Podcasts about sun country

Brett Snyder has been watching Spirit's network strategy closely, and this week he floats the idea that Spirit is not only becoming more like Sun Country but it could benefit from joining forces with the airline.  Brian Sumers, however, thinks this is ridiculous.  Come join them and Jon Ostrower as they float statistics in a very... spirited... debate.We would like to thank Rokt for supporting The Air Show.Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

Sun Country Airlines CEO Jude Bricker discusses the Minneapolis-based carrier's hybrid model integrating passenger, charter and cargo operations.

Deqa Dhalac a Somali member of the Maine Legislature makes no bones about it, she wants to use her position to fight for the country of Somalia. MN DFL'ers are blaming their out of control spending and the anticipated deficit on Trump. Johnny Heidt guitar news and Reusse with his weekly sports report. Heard On The Show:‘Security threat' on diverted Sun Country flight from MSP to El Paso deemed a hoaxMike Lindell Hit With $9 Million Debt BillStock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise after jobs report, Powell speech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Deqa Dhalac a Somali member of the Maine Legislature makes no bones about it, she wants to use her position to fight for the country of Somalia. MN DFL'ers are blaming their out of control spending and the anticipated deficit on Trump. Johnny Heidt guitar news and Reusse with his weekly sports report. Heard On The Show: ‘Security threat' on diverted Sun Country flight from MSP to El Paso deemed a hoax Mike Lindell Hit With $9 Million Debt Bill Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise after jobs report, Powell speech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Duck Soup, the podcast that brings you the most captivating moments from popular podcasts. Inspired by “The Soup,” we feature the clips that are sure to surprise and delight you. Join us each week as we offer our unique commentary on the best and most memorable podcast moments.

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

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported several dozen delayed or canceled flights Friday morning amid a global internet outage. Delta, Sun Country, Allegiant, United and American are among the airlines affected by the outage. Around the world, the internet outage has reportedly affected stores, banks and hospitals.And former President Trump closed out the Republican National Convention on Thursday night in Wisconsin.

Send us a Text Message.We're halfway through the 2024 MiLB Triple-A baseball season, and things at CHS Field have never been "wetter." Hear about how Mother Nature tried everything in her power to delay and/or postpone the six games the Saints were scheduled to play against the Toledo Mudhens last week, but ultimately failed. Listen to the tale of how Joshua attempted to take a shower Sunday night but failed due to the systematic breakdown of his home's sewage system. Cringe as Sierra spins the yarn of the men attempting to flirt with her before the infamous Sun Country promotion.As always, thanks for listening, and be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with new episode releases! 

Kyle Potter and the folks at Thrifty Traveler figured out that you can save $44 on a Sun Country ticket by buying it at the airport. Jason tested it out this weekend and the two of them talked about it. 

Hour 1: Jason thinks the two major cities are getting wrong when it comes to drive-thrus. Then he's joined by Kyle Potter from Thrifty Traveler to talk about saving money on Sun Country tickets

Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler joins Chad for talk about Sun Country's new app, Southwest now sharing their flights on Google Flights, and some of the most ridiculous travel accessories he and his team recently tested out.

Travelers have been asking for it and now Sun Country Airlines has an app for the convenience of its passengers. Chief Marketing Officer Colton Snow joins Jason with details. 

Hour 3: Jason and Laura talk about the "peak" of baby names. Then on the DeRush-Hour: Bro-Makase?! And finally, Sun Country has debuted their new app.

What if the most efficient way to move air travelers might be on the ground?Seat costs and carbon emissions 90% lower than airborne options, industry-leading seat pitch, 100% available wifi, air-side connections, and the guaranteed lowest cruise altitude... flight level zero.David Sunde of The Landline Company shares how he used his extensive knowledge of airline networks to find the most cost-effective, sustainable way to connect passengers.Takeaways-The aviation industry is complex and fascinating, with various aspects such as revenue management, engineering, and operations.- Understanding the intersection of automation and human intervention is crucial in airline operations.- Working at a startup in the aviation industry provides valuable experience and prepares individuals for starting their own businesses.- The pilot shortage and the importance of the airport experience are significant factors in the transportation industry. Landline is a mobility company focused on providing a cost-effective and convenient alternative to personal car trips to the airport.- They use buses as the mode of transportation and work with airlines like American, Air Canada, Sun Country, and United to offer seamless connections for passengers.- Landline has created unique experiences, such as carrying passengers tarmac to tarmac and providing a non-sterile network.- Their goal is to capture the market of people who currently drive themselves to the airport and offer them a more affordable and efficient option. Landline provides bus-to-air connections in high-traffic corridors, offering certainty and convenience for travelers.- They adjust block times for traffic and take on the risk of buffer time to ensure passengers make their connections.- Landline aims to extend its distribution capability beyond airport codes and consider all transportation options for travelers.- The company prioritizes practical and incremental steps to reduce CO2 emissions and believes multimodal transportation is a key solution.Sound Bites"If you like the business of doing business, there is no business like the airline business.""Until we start interstellar travel, this is the coolest thing.""The complexities of the airline industry and the challenges of getting it right.""These are airline guys running a bus company.""We're not tied to the bus forever. We're a mobility company primarily focused on taking people off the road on the way to the airport.""We're building this network that exists outside the airport to get people off the road.""This is not a rounding error.""The thing that people traveling value more than anything is certainty.""All that buffer time, we basically take on the risk of the buffer time that you would give yourself."

