people are kinda hesitant to entertain at home, I think. They just don't feel like they know how to put a menu together or that it's so much work. What makes entertaining feel effortless to you? Because it sure looks effortless when you do it.Heather Manley [00:18:23]:Oh, I love you for saying that. And second, I'll add you to even other weird events if I know you're willing to come out into the middle of nowhere.Stephanie [00:18:30]:Jeez. I'm closer than I used to be.Heather Manley [00:18:33]:I know who you are. You know, like, I we did a charity event on I think it's my my creative background, we did a charity event, with Smack Shack for Great River Greening, and I had nothing on the table and, like, even Dawn, the sous chef, she was like, so do you want help with this? I'm like, no. No. No. I'm just gonna go outside. And I went outside with scissors, and I cut all my hydrangeas, and it's, like, probably one of my favorite tables keeping I've ever done, though I did warn everybody it could go up at any moment. So, like, have your drinks ready. But, like, I just I love finding the weirdest things and making them beautiful, and it is stressful.Heather Manley [00:19:10]:Like, I mean, I I plan. I like perfection. Perfection doesn't exist, So that's my own problem. What I I think my my thing is that I'm trying to find joy in just the experience. Right? The joy of having friends that wanna come here. The joy of, Even having a table for 12 that I can you know? Like like, there's there's and and my expectations are my own. People don't come in with them, and they they just wanna be here. And I I will say, I think I even told you.Heather Manley [00:19:38]:Remember the party, like, 4 years ago? Or It might even been pre COVID or in COVID. I'm, like, I can't host, like, every every party. Everyone needs to have parties. Yes. Yeah. The like, for me, the biggest joy is to go somewhere else and not have to clean and not have to think about it. And I'm horrible, because sometimes I even forget the hostess gift, because I'm so ready to let everything go. And then I am so embarrassed when I show up that I have nothing.Heather Manley [00:20:05]:But I love it when other people host, and I think what people need to get into their head is it's never a competition. Get that get your inspiration from from Instagram, but Comparison is the thief of happiness. Right? So do it to what makes you happy, but don't compare yourself to anybody else.Stephanie [00:20:22]:Right. And, like, your friends just wanna be in your presence. You know? Like, you can even make hot dogs and beans. No one cares.Heather Manley [00:20:30]:And they they would effing love that if you made hot dogs and beans. Right? And and, like, and do it in the cutest way and all. I mean, they just really wanna hang out.Stephanie [00:20:39]:Yeah. I think for me, one of the goals I had for this year was to entertain more. I've gotten a little complacent since COVID. You know, we came out of the sorta Just we came out of COVID, and it was like, every everything's on again. But I was trying to find a good balance Of Yeah. I enjoyed some of the COVID things. So I wanted to come back and be more intentional about how I was spending my time. But Yeah.Stephanie [00:21:05]:I'm not entertaining as much in my own home as I wanted to.Heather Manley [00:21:09]:I'm not Stephanie, I'm not either. I actually, like, Turned into this, unexpected introvert in, quote, in COVID, which I loved because I was so out of balance Of being so social that I now kinda covet that or or need a little bit of that that private time that I I didn't really, I didn't need before, which is really interesting.Stephanie [00:21:34]:Yeah. And I always I felt very similarly, and I thought, like, woah. Is this age? But for me, I think, You know, the more that life gets lived out loud through social and through our work and, you know, the the radio show and now the TV stuff, and All of that is so energy, producing, but also draining that I need, like, a lot more time by myself.Heather Manley [00:22:00]:Yeah. It's kinda comforting to hear that because, like, even this year and last year, I made my holiday party at the American Legion, which is Insane because, like, my house is meant to have a party, but it's like it's almost like I don't I I wanna outsource the bartender to the bar. You know, spill your drink. I don't give an f. Right? Like, everyone get wild, have fun, and it's, like, it's so so interesting to have that mindset. Like, at some point, I'll have to have party here maybe this summer where we can kind of leverage all the spaces, but it like, it's even weird to be outsourcing my parties when IStephanie [00:22:33]:I thought about that. I thought about that with you, but I think what I came to was, you know, you're probably doing like, at holidays, we might be entertaining multiple days in a row.Heather Manley [00:22:44]:Yeah. I last year, I did 4 Thanksgivings in 1 week, and I cried at the third one.Stephanie [00:22:52]:Yeah.Heather Manley [00:22:52]:Like, with all my YPO guys, all dudes, and I just lost it. And they're like, what's going on? And I'm like, like, I don't know. But I'm like, I'm f*****g exhausted.Stephanie [00:23:03]:And overwhelmed. Yes.Heather Manley [00:23:04]:And I had another Thanksgiving to do in 2 days, and they're so kind. But they're like, So maybe we don't do this next year in Thanksgiving week. And I'm like, yeah. I I think post COVID, I just have different Boundaries of, like or stress levels I'm willing to take on.Stephanie [00:23:21]:Well, I'm glad that you're willing to take on the event at the Lexington with me because we're gonna have fun.Heather Manley [00:23:27]:I'm I'm not gonna cry, and I'm super excited.Stephanie [00:23:30]:No. You're not gonna cry. We're just gonna be able to revel in your flavors, Your profile of your botanicals that you bring to the party, and I think you'll be really just impressed by the people that come and how fun they are and how excited they are to learn about your product. SoHeather Manley [00:23:46]:We do a lot of these events, but I haven't done, like, a great tasting dinner in a while, so I'm really excited just to hang out and do something really fun, have amazing food, and and, have my spirits associated with them, so I'm really excited.Stephanie [00:24:04]:Well, thank you for joining me today, Heather. I'm gonna get this podcast posted right away so that people can hear the story And join us at your great event that we're gonna be having at the Lexington's Crooked Water Spirits, Heather Manley. We'll see you soon. Couple weeks.Heather Manley [00:24:17]:Love it. Love you. Thank you. Heather. Alright. Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Subscribers to the Makers of Minnesota Podcast. In 2024, I have decided to sunset the Makers of Minnesota Podcast in this format. After 6 years and 378 podcasts - this podcast will be bookmarked. The “Makers of Minnesota” will become a brand extension folded into my other work. I'll still be podcasting at “Dishing with StephaniesDish” and covering all your favorite food and drink makers. It just does not make sense for me to have multiple podcasts going with so many platform options and the new TV show “Taste Buds With Stephanie.” When I started Makers of Minnesota, I wanted a place to share Makers' stories in a longer format than the 10-minute segment on my radio show. I feel like I can do that now with television, “Dishing With Stephanie's Dish,” and the newsletter in a fresh new way. I look forward to continuing to Podcast at “Dishing With Stephanie's Dish,” where I will continue to chat with folks in the food space, as well as my radio show “Weekly Dish” on My Talk 107.1 and the Podcast “Weekly Dish.”Please subscribe to “Dishing With Stephanies Dish” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts to listen to what's new and what's next.I'll drop a podcast with Heather Manley of Crooked Water Spirits tomorrow, and Don't miss our two Makers Dinners happening at The Lexington. They will be epic with Peder Schweigert, Megan Dayton, and Heather Manley in attendance, sharing their brand stories.Makers of Minnesota Dinners are back! Join me at the Lexington on January 31 and February 6 for two exciting events:* January 31 at 6 p.m., enjoy a four-course meal with non-alcoholic wines for Dry January featuring Dry Wit.* February 6 at 6 p.m., enjoy a four-course meal featuring drinks from Crooked Water Spirits.. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Subscribers to the Makers of Minnesota Podcast. In 2024, I have decided to sunset the Makers of Minnesota Podcast in this format. After 6 years and 378 podcasts - this podcast will be bookmarked. The “Makers of Minnesota” will become a brand extension folded into my other work. I'll still be podcasting at “Dishing with StephaniesDish” and covering all your favorite food and drink makers. It just does not make sense for me to have multiple podcasts going with so many platform options and the new TV show “Taste Buds With Stephanie.” When I started Makers of Minnesota, I wanted a place to share Makers' stories in a longer format than the 10-minute segment on my radio show. I feel like I can do that now with television, “Dishing With Stephanie's Dish,” and the newsletter in a fresh new way. I look forward to continuing to Podcast at “Dishing With Stephanie's Dish,” where I will continue to chat with folks in the food space, as well as my radio show “Weekly Dish” on My Talk 107.1 and the Podcast “Weekly Dish.”Please subscribe to “Dishing With Stephanies Dish” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts to listen to what's new and what's next.I'll drop a podcast with Heather Manley of Crooked Water Spirits tomorrow, and Don't miss our two Makers Dinners happening at The Lexington. They will be epic with Peder Schweigert, Megan Dayton, and Heather Manley in attendance, sharing their brand stories.Makers of Minnesota Dinners are back! Join me at the Lexington on January 31 and February 6 for two exciting events:* January 31 at 6 p.m., enjoy a four-course meal with non-alcoholic wines for Dry January featuring Dry Wit.* February 6 at 6 p.m., enjoy a four-course meal featuring drinks from Crooked Water Spirits.. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Lee Wallace worked is bringing Peace Coffee, a fair-trade coffee company started in Minneapolis nationwide. We revisit her nearly 4 years after our first visit (Season 1 Episode 97)Stephanie [00:00:13]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the makers of Minnesota podcast. I am your host, Stephanie Hansen, and I'm here today with a guest that I had, boy, probably back in year one of the podcast. I'm here with Lee Wallace. She is the CEO of Peace Coffee. And we talked such a long time ago, lee, it's like it may as well have been a different universe because you were just launching coffee shops at that point. And like any evolving business, your whole model has probably shifted again. So let's just go from pre pandemic. You had some coffee shops you guys were selling in stores and get us caught up on what is happening with Peace Coffee now. And welcome to the program, first of all.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Lee Wallace [00:01:01]:Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here. Sure, absolutely. Somebody was asking me a question the other day and I was trying to put things together and I was like, oh, timelines are so weird now, and it's so hard to reconstruct everything, but yeah, in 2019, we had four coffee shops. We had three in downtown Minneapolis and one in the Longfellow neighborhood. And we were working on beginning to think about, okay, we've always been sold all across the country, but really we're beginning to take our first big steps toward what does it look like to begin to scale more nationally and then COVID hit and closed the shops immediately. Well, after we learned that we had to close the shop. March 15 ish yeah, March 15 ish closed the coffee shops. And the good news about being in coffee is it's not like people are going to stop drinking coffee just because of a pandemic. So what happened was really our business shifted quite dramatically. So prior to the pandemic, our number one product was five pound bags of coffee. And those were going to colleges and universities, offices, bulk sets and co ops, bulk sets and specialty grocery. Everything that went away during the pandemic. Right, that's mainly where those five pound bags of coffee are going. And then our second most best seller would be a twelve ounce bag of coffee. Well, all of a sudden, everybody's drinking coffee at home, and so those twelve ounce bags of coffee just started disappearing. And so then we pretty quickly realized, wow, it takes just as much work to bag put £5 of coffee in a bag as it says to put 12oz of coffee in a bag. So we added a second shift. So we were able to bring some of our coffee shop employees back in because we had to add a second shift just to bulk up on the amount of twelve ounce bags we were able to produce. That was a really good sign. The other thing that started really taking off was online. Like everybody else, our peacecoffee.com business just exploded because it's a super safe way to shop. So I think that business grew 300% and we're still