Athletes, Entrepreneurship & Tequila

From family legacy to Chinola CEO

On this episode of Sippin' and Selling, Joey Chanel sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and Chinola CEO/Co-Founder Andrew Merinoff for an inside look at the realities of building brands in the beverage industry. Andrew shares the incredible story behind Chinola Fresh Fruit Liqueurs, from the original passion fruit recipe in a Poland Spring bottle to the launch of Mango and Pineapple, the challenges of product development, and the lessons learned from scaling a fast-growing brand. The conversation dives into family legacy, growing up in one of America's largest wine and spirits distribution families, launching ventures through Dispact Ventures, investing in brands like Long Drink, building Great Jones Distilling Co. in New York City, and what it really takes to create a brand with staying power. Topics include: * The origin story of Chinola * Building a fresh fruit liqueur category * Lessons from product failures and retail challenges * The future of the spirits industry * Celebrity-backed brands that actually work * Venture investing and entrepreneurship * Family business and generational success * Hospitality, relationships, and brand building * Exclusive details on Chinola's upcoming Guava release Whether you're a founder, beverage professional, entrepreneur, or simply a fan of great stories, this episode is packed with valuable insights and behind-the-scenes industry knowledge. #SippinAndSelling #JoeyChanel #AndrewMarinoff #Chinola #SpiritsIndustry #Entrepreneurship #BrandBuilding #Hospitality #LongDrink #GreatJonesDistilling #BusinessPodcast #StartupStories #FreshFruitLiqueur #WineAndSpirits #FounderJourney

From BodyAmor to Throne: Building a Beverage Empire

On this episode of Sippin and Selling, Joey Chanel sits down with Michael Fedele, founder of Throne Sport Coffee and one of the key executives behind the incredible growth of BodyArmor from a startup sports drink to a billion-dollar brand acquired by Coca-Cola. Michael shares his journey through Coca-Cola, Vitaminwater, and BodyArmor before launching Throne Sport Coffee—a functional coffee brand designed for athletes, entrepreneurs, and active lifestyles. He explains how conversations with professional athletes revealed a major gap in the ready-to-drink coffee category and how that insight became the foundation for Throne. The discussion covers entrepreneurship, innovation, beverage industry trends, retail expansion, and the partnerships helping fuel the brand's rapid growth. In this episode: • How BodyArmor grew from $1 million to over $1 billion in sales • Why Michael left BodyArmor to start Throne Sport Coffee • The future of functional coffee and ready-to-drink beverages • Patrick Mahomes' role as lead investor and partner • Anthony Rizzo's involvement in the brand • Landing major retailers like Whole Foods, Kroger, CVS, Casey's, QuickTrip, and Hy-Vee • Lessons in entrepreneurship, leadership, and scaling a business • Why consumer feedback is critical when building a brand Michael also shares his thoughts on where the beverage industry is headed, how to build the right team, and what entrepreneurs should know before launching their next big idea. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, beverage brands, sports marketing, coffee, retail growth, or building a successful business from the ground up, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Follow Throne Sport Coffee: Instagram: @sportcoffee Follow Sippin and Selling for more conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, innovators, and industry leaders.

What liquor stores really look for in a Brand

What does it take to build a liquor business that lasts for generations? In this special multi-generational episode of Sippin and Selling, Joey Chanel sits down with BevMax founders Martin and Mike Berkoff alongside industry veteran Joe Ballin for an honest conversation about the evolution of the alcohol business, family legacy, entrepreneurship, BevStack, THC beverages, non-alcoholic trends, and the future of retail liquor. From growing BevMax into a massive Connecticut retail chain to adapting through changing consumer habits, online alcohol sales, RTDs, cannabis beverages, and the rise of non-alc products, this episode dives deep into what it really takes to survive and thrive in the beverage industry. The conversation also explores: * The history of BevMax and BevStack * How liquor retail has changed since the 1960s * Why relationships still matter in business * The explosion of THC and non-alcoholic drinks * How brands get into major retail chains * COVID’s impact on alcohol sales * Family business lessons across generations * Entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and innovation * Behind-the-scenes stories from the liquor industry If you’re interested in spirits, wine, retail, entrepreneurship, family businesses, beverage trends, or alcohol distribution, this episode is packed with insights and stories from industry veterans who’ve seen it all. Subscribe for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, beverage executives, and industry leaders. #SippinAndSelling #BevMax #LiquorIndustry #Entrepreneurship #AlcoholBusiness #THCBeverages #NonAlcoholicDrinks #WineBusiness #RetailBusiness #FamilyBusiness #Whiskey #RTD #BeverageIndustry #Podcast #JoeyChanel

Sippin' Without the Spirits | How Megan Klein Built Little Saints

What happens when a former environmental lawyer decides to reinvent the non-alcoholic beverage space? In this episode of Sippin’ and Selling, Joey Chanel sits down with Megan Klein, founder and CEO of Little Saints, one of the fastest-growing functional non-alcoholic cocktail brands in the country. Megan shares her incredible journey from law school and environmental activism to building a breakout beverage company featured on Shark Tank. They dive into the rise of non-alcoholic cocktails, functional mushrooms, Dry January, wellness trends, retail expansion, and what it really takes to launch a disruptive brand in the beverage industry. Megan also opens up about turning down Shark Tank offers, building a direct-to-consumer powerhouse, landing major retail accounts like Sprouts and Whole Foods, and why the future of drinking is all about inclusion and balance. From Lion’s Mane and Reishi mushrooms to Mocktails, low ABV cocktails, entrepreneurship, branding, distribution, and the evolution of nightlife culture — this episode covers it all. Whether you’re sober curious, a beverage entrepreneur, or just love hearing founder stories, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. #SippinAndSelling #JoeyChanel #LittleSaints #NonAlcoholicCocktails #Mocktails #FunctionalMushrooms #SharkTank #Entrepreneurship #WellnessDrinks #DryJanuary

Vision to Vida

What was it really like building Vida Tequila before The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City — and how did Bravo change everything? On this episode of Sippin’ and Selling, Joey Chanel sits down with entrepreneur and RHOSLC fan favorite John Barlow for an honest conversation about business, family, tequila, adoption, and life behind reality television. John opens up about his journey from the tech industry to launching Vida Tequila with his wife Lisa Barlow, the challenges of building an ultra-premium tequila brand in Utah, and what viewers don’t always see behind the scenes of Bravo fame. In this episode: * The real story behind Vida Tequila * How Lisa Barlow created the Vida brand and bottle design * Building a tequila company before tequila became trendy * The challenges of selling alcohol in Utah’s control-state system * Behind-the-scenes stories from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City * How Bravo changed their business and family life * The truth about reality TV editing and public perception * Why John and Lisa work so well together as business partners * Fresh Wolf: the grooming brand built with their sons Jack and Henry * Giving back to foster care through entrepreneurship Plus: * John shares his emotional adoption story * Reconnecting with his biological family through DNA testing * Entrepreneurship lessons, branding strategy, and scaling a spirits company * The future of Vida Tequila, Cristalino, and Extra Añejo Whether you’re a Bravo fan, tequila lover, entrepreneur, or someone inspired by family-driven businesses, this episode is packed with incredible stories and real insight. Subscribe for more conversations on business, spirits, branding, entrepreneurship, and pop culture. #SippinAndSelling #RHOSLC #LisaBarlow #JohnBarlow #VidaTequila #BravoTV #RealHousewives #Tequila #Entrepreneurship #FreshWolf #RealityTV #BusinessPodcast #CelebrityInterview #PodcastJunkeez