3-26 Adam and Jordana 9a hour

Kyle Potter from Thrifty Traveler tells us about the fight for travelers in Minnesota. 

MSP airport is at the heart of a battle for customers between Delta and Sun Country Airlines. Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler joins Chad to talk about what he's seeing and how it's impacting both companies.

We have plenty of good sports topics to discuss with Chip Scoggins during his regular Monday visit with Chad before Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler joins to talk about Delta and Sun Country battling for customers at MSP airport.

Welcome to Season Two of Business Matters! Coming to you from the WIN Technology Studio, and a special thank you to our media sponsor, Royal Credit Union. In this episode, Chippewa Valley Regional Airport Director Charity Zich talks with Scott Rogers, the Chamber's Vice President Governmental Affairs, about the challenges and successes of commercial air service for EAU. Learn how the Sun Country jet service to seasonal destinations is doing and what's next for the airport's future.

Jason went to Disney World this weekend and he witnessed something he wished he hadn't... Pickle cookies: Would you eat this sweet and savory combination? The office Appetizer Madness is back -- we're gonna compete this year and we're gonna WIN! Plus, Jason had a great time flying Sun Country and Alexis updates us on "American Idol" legend William Hung! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason went to Disney World this weekend and he witnessed something he wished he hadn't... Pickle cookies: Would you eat this sweet and savory combination? The office Appetizer Madness is back -- we're gonna compete this year and we're gonna WIN! Plus, Jason had a great time flying Sun Country and Alexis updates us on "American Idol" legend William Hung! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Hour 1: Jason talked about the latest front in the culture war - DEI positions and departments. Then a pair of Sun Country flight attendants talked about their recent informational pickets

You may have heard of an "informational picket" by Sun Country flight attendants last week. Tanya DeVito, negotiator and 33 year flight attendant and Cheryl Adamson, negotiator, union steward and 10 year flight attendant join Jason in-studio to talk about their negotiations

In this Zoom-Live briefing, the Gender Justice legal team discuss the importance of protections for breastfeeding, nursing, and pumping moms in the workplace. In particular, we highlight the experiences faced by Hani Ali, a mother who faced discrimination and intimidation at Sun Country Airlines due to her need to pump milk at work.  For more information, please visit these links:Ali v. Sun Country case page Ali v. Sun Country complaint  This year, Gender Justice helped secure increased protections for pregnant and pumping employees in Minnesota! But many people don't know what their protections are at work. We want to ensure that all Minnesotans get the pregnancy and pumping accommodations they need.  Gender Justice created a set of new resources that highlight rights of pregnant and pumping Minnesotans and provide resources available for those experiencing discrimination that includes:  Know your Rights Info Sheets Self-advocacy letters to customize and send to an employer when requesting accommodations A privacy door hanger for pumping spaces The final episode of 2023, will be the “Mailbag”, an episode where we open the floor:  Ask Senator Erin Maye Quade and Jess Braverman, Gender Justice Legal Director, what you want to know about legislative efforts in Minnesota or legal cases related to gender justice. Submit your questions at www.genderjustice.us/ask Timestamps for this episode: 00:00 Introduction and Personal Experiences 00:06 The Struggles of Pumping at Work 02:27 Introduction of the Legal Team 02:47 Discussion on the Ali vs Flying Country Airline Case 04:09 Understanding the Women's Economic Security Act 08:31 The Minnesota Human Rights Act 14:14 The Importance of Breastfeeding and Challenges Faced 16:02 Details of the Case Against Sun Country Airlines 27:10 The Importance of the Case and the Challenges Faced 41:11 Conclusion and Call to Action ### Visit the "Gender Justice" Website here and "Unrestrict Minnesota" here. The GJB is produced by Michael Jahnl at www.501MediaHouse.com & Audra Grigus. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/genderjustice/message

Is it worth a trip to the airport to buy a ticked in person to save $44 bucks? Chad opens the show talking about the Sun Country hidden fee that's been uncovered before a discussion with the Principal at Maple Grove Middle School about a cell phone ban that's been very successful.

A story in the Thrifty Traveler talked about Sun Country charging a $22 convenience fee for booking a ticket online. But if you buy it at the airport, you don't get charged. So.... how cheap are you?