continuing to grow that platform. But all of a sudden we have this sizable ecommerce business. So food service went away, but people started getting their coffee in other ways and it was a scramble. But we figured it out and I consider us to be talked to my friends in restaurants during that time. The struggle was real. We needed to I always call it log. Like it feels like log rolling, right? When you're an entrepreneur, you're just trying to stay on the log. Right?Stephanie [00:03:59]:Good analogy.Lee Wallace [00:04:01]:We just had to do some log rolling during that time. But yeah, and then as time went on and our growth continued and we began to get into more national accounts and we began to grow into more of a national business, the decision seemed pretty clear. Like, let's focus on this part of our business. Let's not reopen the coffee shop. So we had shops for about ten years, learned a ton, but we're focusing on our wholesale business now.Stephanie [00:04:35]:So how did you leapfrog from a Minnesota based coffee maker company to national? Was it simply because of the online activation and really being more robust there that people in other markets found you or how did that work? Was it intentional?Lee Wallace [00:04:55]:It was intentional. I bought the business in 2018 from the former owners and part of my desire to do that was to be a little bit more aggressive on the growth front. And I will say it probably all tracks back to Target and we have done a really good job and we've built a really good partnership with them and they've done a really good job. From our first meeting with Target years ago, they were saying, look, walk before you run. And that always has been my growth mentality. So I know it's so easy. We're entrepreneurs and it's so easy to be like, yeah, I want to be in every Target store. Well, some really big businesses have done that and they failed. So with us it's been incrementally growing our store count every year with Target, the coffee buyer there's great and just helping work with him to say, okay, here's some new geographies where we see we've done well in a small grocery store chain or things like that. And if we can prove ourselves in a new geography, then typically in our next review meeting with the coffee buyer, Target, he'll take that information and work to expand our store count. So we have yet to learn what our growth is going to be this year with Target, but we have a pretty solid track record of just going into new geographies. So at this point we're like Michigan down into Denver and then Oklahoma, Texas kind of that's our path with growth with Target. And then we've also had really solid growth in the Natural Channel. That's a great home for us. So we got into all the sprout stores which go from California to Maryland in the past two years. And so then you can use that case study. We're very strategic in terms of demonstrating a good case study and then using that to find other retailers that we want to be in.Stephanie [00:06:53]:So you mentioned earlier, and I've heard stories about people, they get into Target and it's super exciting. And then you realize just because you're in Target doesn't necessarily mean people will buy your product and it's harder to get that pull through. I have a sneaking suspicion that your packaging has a lot to do with people's brand trial of you. And then they like the product and they're like, oh, this is good, I'll buy it again, what do you attribute that first purchase a piece of coffee to when someone's standing in a Target aisle looking at coffee?Lee Wallace [00:07:29]:I think you're right. I think ideally, your packaging is going to work really hard for you. And we've made a very intentional decision with our packaging to a try to put the most important information and make it really easy for people to find the most important information. We have not done that well on previous versions of our package. So I think we've learned over the years and iterated over the years and I think it's important to update your packaging as you learn things. Two, I think the way we position the brand stands out in the coffee category. I think a lot of coffee companies tend to come across as very serious. And what we know about coffee and the consumer research on coffee is coffee is very emotional for people. It's me time, it's their morning ritual. I don't know, I don't need to be really serious during me time. It's okay for someone to say, you be you enjoy yourself, have a good time. We're doing all the hard work for you. And I think we're not saying to folks, drink this cup of coffee and it's going to change your life. We're saying drink this cup of coffee because it does good things for other people. And I think that stands out as well.Stephanie [00:08:52]:And we know, and you were so early adopting in this the brand from the get go. We know that people like to make purchases that help the community, help the environment, give back. And you've made it real easy and it's been a huge platform for you from the get go. And it's almost like it's baked into your company logo, your persona, everything about peace. Coffee feels like that give back movement. So it was very timely and prescient that that was the brand ethos from the get go because you didn't have to work so hard to create that after the fact.Lee Wallace [00:09:36]:I give consumers credit, right. I think they can tell the difference between a brand that was built around the sets of values versus a brand that was reverse engineered to try to appeal to consumers. They're smart. It's been interesting over my career to go from being kind of the outlier to now being mainstream. Right. I've been doing the same thing the whole time, but somehow my sets of issues have become mainstream now, which is great. I love it. Super fun. Yeah. But yeah, I think people can sense that in the brand.Stephanie [00:10:15]:How many people are in the company now?Lee Wallace [00:10:17]:We have about 55 employees.Stephanie [00:10:21]:Yeah, it's not small.Lee Wallace [00:10:24]:Yeah, smaller than when we had all the shops. Right. Then we had like 80 some staff members. So interesting. We're not a small company. We still feel like a small company. I still feel like I run a small company. But then yeah, I also forget that I've been doing this for a while.Stephanie [00:10:45]:So let's talk about the Keurig pods, because you guys have gone into that technology too, and it's so convenient to do a Keurig, and it's such a huge part of wholesale, obviously, with hotels, and it's really handy. But there is a lot of talk about the pods themselves and are they disposable and how do you compost them and how does that work? Tell me about your specific trajectory in that profile.Lee Wallace [00:11:14]:Yeah, obviously pods have been out there for a long time, and obviously we have not participated in that segment of the market for a long time as specialty coffee has become more mainstream, if you will. And as people have said, oh, I'm interested in exploring beyond Starbucks and exploring local brands or exploring smaller brands than Starbucks or more unique brands. We've seen people kind of work their way into the category. And I just began reflecting on is there an opportunity, if we can find the right product, is there an opportunity in the pod space to similarly introduce people to specialty coffee? What consumers tend to do, and you can see this with Starbucks, right? So as people start to explore coffee, and a lot of times now it's happening when people are teens, right? But they start with sweet and creamy and then they kind of ladder up into a different experience. And I began thinking, there got to be pod people out there who love a K Cup but want a different set of things alongside that. Maybe it's a higher quality coffee bean, maybe it's a more eco friendly way of getting that kind of coffee. And so it just seems like the right time to explore. Is there a consumer in that space whose needs aren't really getting met in terms of both quality and the sustainability of the solution that we're offering? So we began searching for solutions to reach that consumer. And one of the really interesting things about coffee is that one of the biggest sources of waste associated with coffee is actually the coffee that gets poured out of the pot at the end of the day. And so when I really began reflecting on that and specialty coffee sort of traditional belief that the pod person doesn't want a really premium coffee experience. And again, thinking, I think we're missing part of the equation here, because I know I don't brew a pot of coffee anymore, but when I did have a pot of coffee, I would pour a lot of coffee away. And there is space for that single cup experience, and there's space for people who are really busy and have a bunch of kids and just need to make their darn cup of coffee, right? And then it's like, okay, well, if we're going into that space, we've got to do it the piece way, which is to do it in a sustainable way. So we found a solution. There's no plastic cup. The bottom is just mesh, so it can be composted the same way your coffee filter can be composted. And then the ring that supports it is made out of a combination of mainly wood and corn, which is fully compostable in commercial composting settings. So not in your backyard, but if you either drop your compost off or get it picked up curbside, you can put it in there. And so that to us, felt like this is an expression of who we are and we can launch this product.Stephanie [00:14:33]:I love that you talked about the last bit of the pot getting thrown away because I think about that because my husband and I are just two people and we're big coffee drinkers. And there is it seems like either we drink the whole pot and then we make another half and there's that last bit. I have ice cube trays and we make ice cubes and we try to repurpose and reuse. But no matter how you do it, sometimes you just end up pouring out some coffee. So it's interesting, we've talked about a single cup mostly, I think, for the afternoon and the evening coffee drinking too, where you're going to have a decaf maybe, or you're going to have something that feels like a little elevated experience that you're just going to have the one I don't know. It does feel very different than your morning pot to me.Lee Wallace [00:15:20]:And it's interesting how many people own both. So I got Reese Consumer Research that said a lot of people own both a single cup brewer and a larger brewer. Whether they're holding the larger cup brewer for when they have company over or they use the single cup during the week and they use the larger cup on the weekends. So yeah, a multi cup on the weekends. So yeah, people own both, which was totally new to me.Stephanie [00:15:45]:Okay, so Peace Coffee has a huge reputation as being a great local Minnesota company. Now you're in I'm just going to throw a market out there, let's just say Maryland, where you don't have this huge Minnesota following. You don't have that touchstone. When you are introduced to a market like a Maryland, how do you do the marketing and what do you do different? Because it has to be a completely different approach for getting pairs of eyes on your coffee inside the store.Lee Wallace [00:16:20]:I think the key is really to understand the retailer that you're in and then the way that they run promotions. Your biggest tool as a growing brand, because I can't market to the entire state of Maryland in a Florida, right, of course, right. What we find is, okay, we're getting to Sprout stores out of the population of Maryland. How many of them reasonably go to Sprouts? I mean, we can do good business in Sprout stores, but you can't use the shotgun and say right. So I think your number one tool is really get those sale tags up. Right. I mean, first make sure you get on shelf, properly support the product, make sure the execution is right. Then it's really have the correct promotional strategy to really drive trial. So people say, oh, this is new. Oh look, that packaging is cute. Oh, it's fair trade and organic. Obviously you've got a really good product in the bag that I would say put out because if people buy it once they don't like it, you're done to the beginning. But then I would say, yeah, number two is making sure you have the right promotions. And then we have expanded our investment in digital marketing quite a bit. So finding our consumers, whether that's finding our consumers and running promotions specifically targets to them. So people who like Fair Trade organic coffee, then I would say also we're investing in the retail platforms themselves. So different platforms, consumer. Yeah, and then the last piece would be just supporting with digital marketing as it makes sense. But I think the best lever that brands have really is promotions.Stephanie [00:18:10]:And I think sometimes people are afraid of those because they're pretty expensive in a store. And I guess it makes so much sense. Like here is this brand that has welcomed you into their store and they are giving you all these mechanisms with which to reach their customers, but they all cost money. I mean, that's kind of the hidden part of it that maybe consumers don't know. But why wouldn't you be totally investing in those