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

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

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

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

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

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

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Host: Nate Fochtman, The FreeMind Group

Website: FMGStrategy.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

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

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

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

We cover:

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

How Lix’s encapsulation technology works

Why water solubility changes everything for manufacturers and consumers

Clean label formulation and production efficiency

The impact on CBD and THC beverage onset times

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

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

Check out LixIngredients.com

Listen on all podcast platforms.

Watch on ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com