This week: Ginger Hardage, Fmr SVP of Culture & Communications at Southwest Airlines/Founder of Unstoppable Cultures; Is ATC ready for the holiday season? JetBlue loses $153MM, is frozen out of AMS, and Spirit merger trial gets underway; SWA potential expansion in Dallas; Listener input: Sun Country, Scott Kirby & ULCC statements.

In this episode we a First Officer at Sun Country Airlines. Talk about how he got to his dream job. Ben has a great passion for aviation and his story is very inspiring.

Jeremy Hyde is the Director Of Customer Service at Sun Country Airlines. In this episode we talk about providing customer support in the airline industry. We also discuss how to identify the best agents to promote. Finally we discuss how to protect agent well-being when customers are verbally abusive.To follow Jeremy on LinkedIn, here is a link to his profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hydej/To follow John Walter on LinkedIn, here is a link to his profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jowalter/

Eric Kulisch - Air Cargo Editor - FreightWaves - Vancouver, WA https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cargo-operator-western-global-airlines-files-for-bankruptcy-protection Western Global, Sun Country, Lufthansa and Korean Air had terrible Q2 earnings.

Jeremy Hyde packs a SERIOUS punch in this dynamic episode. From evolving customer expectations, to forging the circle of psychological safety with employees, to creating a "Voice of the Agent" playbook, this conversation has something for every CX leader.

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Mobile Studios, Nick sits down with Greg Free, owner of Fuerte Y Libre Cigars, to discuss his company and to get to know the brand. We find out all about Greg, his background, how he got into the cigar business, and about his lineup of premium cigars and what makes them unique, while smoking the Fuerte Y Libre Sun Country corona. Also, find out what gets cut in the United Cigars One Must Go, what we've been enjoying in our leisure time in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, and Three Cigars We've Smoked and Enjoyed This Week. Get in on the Ask The Boys segment by calling the hotline at (863)874-0000 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS... Check out Rivermen Cigar Company on Instagram at @TheRivermenCigarCompany  online at RivermenCigars.com or give him a call for mail order service at (314) 843-3355 Follow United Cigars at @UnitedCigars on Instagram or check out their website, UnitedCigarGroup.com for a store near you that carries their cigars Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars Sign up for the Robusto box at My Monthly Cigars and smoke along with the guys at MyMonthlyCigars.com 

Eric Kulisch - Air Cargo Editor - FreightWaves - Vancouver, WA Discussing the ongoing decline in the air market as seen through some carrier earnings and forwarder earnings like Kuehne Nagel/DSV (profits way down but still great quarter) and also UPS cutting flight ops. But then Sun Country being an outlier for special reasons and Hawaiian, a soon to be Amazon carrier, gearing up for Amazon but with some unrelated bumps. Say they will start Amazon flights in Q4.

Rick and Suds call the station that is simulcasting WIOD (WSUN), the former Sun Country. Some of their regulars call in, and so does The Bird. First day of the simulcast.

Is this just a sign of the times that volumes are down? Amazon and DHL have reduced cargo flights in the US - is this just a US problem or is it larger than that? How about other carriers - are they looking to pull back as well - such as Sun Country? How has this impacted Air Transport Services Group? How does this compare to ATSG's leasing business?

Hector Airport Executive Director Shawn Dobberstein explains the Sun Coutry, Landline announcement.  Sun Country Airlines and Landline will start a new service beginning March 1 that will provide non-stop motorcoach bus transportation from Hector Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sun Country Airlines' Chief Executive Officer Jude Bricker talks about the growth of the company and his evolved leadership. 

This episode opens with an introduction of Torya as the ‘world traveler.' Torya has had a hectic last two weeks, and Mike and Torya recap it.Torya asks Mike and the listeners an essential question about flying Sun Country Airlines. Torya rants about Sun Country airlines and a situation she experienced.Mike and Torya start talking about people who drive you crazy. Mike rants about a press secretary.The conversation leads to Donald Trump and questions about previous presidents and cults. 

HARLINGEN, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley can attract thousands more Winter Texans from the Upper Midwest thanks to the daily flights Delta Air Lines is putting on from Minneapolis to Harlingen.This is the view of Nicolás J. Mirman, director of air service and business development at Valley International Airport. “Via Minneapolis, Delta has connections to more than 35 Upper Midwest and Canadian destinations. It will be the first time in a long time that places like North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, even Toronto in Canada have such easy access to our beach at South Padre Island.”Delta will be utilizing an a320 Airbus that carries about 165 passengers to fly from Minneapolis to Valley International Airport seven days a week from mid-February to the end of May. This presents a great opportunity to attract more tourists from the Upper Midwest, Mirman said.But, there is a challenge for the Valley, the commercial aviation expert said. Sun Country also flies from Minneapolis to Harlingen. Mirman said the Valley cannot afford to have Delta cannibalize Sun Country's passengers.“The challenge for the Rio Grande Valley is to absorb such an expansion of capacity. We will have twice as many seats as we had last year from the Upper Midwest. So the challenge is to make sure that Sun Country can fill up their planes to Minneapolis and Minnesota and then for us to take full advantage of what Delta brings to the table,” Mirman said.American Airlines also flies to the Upper Midwest out of Harlingen, Mirman said, with one flight a week to and from Chicago. American also has a lot of Upper Midwest connecting cities to Chicago, he pointed out.“At the end of the day, for our region, the Minneapolis market is already mature, Sun Country and even Delta had flown here for 30 years. The challenge or the opportunity truly is to expand on those connecting markets in the Dakotas, in Montana, in Illinois, in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska,” Mirman said.“If we can start doing that this year, if we can keep both carriers (Delta and Sun Country) and even American flying in here for years to come, then it is going to have an enormous effect in the local economy.”Editor's Note: To read the full story go to www.riograndeguardian.com.To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