platforms? Is it just because they're too expensive or people? I can't imagine why you would think that. You don't need to do that.Lee Wallace [00:18:46]:I mean, the reality is that it's the best way to get people to try your product for the first time. And if you can't grow the number of people who are repeat purchasers of your product, then it makes it really hard to stay on shelf. And that also is very expensive. It's very expensive to fall off a grocer shelf in terms of a it sets you back, you're not bringing that revenue anymore. B, there's going to be a bunch of products that has to be discontinued, things like that. So I get it. And we look very carefully at retailers before we go into them. It's not like we're sitting here and people are coming to us. I don't want to give anybody the impression that we're just sitting here and people are coming so we're saying, no, we don't want to be on your shelves.Stephanie [00:19:33]:But you're more mature.Lee Wallace [00:19:35]:Yeah. We're thoughtful about who we're trying to partner with. And one aspect of things that we analyze is how expensive is it to do business with this retailer? Do they require a ton of free product? Do they require slotting fees? Are they going to have minimum or maximum expectations for promotions? How does that fit within? We have a certain percentage of sales that we want a certain percent of our revenue. I mean that we say, okay, we're going to budget x percent of revenue for trade support. And so we really need to understand what retailers expectations are.Stephanie [00:20:12]:I see. So being really thoughtful and maybe not moving too quickly into a retailer even though it looks like it'd be a great opportunity because if you can't afford to market properly while you're there and then you get yanked again, I've never thought about that. And that's a really good thing for emerging brands to think about. Even though you get invited to a retailer, make sure that you are prepared both emotionally, psychologically with your team, but also financially to be able to support the launch in that retailer.Lee Wallace [00:20:47]:Yeah. Look. Peace coffee. I have a friend who always jokes that Peace Coffee is the 25 year old overnight success. Right. There are some companies that are designed to be rocket ships and good for them. And sometimes you just have to recognize that it's a slog and incremental growth. Steady incremental growth is a way to do it. And it's been our approach. And I think we're finally to the point where we can say we have a banner in every part of the country that you could go in and find Peace Coffee. And then you get to that point. Then it makes it that much easier with, oh, you can find us here or you can find us here.Stephanie [00:21:30]:Yeah, I have a van and I travel around the country in my van for fun and I have seen your coffee in way more states all of a sudden and I'm like, oh look, they're carrying Peace Coffee. I was in Palm Springs the other day and a local salsa was on the shelf. I was like, oh look. It's fun to see other Minnesota brands making it out in the big bad world, as it were.Lee Wallace [00:21:51]:It is so funny. I was just in Fort Lauderdale visiting family and my sister in law said to me, where can I get Peace Coffee? And I said, actually, you can get peace coffee at Sprouts. And it was fun to be like at this point where I'm like, oh yeah, I can help most people find our coffee at this point in time.Stephanie [00:22:08]:I can refer you. Okay, totally. Random question. If you were going to launch a product today and it's brand new, is there, like, a product that you're like, oh, I wish that that would be a fun product to work on, or something that just you think, oh, that would be really fun.Lee Wallace [00:22:29]:I am such a food person at this point in my life. It would have to be food, because that's really what I know. And Stephanie, I have these thoughts all the time, but then they just, like, tumbleweed.Stephanie [00:22:49]:And I knew it would be, like, a weird, oddball question, but sometimes people are like, oh, I wish I could work on that.Lee Wallace [00:22:57]:Yeah, well, if I wasn't, I mean, I'm also a beverage person, so I would say probably it'd be totally different. But I would love to work on a high end craft spirit kind of launch. I think that would be super fun. And working on growing something in that segment would be a ton of fun just because it's sort of the counterpart to coffee, right? Yeah.Stephanie [00:23:24]:Maybe you and my friend Heather Manley at Crooked Water Spirits need to do a coffee collaboration because yeah, very delicious.Lee Wallace [00:23:32]:Yeah, it could be very delicious.Stephanie [00:23:35]:All right, well, it's great to catch up with you, Lee. Thanks for getting us caught up on where you're at. And good luck as you continue to have your United States domination of peace coffee. It's been super fun. We'll talk soon.Lee Wallace [00:23:49]:All right. Thanks, Stephanie.Stephanie [00:23:50]:Thank you. Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Lee Wallace worked is bringing Peace Coffee, a fair-trade coffee company started in Minneapolis nationwide. We revisit her nearly 4 years after our first visit (Season 1 Episode 97)Stephanie [00:00:13]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the makers of Minnesota podcast. I am your host, Stephanie Hansen, and I'm here today with a guest that I had, boy, probably back in year one of the podcast. I'm here with Lee Wallace. She is the CEO of Peace Coffee. And we talked such a long time ago, lee, it's like it may as well have been a different universe because you were just launching coffee shops at that point. And like any evolving business, your whole model has probably shifted again. So let's just go from pre pandemic. You had some coffee shops you guys were selling in stores and get us caught up on what is happening with Peace Coffee now. And welcome to the program, first of all.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Lee Wallace [00:01:01]:Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here. Sure, absolutely. Somebody was asking me a question the other day and I was trying to put things together and I was like, oh, timelines are so weird now, and it's so hard to reconstruct everything, but yeah, in 2019, we had four coffee shops. We had three in downtown Minneapolis and one in the Longfellow neighborhood. And we were working on beginning to think about, okay, we've always been sold all across the country, but really we're beginning to take our first big steps toward what does it look like to begin to scale more nationally and then COVID hit and closed the shops immediately. Well, after we learned that we had to close the shop. March 15 ish yeah, March 15 ish closed the coffee shops. And the good news about being in coffee is it's not like people are going to stop drinking coffee just because of a pandemic. So what happened was really our business shifted quite dramatically. So prior to the pandemic, our number one product was five pound bags of coffee. And those were going to colleges and universities, offices, bulk sets and co ops, bulk sets and specialty grocery. Everything that went away during the pandemic. Right, that's mainly where those five pound bags of coffee are going. And then our second most best seller would be a twelve ounce bag of coffee. Well, all of a sudden, everybody's drinking coffee at home, and so those twelve ounce bags of coffee just started disappearing. And so then we pretty quickly realized, wow, it takes just as much work to bag put £5 of coffee in a bag as it says to put 12oz of coffee in a bag. So we added a second shift. So we were able to bring some of our coffee shop employees back in because we had to add a second shift just to bulk up on the amount of twelve ounce bags we were able to produce. That was a really good sign. The other thing that started really taking off was online. Like everybody else, our peacecoffee.com business just exploded because it's a super safe way to shop. So I think that business grew 300% and we're still continuing to grow that platform. But all of a sudden we have this sizable ecommerce business. So food service went away, but people started getting their coffee in other ways and it was a scramble. But we figured it out and I consider us to be talked to my friends in restaurants during that time. The struggle was real. We needed to I always call it log. Like it feels like log rolling, right? When you're an entrepreneur, you're just trying to stay on the log. Right?Stephanie [00:03:59]:Good analogy.Lee Wallace [00:04:01]:We just had to do some log rolling during that time. But yeah, and then as time went on and our growth continued and we began to get into more national accounts and we began to grow into more of a national business, the decision seemed pretty clear. Like, let's focus on this part of our business. Let's not reopen the coffee shop. So we had shops for about ten years, learned a ton, but we're focusing on our wholesale business now.Stephanie [00:04:35]:So how did you leapfrog from a Minnesota based coffee maker company to national? Was it simply because of the online activation and really being more robust there that people in other markets found you or how did that work? Was it intentional?Lee Wallace [00:04:55]:It was intentional. I bought the business in 2018 from the former owners and part of my desire to do that was to be a little bit more aggressive on the growth front. And I will say it probably all tracks back to Target and we have done a really good job and we've built a really good partnership with them and they've done a really good job. From our first meeting with Target years ago, they were saying, look, walk before you run. And that always has been my growth mentality. So I know it's so easy. We're entrepreneurs and it's so easy to be like, yeah, I want to be in every Target store. Well, some really big businesses have done that and they failed. So with us it's been incrementally growing our store count every year with Target, the coffee buyer there's great and just helping work with him to say, okay, here's some new geographies where we see we've done well in a small grocery store chain or things like that. And if we can prove ourselves in a new geography, then typically in our next review meeting with the coffee buyer, Target, he'll take that information and work to expand our store count. So we have yet to learn what our growth is going to be this year with Target, but we have a pretty solid track record of just going into new geographies. So at this point we're like Michigan down into Denver and then Oklahoma, Texas kind of that's our path with growth with Target. And then we've also had really solid growth in the Natural Channel. That's a great home for us. So we got into all the sprout stores which go from California to Maryland in the past two years. And so then you can use that case study. We're very strategic in terms of demonstrating a good case study and then using that to find other retailers that we want to be in.Stephanie [00:06:53]:So you mentioned earlier, and I've heard stories about people, they get into Target and it's super exciting. And then you realize just because you're in Target doesn't necessarily mean people will buy your product and it's harder to get that pull through. I have a sneaking suspicion that your packaging has a lot to do with people's brand trial of you. And then they like the product and they're like, oh, this is good, I'll buy it again, what do you attribute that first purchase a piece of coffee to when someone's standing in a Target aisle looking at coffee?Lee Wallace [00:07:29]:I think you're right. I think ideally, your packaging is going to work really hard for you. And we've made a very intentional decision with our packaging to a try to put the most important information and make it really easy for people to find the most important information. We have not done that well on previous versions of our package. So I think we've learned over the years and iterated over the years and I think it's important to update your packaging as you learn things. Two, I think the way we position the brand stands out in the coffee category. I think a lot of coffee companies tend to come across as very serious. And what we know about coffee and the consumer research on coffee is coffee is very emotional for people. It's me time, it's their morning ritual. I don't know, I don't need to be really serious during me time. It's okay for someone to say, you be you enjoy yourself, have a good time. We're doing all the hard work for you. And I think we're not saying to folks, drink this cup of coffee and it's going to change your life. We're saying drink this cup of coffee because it does good things for other people. And I think that stands out as well.Stephanie [00:08:52]:And we know, and you were so early adopting in this the brand from the get go. We know that people like to make purchases that help the community, help the environment, give back. And you've made it real easy and it's been a huge platform for you from the get go. And it's almost like it's baked into your company logo, your persona, everything about peace. Coffee feels like that give back movement. So it was very timely and prescient that