Hour 1: What do we do about Trump? Jason talked with listeners. Plus, will Sun Country's new routes mean cheaper travel? Find out with Gunnar Olson from Thrifty Traveler on WCCO Radio.

Gunnar Olson from Thrifty Traveler joined Jason to talk about Sun Country's announcement of new routes coming this Spring. Will that mean lower prices for travelers? Find out on WCCO Radio.

The CEO of Sun Country, Jude Bricker talked with Vineeta on The Morning News. 

The CEO of Sun Country, Jude Bricker talked with Vineeta on The Morning News. 

Welcome back to Funny In Theory, a podcast from the St. Paul Saints that goes behind the scenes of the St. Paul Saints Entertainment Team with Entertainment Director, Joshua Will, and Vice President, Brand Marketing and Experience, Sierra Bailey.In Episode 47, Josh and Sierra recap the last homestand of July and how the promotions went, including Marvel, Copa, and KFAN. They talk about the major rain delay and how it affects the staff and the Saints when a game gets cancelled or postponed. They get into the gate party for Sun Country and what the trip out to Indianapolis was like, as well as touching on how promotions differ between the two cities. The take a quick look at the future and talk about the new ball pig. They end the episode with another ushertainer rendition, this time of Changes.Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Rate us, and follow us on social media @funnnyintheory. Yes, that's three n's in funny because the regular spelling wasn't available and we didn't want to use underscores.Produced by Joey SkareIntro/Outro Song:"House of Fun"Written and performed by Nicholas David & Andrew CrowleyMastering by Terry Manningf

Jiunn, Seth, John and Aaron discuss their review experience with the Fuerte y Libre Sun Country Corona https://developingpalates.com/reviews/cigar-reviews/team-cigar-review-fuerte-y-libre-sun-country-corona/

Regional casinos, particularly those owned by the major gaming companies, often need more to fill their rooms and increase their gaming revenues. MGM Resorts' Beau Rivage in Biloxi is one casino that has perfected the process. Just last week, the casino welcomed its 1,000,000 customer in a program that started in 2008. Brandon Dardeau, the regional president for Beau Rivage, explains that a partnership with Sun Country airlines in 2014 has allowed the program to blossom and has welcomed visitors from 90 cities as far away as Minneapolis and New Hampshire. He also comments other marketing efforts and the recent sale of the Gold Strike resort in Tunica to the Cherokees of Oklahoma. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros via Zoom from his offices in Biloxi in August.

Welcome back to Funny In Theory, a podcast from the St. Paul Saints that goes behind the scenes of the St. Paul Saints Entertainment Team with Entertainment Director, Joshua Will, and Vice President, Brand Marketing and Experience, Sierra Bailey.In Episode 45,  Josh and Sierra catch up after the 4th, decompressing from fan complaints and comments. They discuss the failed Sun Country promo, the failed ball drop promo, and somehow don't talk about the failed corn promo. It's gearing towards the end of the season, so they talk about the interns leaving soon, how the staff winds down after homestands, and Joey's own podcast idea.  They close the episode with Out of Swine, by Brian Kelly.Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Rate us, and follow us on social media @funnnyintheory. Yes, that's three n's in funny because the regular spelling wasn't available and we didn't want to use underscores.Produced by Joey SkareIntro/Outro Song:"House of Fun"Written and performed by Nicholas David & Andrew CrowleyMastering by Terry Manning

On this episode of the Connected Aviation Intelligence Podcast, Job Heimerikx, CEO and co-founder of AirFi, joins to discuss commercial airline wireless in-flight entertainment and connectivity trends.  AirFi a global supplier of wireless in-flight entertainment and connectivity technologies, headquartered in the Netherlands. Their technology is rather unique in the in-flight entertainment and connectivity market because of its size and what it can enable for airlines in terms of in-flight movies, ordering meals and payment validation among other applications.  Some of their airline customers include Sun Country, Eastern Airlines, Corendon Dutch Airlines and Atlantic Airways among others. We discuss the unique size of their wireless IFEC solution, how they've added Iridium connectivity to their technology and why they're still finding that the type of low bandwidth non-streaming connectivity they're providing is still popular with airlines in 2022.  Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy, at wbellamy@accessintel.com, or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC. Check out our publication Avionics International @AvionicsGlobal + www.aviationtoday.com. Join our Avionics International LinkedIn group to suggest topics we should cover in our podcast, publications and events. www.linkedin.com/AvionicsMag      