that was the brand ethos from the get go because you didn't have to work so hard to create that after the fact.Lee Wallace [00:09:36]:I give consumers credit, right. I think they can tell the difference between a brand that was built around the sets of values versus a brand that was reverse engineered to try to appeal to consumers. They're smart. It's been interesting over my career to go from being kind of the outlier to now being mainstream. Right. I've been doing the same thing the whole time, but somehow my sets of issues have become mainstream now, which is great. I love it. Super fun. Yeah. But yeah, I think people can sense that in the brand.Stephanie [00:10:15]:How many people are in the company now?Lee Wallace [00:10:17]:We have about 55 employees.Stephanie [00:10:21]:Yeah, it's not small.Lee Wallace [00:10:24]:Yeah, smaller than when we had all the shops. Right. Then we had like 80 some staff members. So interesting. We're not a small company. We still feel like a small company. I still feel like I run a small company. But then yeah, I also forget that I've been doing this for a while.Stephanie [00:10:45]:So let's talk about the Keurig pods, because you guys have gone into that technology too, and it's so convenient to do a Keurig, and it's such a huge part of wholesale, obviously, with hotels, and it's really handy. But there is a lot of talk about the pods themselves and are they disposable and how do you compost them and how does that work? Tell me about your specific trajectory in that profile.Lee Wallace [00:11:14]:Yeah, obviously pods have been out there for a long time, and obviously we have not participated in that segment of the market for a long time as specialty coffee has become more mainstream, if you will. And as people have said, oh, I'm interested in exploring beyond Starbucks and exploring local brands or exploring smaller brands than Starbucks or more unique brands. We've seen people kind of work their way into the category. And I just began reflecting on is there an opportunity, if we can find the right product, is there an opportunity in the pod space to similarly introduce people to specialty coffee? What consumers tend to do, and you can see this with Starbucks, right? So as people start to explore coffee, and a lot of times now it's happening when people are teens, right? But they start with sweet and creamy and then they kind of ladder up into a different experience. And I began thinking, there got to be pod people out there who love a K Cup but want a different set of things alongside that. Maybe it's a higher quality coffee bean, maybe it's a more eco friendly way of getting that kind of coffee. And so it just seems like the right time to explore. Is there a consumer in that space whose needs aren't really getting met in terms of both quality and the sustainability of the solution that we're offering? So we began searching for solutions to reach that consumer. And one of the really interesting things about coffee is that one of the biggest sources of waste associated with coffee is actually the coffee that gets poured out of the pot at the end of the day. And so when I really began reflecting on that and specialty coffee sort of traditional belief that the pod person doesn't want a really premium coffee experience. And again, thinking, I think we're missing part of the equation here, because I know I don't brew a pot of coffee anymore, but when I did have a pot of coffee, I would pour a lot of coffee away. And there is space for that single cup experience, and there's space for people who are really busy and have a bunch of kids and just need to make their darn cup of coffee, right? And then it's like, okay, well, if we're going into that space, we've got to do it the piece way, which is to do it in a sustainable way. So we found a solution. There's no plastic cup. The bottom is just mesh, so it can be composted the same way your coffee filter can be composted. And then the ring that supports it is made out of a combination of mainly wood and corn, which is fully compostable in commercial composting settings. So not in your backyard, but if you either drop your compost off or get it picked up curbside, you can put it in there. And so that to us, felt like this is an expression of who we are and we can launch this product.Stephanie [00:14:33]:I love that you talked about the last bit of the pot getting thrown away because I think about that because my husband and I are just two people and we're big coffee drinkers. And there is it seems like either we drink the whole pot and then we make another half and there's that last bit. I have ice cube trays and we make ice cubes and we try to repurpose and reuse. But no matter how you do it, sometimes you just end up pouring out some coffee. So it's interesting, we've talked about a single cup mostly, I think, for the afternoon and the evening coffee drinking too, where you're going to have a decaf maybe, or you're going to have something that feels like a little elevated experience that you're just going to have the one I don't know. It does feel very different than your morning pot to me.Lee Wallace [00:15:20]:And it's interesting how many people own both. So I got Reese Consumer Research that said a lot of people own both a single cup brewer and a larger brewer. Whether they're holding the larger cup brewer for when they have company over or they use the single cup during the week and they use the larger cup on the weekends. So yeah, a multi cup on the weekends. So yeah, people own both, which was totally new to me.Stephanie [00:15:45]:Okay, so Peace Coffee has a huge reputation as being a great local Minnesota company. Now you're in I'm just going to throw a market out there, let's just say Maryland, where you don't have this huge Minnesota following. You don't have that touchstone. When you are introduced to a market like a Maryland, how do you do the marketing and what do you do different? Because it has to be a completely different approach for getting pairs of eyes on your coffee inside the store.Lee Wallace [00:16:20]:I think the key is really to understand the retailer that you're in and then the way that they run promotions. Your biggest tool as a growing brand, because I can't market to the entire state of Maryland in a Florida, right, of course, right. What we find is, okay, we're getting to Sprout stores out of the population of Maryland. How many of them reasonably go to Sprouts? I mean, we can do good business in Sprout stores, but you can't use the shotgun and say right. So I think your number one tool is really get those sale tags up. Right. I mean, first make sure you get on shelf, properly support the product, make sure the execution is right. Then it's really have the correct promotional strategy to really drive trial. So people say, oh, this is new. Oh look, that packaging is cute. Oh, it's fair trade and organic. Obviously you've got a really good product in the bag that I would say put out because if people buy it once they don't like it, you're done to the beginning. But then I would say, yeah, number two is making sure you have the right promotions. And then we have expanded our investment in digital marketing quite a bit. So finding our consumers, whether that's finding our consumers and running promotions specifically targets to them. So people who like Fair Trade organic coffee, then I would say also we're investing in the retail platforms themselves. So different platforms, consumer. Yeah, and then the last piece would be just supporting with digital marketing as it makes sense. But I think the best lever that brands have really is promotions.Stephanie [00:18:10]:And I think sometimes people are afraid of those because they're pretty expensive in a store. And I guess it makes so much sense. Like here is this brand that has welcomed you into their store and they are giving you all these mechanisms with which to reach their customers, but they all cost money. I mean, that's kind of the hidden part of it that maybe consumers don't know. But why wouldn't you be totally investing in those platforms? Is it just because they're too expensive or people? I can't imagine why you would think that. You don't need to do that.Lee Wallace [00:18:46]:I mean, the reality is that it's the best way to get people to try your product for the first time. And if you can't grow the number of people who are repeat purchasers of your product, then it makes it really hard to stay on shelf. And that also is very expensive. It's very expensive to fall off a grocer shelf in terms of a it sets you back, you're not bringing that revenue anymore. B, there's going to be a bunch of products that has to be discontinued, things like that. So I get it. And we look very carefully at retailers before we go into them. It's not like we're sitting here and people are coming to us. I don't want to give anybody the impression that we're just sitting here and people are coming so we're saying, no, we don't want to be on your shelves.Stephanie [00:19:33]:But you're more mature.Lee Wallace [00:19:35]:Yeah. We're thoughtful about who we're trying to partner with. And one aspect of things that we analyze is how expensive is it to do business with this retailer? Do they require a ton of free product? Do they require slotting fees? Are they going to have minimum or maximum expectations for promotions? How does that fit within? We have a certain percentage of sales that we want a certain percent of our revenue. I mean that we say, okay, we're going to budget x percent of revenue for trade support. And so we really need to understand what retailers expectations are.Stephanie [00:20:12]:I see. So being really thoughtful and maybe not moving too quickly into a retailer even though it looks like it'd be a great opportunity because if you can't afford to market properly while you're there and then you get yanked again, I've never thought about that. And that's a really good thing for emerging brands to think about. Even though you get invited to a retailer, make sure that you are prepared both emotionally, psychologically with your team, but also financially to be able to support the launch in that retailer.Lee Wallace [00:20:47]:Yeah. Look. Peace coffee. I have a friend who always jokes that Peace Coffee is the 25 year old overnight success. Right. There are some companies that are designed to be rocket ships and good for them. And sometimes you just have to recognize that it's a slog and incremental growth. Steady incremental growth is a way to do it. And it's been our approach. And I think we're finally to the point where we can say we have a banner in every part of the country that you could go in and find Peace Coffee. And then you get to that point. Then it makes it that much easier with, oh, you can find us here or you can find us here.Stephanie [00:21:30]:Yeah, I have a van and I travel around the country in my van for fun and I have seen your coffee in way more states all of a sudden and I'm like, oh look, they're carrying Peace Coffee. I was in Palm Springs the other day and a local salsa was on the shelf. I was like, oh look. It's fun to see other Minnesota brands making it out in the big bad world, as it were.Lee Wallace [00:21:51]:It is so funny. I was just in Fort Lauderdale visiting family and my sister in law said to me, where can I get Peace Coffee? And I said, actually, you can get peace coffee at Sprouts. And it was fun to be like at this point where I'm like, oh yeah, I can help most people find our coffee at this point in time.Stephanie [00:22:08]:I can refer you. Okay, totally. Random question. If you were going to launch a product today and it's brand new, is there, like, a product that you're like, oh, I wish that that would be a fun product to work on, or something that just you think, oh, that would be really fun.Lee Wallace [00:22:29]:I am such a food person at this point in my life. It would have to be food, because that's really what I know. And Stephanie, I have these thoughts all the time, but then they just, like, tumbleweed.Stephanie [00:22:49]:And I knew it would be, like, a weird, oddball question, but sometimes people are like, oh, I wish I could work on that.Lee Wallace [00:22:57]:Yeah, well, if I wasn't, I mean, I'm also a beverage person, so I would say probably it'd be totally different. But I would love to work on a high end craft spirit kind of launch. I think that would be super fun. And working on growing something in that segment would be a ton of fun just because it's sort of the counterpart to coffee, right? Yeah.Stephanie [00:23:24]:Maybe you and my friend Heather Manley at Crooked Water Spirits need to do a coffee collaboration because yeah, very delicious.Lee Wallace [00:23:32]:Yeah, it could be very delicious.Stephanie [00:23:35]:All right, well, it's great to catch up with you, Lee. Thanks for getting us caught up on where you're at. And good luck as you continue to have your United States domination of peace coffee. It's been super fun. We'll talk soon.Lee Wallace [00:23:49]:All right. Thanks, Stephanie.Stephanie [00:23:50]:Thank you. Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Local business owner Heather Manley joined Jason along with John Taylor from Medtronic to talk about the latest class of women's business owners being honored.