How EAU came to be an Essential Service Airport and what that means The Sun Country's proposed service schedule to EAU The challenges of servicing larger aircraft How buses may play a role in offering ticketing and screening passenger in route to MSP. Guest:  Charity Zich, Director Chippewa Valley Regional Airport Beer Enjoyed:  Blu, by Grainbelt

Brian joins us in the studio to talk about his role as the Chief Marketing Officer at Minnesota's Hometown Airline, Sun Country. We learn about his journey into the aviation industry, how the airline shifted to become a low cost carrier, and where the future of airline marketing is headed. We had a blast with this episode and we hope you will too!

Welcome to Episode 41 of Funny In Theory, a podcast from the St. Paul Saints that goes behind the scenes of the St. Paul Saints Entertainment Team with Entertainment Director, Joshua Will, and Vice President, Brand Marketing and Experience, Sierra Bailey.In Episode 41, Josh and Sierra talk about their zodiac signs and their horoscopes! Sierra tells us about spotlight games, what goes into them, and softball chants. Josh tells a joke that goes over super well, and they chat about normal life (whatever that is). They get ready for the next few weeks between promotions, videos, Sun Country flights, and pocket scheduling. They end the episode with P.Y.T. (Piggy Young Thing) sung by Chef.Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Rate us, and follow us on social media @funnnyintheory. Yes, that's three n's in funny because the regular spelling wasn't available and we didn't want to use underscores.Produced by Joey SkareIntro/Outro Song:"House of Fun"Written and performed by Nicholas David & Andrew CrowleyMastering by Terry Manning

This week: Jeff Shane, Fmr General Counsel, IATA; Plus: Will all the cancellations affect earnings; Ryan's CEO on Covid/Summer travel; Is United selling it's MileagePlus asset? Listener Q's on Aircraft Paint, Sun Country; Almost missed flight due to multiple Delta/ATL gate changes-Fine or Whine?

Last Friday January 4th 2022 a sun country 737-800 experienced a gear malfunction shortly after takeoff. Listen to this episode as we dive into the story --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Let's kick off 2022 with a hot combination of insight and nonsense. Roll those into one big fat sheet and jump in for some talk about traveling to Minnesota, Sun Country's misery, experiencing the rare motion disorder called MDDS, Viktor Frankl's wisdom on humor, tapping techniques for mental health, Enya's absurd sounds, Donna Lewis's beautiful sounds, fevers, and Ohhhhhmicron. Stream it, guilt-free, then repeat until the residue comes off. On Twitter kinda @jrosenberg957. Logo art by Brandon Lai Music by Micah Julius Sweatpants addiction by simply living in a winter wonderlandemic

CBS Travel Editor Peter Greenberg talks air travel a day after Sun Country canceled thousands of flights.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this weeks episode we had the privilege to host Dan Mallot. Dan is currently a First Officer for Sun Country Airlines, a UND professor, and a business owner. Dan's business experience partnered with his airline experience make this podcast one that you cannot miss! We discuss a wide range of topics including making connections, the vast amount of jobs in the industry, how to stay motivated and get fired up for the day, pathway programs, and how to prepare yourself for a job interview! There is an incredible amount of life and career advice packed into this podcast so give it a listen!

Originally recorded on October 23, 2020, Sun Country Airlines bucked the industry freefall and turned a profit in the Third Quarter of 2020. CEO Jude Bricker shares insights on how the airline has kept flying amidst a hyper turbulent market. 

Sun Country stumbles on what may be the biggest travel day since the pandemic started, with software glitch and big delays. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

Pop quiz: What kind of airline has dreams of being a regional operator but has no interest in actually operating airplanes? The answer: Landline.   The co-founder and CEO of the "airline," David Sunde, has a background in airline networks, and his team is building a regional feeder that won't fly a single airplane. Anything else, however, is fair game. It's all about multi-modal, and so far Landline's fleet of vehicles ranging from private cars to buses feeds Sun Country's hub in Minneapolis/St Paul and United's hub in Denver.   Hasn't this been tried before? Sure, but as you've probably heard before, this is different. This time, it really does seem to be, and the exciting stuff hasn't even happened yet.   Come join me for this episode of The Cranky Flier Interview presented by Ontario International Airport, a half hour chat with David about everything from putting an airport at Disneyland to clearing security before you even get on the bus.  