We talk to Heather Manley, owner of Heathers Dirty Goodness, ( and Crooked Water Spirits and On Demand Group ) who are a featured maker in the Makers of Minnesota Holiday Gift Box for 2021.The Makers of Minnesota Gift Box is filled with maker products curated by Stephanie Hansen of StephaniesDish and the MakersofMinnesota Podcast. Each box is $65 and can be ordered here but hurry! There are a limited number of boxes available.Get products from:K Mama Sauce - (Season 2 Episode 50) Bt McElrath Chocolates (Season 1 Episode 103) Annie B Caramels (Season 1 Episode 103)Heathers Dirty Goodness (Recap 6 2018)Bare HoneyCheryl's Nut Butters (Season 3 Episode 9)Lost Capital Foods Hot Sauce (Season 3 Episode 10)Isadore NutsSota Crackler Candle (Season 3 Episode 30)Gustola Granola - (Season 1 Episode 54)Brightbox Lab SpongeMakers of Minnesota Stickerplus...Zambezi Biltong - (Season 3 Episode 52) Bonus Bag in the first 150 boxes soldSupport the showFollow the Makers of Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MakersofMN. Send story ideas to Stephanie@stephaniesdish.com If you appreciate the work we do here, please subscribe on Patreon Please subscribe to My newsletter at https://stephaniehansen.substack.com/ so you don't miss an epiosde of the Makers of Minnesota This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

We talk to Heather Manley, owner of Heathers Dirty Goodness, ( and Crooked Water Spirits and On Demand Group ) who are a featured maker in the Makers of Minnesota Holiday Gift Box for 2021.The Makers of Minnesota Gift Box is filled with maker products curated by Stephanie Hansen of StephaniesDish and the MakersofMinnesota Podcast. Each box is $65 and can be ordered here but hurry! There are a limited number of boxes available.Get products from:K Mama Sauce - (Season 2 Episode 50) Bt McElrath Chocolates (Season 1 Episode 103) Annie B Caramels (Season 1 Episode 103)Heathers Dirty Goodness (Recap 6 2018)Bare HoneyCheryl's Nut Butters (Season 3 Episode 9)Lost Capital Foods Hot Sauce (Season 3 Episode 10)Isadore NutsSota Crackler Candle (Season 3 Episode 30)Gustola Granola - (Season 1 Episode 54)Brightbox Lab SpongeMakers of Minnesota Stickerplus...Zambezi Biltong - (Season 3 Episode 52) Bonus Bag in the first 150 boxes soldSupport the show (https://paypal.me/StephanieKHansen?locale.x=en_US)

The Steph's share Aliment Pasta Co and Jinx Tea and more in Top Two, Heather Manley with Crooked Water Spirits, reverse-sear technique and recipes, and Locals to Love.