Sun Country by Galivanting through yesterdom

Heute möchten wir euch die Sun Country Airline vorstellen , eine US-amerikanische Billigfluggesellschaft. Das spannende an dem Unternehmen sind vor allem der Fokus auf das Chartergeschäft sowie eine Partnerschaft mit Amazon. Seit dem 17.03.2021 ist das Unternehmen an der Nasdaq unter dem Symbol "SNCY" gelistet.

Carl Quintanilla, Jim Cramer and David Faber led off the program with a look at the linkage between a slump in tech stocks and a rise in bond yields, plus the economic boom versus supply shortages and the resulting inflation. A big question the anchors explored: What will Fed Chair Jerome Powell say about inflation and rising rates at his news conference -- and after the central bank releases its policy statement? Jim also took a deep dive into why younger investors don't take bond yields into account while buying stocks. Amazon announcing it will be rolling out its "Amazon Care" telehealth service in all 50 states this summer for its own workers -- and for other employers. Electric vehicles also in the spotlight: The anchors reacted to what Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson told Jim about how the company stands to benefit from its SPAC deal -- and how Lucid welcomes competition from the likes of Apple. Also in focus: What's next for the airline sector as discount carrier Sun Country goes public, BofA’s eye-opening note on Bitcoin, Uber granting drivers in the UK worker status, and why shares of Plug Power have recently slumped after soaring more than 1000% over the past twelve months.

Sun Country has been planning to go public for more than a year, but it made it official now, during the worst crisis to hit the airline industry. Airline Weekly colleagues Edward Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan talk about why the low-cost-carrier is going public now, what's happening with Air Canada, and whether Copa will be a Wall Street darling again.Stay ahead of aviation news with a subscription to Airline Weekly.

Jeremy talks about what QA, how he measures QA, and a technique to teach agents. Join the Press 1 For Nick community on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/press-1-for-nick or visit https://press1fornick.com/podcast/ #customerexperience #customerservice #press1fornick

TURBULENCE      No truer word to describe this year almost over - 2020.  From Crisis to Care has been a common thread running through many of our podcasts and digital events.     Now, we have just started a running review of the book Turbulence written by a true character and personality of the aviation Industry - Mr David A Banmiller.     It is a journey along the career and incidents, experiences, learnings, and benefits of a half century of reflection and great memories within the Aviation Industry.  David has experienced incredible challenges and rewarding outcomes with Pan Am, Sun Country, Air Cal, American and Aloha.  We navigate through the book chapter by chapter and from Prologue to Epilogue.  Areas covered in this first episode: reference to:  Cuban Hijacking  Lockerbie bombings  Sept 11 - 2001  Tech disruptions   Random acts of treachery and corporate intrigue  The raunchy era  Why is our industry miss represented, miss judged and miss promoted?     Join us as we proceed through chapters that focus on People, Infrastructure and the business itself. 

Sun Country CEO Jude Bricker says that the passenger airline’s flexible route network and cargo-handling deal with Amazon has enabled it to remain resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The link to the carbon plunk website is carbonplunk.com where you can get more info or donate. True North EV will be hosting a meeting on Google Meet chatting about all things electric. The meeting will start at 7 pm CST on Saturday September 19th/2020 To join the meeting on Google Meet, click this link: https://meet.google.com/jkr-kvzo-msn Or open Meet and enter this code: jkr-kvzo-msn If you want more info on the NeoCharge adapter take a look at Sun Country Highway's page: https://suncountryhighway.ca/store/NeoCharge-Appliance-Smart-Splitter-p233076456 Here is a link to Steve's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTIKxPx0ZwFSR7w1g3Gi68g Here is the link to kilowatt podcast: https://pca.st/podcast/09216500-6e77-0134-787d-4ffec63d9550 Here is the link to EV Resources youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6_8Fx3_XrBo3nvRRDXheJA Leave a voice message on anchor: https://anchor.fm/truenorthev/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/truenorthev/message

The link to the carbon plunk website is carbonplunk.com where you can get more info or donate. True North EV will be hosting a meeting on Google Meet chatting about all things electric. The meeting will start at 7 pm CST on Saturday September 19th/2020 To join the meeting on Google Meet, click this link: https://meet.google.com/jkr-kvzo-msn Or open Meet and enter this code: jkr-kvzo-msn Here is a link to Steve's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTIKxPx0ZwFSR7w1g3Gi68g Here is the link to kilowatt podcast: https://pca.st/podcast/09216500-6e77-0134-787d-4ffec63d9550 Here is the link to the two idiots podcast: https://anchor.fm/twoidiotspodcast Here is the link to EV Resources youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6_8Fx3_XrBo3nvRRDXheJA Leave a voice message on anchor: https://anchor.fm/truenorthev/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/truenorthev/message

In this episode Jeff Hagen sits down with Zarir Erani, former CEO of Sun Country Airlines. Zarir shares about his journey from a boarding school in India to faith in Jesus and the lessons learned in his corporate career. We hope you like this episode and share it with others.