Morning Huggies, Breakfast Old Fashions and other tips to get along with family with Heather Manley and Courtney Cronin featuring Crooked Water Spirits.

This week Alyza talks to Heather Manley about family business, succession planning, her many entrepreneurial pursuits, finding your WHY! and tips to turn YOUR inspiration into action! To learn more follow @citygirlempowerhour, Heather Manley on LinkedIn and @crookedwaterspirts.   Don't Forget to Subscribe and Rate City Girl Empower Hour 5-Stars and give us a review for a chance to win a City Girl Classic Gift Box!

Club E will be joined by Heather Manley to discuss her path as a serial entrepreneur and how she's been able to run multiple companies simultaneously while making time to give back through volunteering. Heather purchased On-Demand Group (ODG), a technology consulting company and family business, in 2008 with her brother, Sean Manley. They have since led the organization through significant growth and expanded ODG’s business clientele to reach global markets by offering offshore solutions in Southeast Asia. Under their leadership, this global business has generated over $150M in revenue since 2008. She attributes their growth to their outstanding team and sticking to their mission of partnering with clients who align with their morals and ethics and appreciate transparency, honestly and partnership. WBENC certified since 2008, ODG provides technology resources for individual and project consulting, contract to hire and direct hire needs as well as offshore services. In 2013, Heather founded Crooked Water Spirits, an award-winning national spirits line that produces unique craft spirits, including bourbons, gins, vodkas, brandy and ready-to-pour Old Fashioned, Boulevardier & Negroni. As a certified Whiskey Sommelier, all recipes are made in-house by Heather. These “Spirits of the North” can be found in 7 states and over 500+ liquor stores, restaurants and airlines, gathering over 60 awards nationally. Focused on innovation, quality and the experience, CWS looks to scale with integrity and high value, while remaining 100% owned and self-funded by Heather. CWS continues to grow over 20% per year with strategic partnerships and has been WBENC certified since 2014. Heather owns Heather’s Dirty Goodness, a boutique spice company with products, sold in Kowalski stores and online, focused on low salt and high flavor. WBENC certified since 2013.Heather volunteers her time and energies to advance the economic development interests & opportunities in Minnesota. Currently President of the Burnsville Rotary and on the Board of Directors for the Animal Human Society. Heather also served as the Board President for the National Association of Women Business Owners MN, from 2011-2014, where she helped establish the MN Women Business Owners Hall of Fame.

Dr. Heather Manley teaches how to talk with kids about their bodies. The post 135- How To Teach Teens About How Their Body Works with Dr. Heather Manley appeared first on Summit For Wellness.

Dr. Heather Manley is a Naturopathic Doctor and award-winning author helping people maximize their body’s potential through medicine, nutrition and lifestyle education... and everything in between!   Dr. Heather is a practicing physician who received her medical degree from National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She is also the award-winning author of the Human Body Detectives book and curriculum series.   A contributing writer to Dandelion Moms, Organic Eats magazine, Parents Canada, and KIWI magazine, in addition, the Human Body Detectives series won Moms’ Choice Award and is also a Parent Tested, Parent Approved winner. Dr. Heather has been named to the Top 50 Mompreneurs Bloggers List on both Babble, VoiceBoks and blogtrepreneur. In this episode: Why we need to prioritize our health, deeper than just in a time of pandemic The components of a balanced lifestyle How Dr. Heather’s school curriculum changes lifestyle and habits around food The phases of your menstrual cycle and how they impact your lifestyle How your cycle follows the cycle of the moon Dr. Heather’s new program called Know Your Body, Period.  Tying in essential oils, crystals and self healing with your cycle Top three natural ways to support your menstrual cycle Purchase Dr. Heather's Know your body, period course on the Human Body Detectives website or on Thinkific. Use the code girlpower40 for 40% off!   CONNECT WITH DR. HEATHER https://www.instagram.com/heathermanleynd/ https://linktr.ee/heathermanleynd   CONNECT WITH ME https://www.instagram.com/simona.nicole/ https://www.instagram.com/happinesshappenspodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/happinesshappenstoday https://twitter.com/simona_cos www.simonanicole.com

Heather Manley is a Guam-raised actress.  She spent time on the Australian touring show as the lead role for Aladdin, as Princess Jasmine.  Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she was working on Broadway for Aladdin and other shows in New York City. Super awesome person and fun episode!

Our special guest this Tuesday on SPED Homeschool Conversations was Dr. Heather Manley, ND, Naturopath Doctor and curriculum developer. Dr Heather shared with us about " Empowering Children and Teens to Make Healthy Life Choices" #wellness #kids #lifechoices #health Other topics covered in this episode: Healthy Life Choices Increase Childhood Opportunities Simple Ways to Keep Children Hydrated Motivating Your Kids to Get Moving Empowering Your Child to Make Healthy Food Choices To learn more about Dr. Heather Manley and the resources she has to offer homeschooling families visit https://humanbodydetectives.com/ To find out more about SPED Homeschool visit our website at https://spedhomeschool.com/ And also subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/c/spedhomeschool?sub_confirmation=1

Join us as we release another part of our GUAM SQUAD podcasts. This is a series with 2 other incredible women and their connection through growing up and living in Guam. Heather has graced us with being in Aladdin and Emojiland as well as many other regional productions. Take a listen and don't forget to follow @heathermakalani @Aladdin and @emojimusical Follow us on all our social media platforms. Leave us a comment, subscribe, like and rate!!! It's so appreciated and does way more than you think It does. It also helps us to book more and more quality guests. Twitter: TTBwithRoy Twitter: RoySamuelGeorge Instagram: RoySamuelGeorge Instagram: TripleThreatsandBeyond Facebook: Roy S. George Facebook: Triple Threats & Beyond --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/triple-threats--beyond/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/triple-threats--beyond/support

“Dreaming can make me irate”. Heather Manley is a serial entrepreneur who is all about action. She’s not interested in words. She wants to know what you’re going to do about your idea, put a plan together, and get moving. And while you’re at it, remove the unnecessary hurdles and check to see if you’re part of the problem of getting to the action that’s needed to start and grow a business…or two. Listen to today’s episode of Champions of RISK with Heather Manley, CEO of On-Demand Group, Crooked Water Spirits, Heather’s Dirty Goodness, and ClusterF Creative.

Recorded in Dec 2019: 35 minutes Heather Manley is a serial entrepreneur, whose resume looks like a never ending list of leadership opportunities and accomplishments. She currently is the CEO of Crooked Water Spirits (CWP), founded in 2013, as well as On-Demand Group (ODG), which she and her brother bought in 2008. CWP is an … Continue reading Episode 7: Crooked Water Spirits and On-Demand Group CEO Heather Manley →

Dr. Heather Manley is a Naturopathic Doctor and award-winning author helping people maximize their body's potential through medicine, nutrition and lifestyle education...and everything in between!   I'm so honoured to bring Dr. Heather onto the podcast this week, as we dive deep into Naturopathic Medicine and its principles. We also talk about: The importance of healing to get better Tuning into your body to understand stress, eating habits and overall health Treating the whole person and getting to the root of the problem Preventing illness Balancing hormones Her book series, Human Body Detectives How you can work with Dr. Heather And SO much more!   CONNECT WITH DR. HEATHER: IG @humanbodydetectives www.drheathernd.com    CONNECT WITH ME: IG @simona.nicole FB @simona.nicolee www.simonanicole.com   

We will start the Episode with an interview of Dr. Heather Manley and end with a meditation and healing to help with Digestive Issues. Dr. Heather Manley, ND, is a practicing physician who received her medical degree from National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She is also the award-winning author of the Human Body Detectives book and curriculum series. A contributing writer to Dandelion Moms, Organic Eats magazine, Parents Canada, and KIWI magazine, in addition, the Human Body Detectives series won Moms' Choice Award and is also a Parent Tested, Parent Approved winner. Dr. Heather has been named to the Top 50 Mompreneurs Bloggers List on both Babble, VoiceBoks and blogtrepreneur. Dr. Heather splits her time between Hawaii and Los Angeles, where her focus is on preventative healthcare for women's health and providing a resource for families to learn more about preventative health care so that they can be confident and proactive in their everyday health. She lives with her husband and her two daughters, with whom she based her stories' characters, Merrin and Pearl.

Join us for this episode to hear from Heather Manley, an amazing entrepreneur who has built 3 businesses and shares her perspectives and wisdom on how to get out of your own way. How often do we put up our own hurdles that cause us to slow down our progress? And do we even realize … Continue reading Are you creating your own hurdles? →

We catch up with Heather Manley from Crooked Water Spirits and Heathers Dirty Goodness Seasoning. Heather Manley launched Crooked Water Spirits in September of 2014 and is already at 9 varieties of spirits. Much has changed since her visit with us 2 years ago. We catch up with her growing businesses. (ep.18) Support the showFollow the Makers of Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MakersofMN. Send story ideas to Stephanie@stephaniesdish.com If you appreciate the work we do here, please subscribe on Patreon Please subscribe to My newsletter at https://stephaniehansen.substack.com/ so you don't miss an epiosde of the Makers of Minnesota This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

We catch up with Heather Manley from Crooked Water Spirits and Heathers Dirty Goodness Seasoning. Heather Manley launched Crooked Water Spirits in September of 2014 and is already at 9 varieties of spirits. Much has changed since her visit with us 2 years ago. We catch up with her growing businesses. (ep.18) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/StephanieHansen)

We catch up with Heather Manley from Crooked Water Spirits and Heathers Dirty Goodness Seasoning. Heather Manley launched Crooked Water Spirits in September of 2014 and is already at 9 varieties of spirits. Much has changed since her visit with us 2 years ago. We catch up with her growing businesses. (ep.18) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/StephanieHansen)

From IT Recruiter with On Demand Group to Heathers Dirty Goodness Spices and Crooked Water Spirits, Heather Manley is a serial entrepreneur who has made her 3 loves all work for her in business and in Life. When you ask Heather Manley how she started her companies she will tell you she structures her life around three things: family/friends, food and booze. Her first endeavor was growing her families business On Demand Group. From there she created Heathers Dirty Goodness Spice Blends that she sold into grocers. The final feather in her cap came with the launch of Crooked Water Spirits Company. Hear about her journey and how being a woman business owner who isn't afraid to pick up the phone has served her well.Support the showFollow the Makers of Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MakersofMN. Send story ideas to Stephanie@stephaniesdish.com If you appreciate the work we do here, please subscribe on Patreon Please subscribe to My newsletter at https://stephaniehansen.substack.com/ so you don't miss an epiosde of the Makers of Minnesota This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

From IT Recruiter with On Demand Group to Heathers Dirty Goodness Spices and Crooked Water Spirits, Heather Manley is a serial entrepreneur who has made her 3 loves all work for her in business and in Life. When you ask Heather Manley how she started her companies she will tell you she structures her life around three things: family/friends, food and booze. Her first endeavor was growing her families business On Demand Group. From there she created Heathers Dirty Goodness Spice Blends that she sold into grocers. The final feather in her cap came with the launch of Crooked Water Spirits Company. Hear about her journey and how being a woman business owner who isn't afraid to pick up the phone has served her well.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/StephanieHansen)

From IT Recruiter with On Demand Group to Heathers Dirty Goodness Spices and Crooked Water Spirits, Heather Manley is a serial entrepreneur who has made her 3 loves all work for her in business and in Life. When you ask Heather Manley how she started her companies she will tell you she structures her life around three things: family/friends, food and booze. Her first endeavor was growing her families business On Demand Group. From there she created Heathers Dirty Goodness Spice Blends that she sold into grocers. The final feather in her cap came with the launch of Crooked Water Spirits Company. Hear about her journey and how being a woman business owner who isn't afraid to pick up the phone has served her well.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/StephanieHansen)