Crisco, Dez and Ryan chat with Brian Davis of Sun Country Airlines to talk about travel and unprecedented times in the airline business.

Crisco, Dez and Ryan chat with Brian Davis of Sun Country Airlines to talk about travel and unprecedented times in the airline business.

How does this fast-growing carrier view its ambitions for the next few years? We hear direct from CEO Jude Bricker as he outlines its current and future targets.

Give us about ten minutes a day and we will give you all the local news, local sports, local weather, and local events you can handle.   CONNECT WITH US!  THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS:  http://bit.ly/EOAConnect Today...President Jimmy Carter is undergoing a procedure to reduce swelling in his brain. A suspected vehicle in a fatal hit and run in Prince George's County was found in Gambrills. Two PE teachers named High School and Middle School Teachers of the Year. 55 teachers in the running for County Teacher of the Year. Sun Country to begin flights out of BWI. The flu is widespread in Maryland! And of you missed our Legacy Business Series on Saturday with Citizen Pride and JEB Design--make sure you have a listen!  And, as always, George from DMV Weather with your local weather forecast!  Flash Briefing for Alexa. Yep, I finally brought the Daily News Brief to Alexa. Search for "Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief" in your Alexa app and enable it--and be sure to drop us a rating! More info here.  The Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief is produced every Monday through Friday and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,  Google Music, Stitcher Radio, tunein, IHeartRADIO, Amazon Echo,  YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and of course at Eye On Annapolis. Our weather partner is DMV Weather based in Annapolis. Please download their APP so you can keep on top of the local weather scene! Please be sure to check out our weekly sister podcast, The Maryland Crabs!

Jimmy Fallon's Halloween prank strikes again. Sun Country adding flights to new cities. 20/20's Amy Robach reveals that her Jeffrey Epstein story was quashed by ABC. Angelina Jolie very blunt in her new interview. Guest is beauty expert Bryan Barron.

Ay, you gotta ride this one out cuz right there are the end we tell some TRUE OLD ROCK 'N' ROLL STORIES about megastars like FOREIGNER, BAD COMPANY, STYXX and SUN COUNTRY   Up in this one we   DIAGNOSE our ailments and DIVINE their hidden prophecies DISCOVER the movie City Wives and Nollywood at large. DEFINE the word "spendthrift" incorrectly DECIDE how to pronounce words like "turmeric" "timbre" and "cinnamon" DIGEST the cookies DETHRONE Coupon King, The King of All Coupons   Oh yeah, and shout out to our new favorite ghost in the machine Metal_Treasure

Whiskeys: Basil Hayden’s Bourbon • Old Grand-Dad 100 Bonded Bourbon • Jack Daniels • Jim Beam • Angel’s Envy Rye • Redbreast 12 Year Irish • Redbreast 15 Year Irish • Gentleman Jack  • Macallan Scotch • Baker’s Bourbon • Booker’s Bourbon • Knob Creek Bourbon • Redemption High-Rye Bourbon • Woodford Reserve Bourbon • Woodford Reserve Double-Oaked Bourbon • Woodford Reserve Rye • Knob Creek Rye • Knob Creek Maple Bourbon • Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon • Old Grand-Dad 80 Bourbon • Japanese whiskeys • Michter’s (not Mishter’s lol) • Pappy (not Paddy lol) van Winkle • Fireball (argh) • High West Prairie Bourbon • High West Double Rye • High West Midwinter Night’s Dram • Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon • Maker’s Mark Bourbon • Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon Tangents: F**k Flat Earthers • The moon landing was not faked • Bad college beer • Sun Country wine coolers • Ed had how many Gran Marnier’s?! • History of the Jim Beam company and family • Accountant shade • Um, cocoa powder? • Treating yourself to expensive whiskeys • Basil Hayden was a real dude • HBO’s Deadwood • Blanton’s an A-horse • Age statements: WTF does “artfully aged” even mean? • Maker’s Mark’s Mistake • Kraft Mac & Cheese trolling

Dawn was running late because of her cat; Sun Country news ; Teenagers, get out of the the ball pit

We had such fun at Project Down and Dirty. Lori loved binging "Jack Ryan" on Amazon. Man climbs El Capitan using only his hands and feet. Donny sees "A Star is Born" . Gives it a huge thumbs up. Lady Gaga is amazing. Sun Country founder passes away.

Sun Country is largely missing out on the golden age that U.S. carriers have been basking in since 2015. In the past 12 months (ending with the second quarter, the most recent to be reported) all the U.S. carriers posted operating profit margins ranging from a healthy 9% to an excellent 16%—except for Sun Country, which delivered a distant 4% margin. Will Sun shine again? One airline enjoying the U.S. party is Frontier, which had a solid second quarter despite a 19% increase in operating costs. Talks of an Emirates-Etihad merger have heated up, according to a Bloomberg report. A merger might save Etihad, but who will save these other troubled airlines? South African Airways, Fastjet and Jet Airways are all facing dire straits. Lastly, JetBlue is adding a basic economy fare class. Will it be the last U.S. airline to do so?

Michael talks about Sun Country and Delta and JetBlue and Spirit and other low cost and high cost airlines

Dawn is taking her first SW flight; Sun Country makes changes; Would You Rather

There's news about Sun Country's plan to become something resembling a Low Cost Airline AND British Airways getting you to the terminal faster. Plus, we chat with our work friend Alyssa Heimrich about her trip to Santa Barbara, travel preferences and safety instructions.

Marriott is combining it's reward program with Starwood and Ritz Carlton. Sun Country needs a plan to help stranded passengers. Southwest needs to read it's safety instructions louder. All this and a lot of rambling in podcast 14!

Hundreds of travelers were stranded in Mexico after Sun Country Airlines canceled flights due to a storm in Minneapolis. Sun Country said the flights from Los Cabos and Mazatlan said that the flight canceled Saturday was the last of the season.The passengers were left to find another return flight home.Sun County offered full refunds, but many may take up to a week to process. According to reports, airlines are not required to get you another plane or a hotel room if flights are canceled.

Hundreds of travelers were stranded in Mexico after Sun Country Airlines canceled flights due to a storm in Minneapolis. Sun Country said the flights from Los Cabos and Mazatlan said that the flight canceled Saturday was the last of the season.The passengers were left to find another return flight home.Sun County offered full refunds, but many may take up to a week to process. According to reports, airlines are not required to get you another plane or a hotel room if flights are canceled.

Sun Country and Allegiant Airlines are both under fire. George Stephanopoulos is having a lot of nook; Would you Rather

A bad day for a couple of airlines, including Sun Country. “Night Court” star Harry Anderson passes away. Why did John Cena engagement end? Guest is Jon Bream. Lots of Prince talk.

Sun Country is having a hard time accommodating travelers; Jason Hates Coachella; Alexis Went to Panda 3-D at the Imax

Snowmageddon has resulted in a number of upset MN's as well as our Hometown Airline to break up with all their paying customers...via Facebook? This Lorde/Lady Douchebag has been obsolved of their douchebaggery...at least this ONE time; and Throwback LIVE with Rocco!

We’re back after a little time off! This week the guys talk being fed up with April snow showers, rock gigs in hometowns, talk some Twins, review the NHL playoffs, Wolves, endorse the Lindsay Whalen as the new U of M women’s head basketball coach, Sun Country, and so much more!

My hometown airline Sun Country is mocking the model of the long defunct USA 3000 by replacing it's own ground workers with contractors. In better news, get some money back AND a bunch of points by staying at a Kimpton hotel and more. Plus we dig into alternate locations for Spring Break.

Toto Blanke, PPG, Electric Circus Midas Touch, Aqua Perambulator, Earth Shaker James Clarke, The Heavies, Mystery Movie Alan Parker, Time Barrier, Contemporary Contrasts Unit Eight, Dose of Salts, Glass Head Frank Chickens, Solid Life, Get Chickenized Sporty & The Laptop, Computer Age (Club Mix), Computer Age Philippe Krootchey, Whatazzy, Whatazzy Citi & Byte Sistem, Candy Dance (Instrumental), Candy Dance Steve Doesn't Drive, Woman And Car (Vocal), Woman And Car Duke of Burlington, Flash '83 (dub version), Flash '83 Claudia Robot, Scherbenlilli, Scherbenlilli / Alarmsignal Klaus Prünster, Wunderwelt, Wunderwelt / Teleflipper-Glücksspielritter Bill Nelson, Mex-Arcana, Chameleon Cybotron, Suite 16/9th Floor, Implosion Sandy Steele, Mind Your Own Business, Mind Your Own Business Oscar Rocchi's Orchestra, Black Out, Video Dance Joe Ontario, What's On Your Mind, What's On Your Mind Nexus, Stand Up (Instrumental), Stand Up Big Audio Dynamite, Badrock City, Badrock City Fashion Funktion, Sun Country, Sun Country Mighty Rock, Life Is A Struggle (Vocal), Life's A Struggle The Treacherous Three, Feel The Heartbeat (Vocal), Feel The Heartbeat Bonheur Du Jour, Radio Je T'Aime, Radio Je T'aime Rhonda Heath, Pac.Man, Pac-Man Joe Hisaishi, Thornfield Pavilion On Fire (ソーンフィールド館の炎上), Cinderella Labyrinth (シンデレラ迷宮) Family Factor, Summer Break, Summer Break Masterdon Committee, Gonna' Get You Hot, Gonna' Get You Hot Captain Mosez, Hey! Hey! Hey! (Extended vocal), Fly Cherry Fly / Hey! Hey! Hey! Chris Gilbey, Moonlight Lady, Moonlight Lady