On today’s show I sat down with Dan Fahrner, co-founder and CEO of Indiana's Shake Up Cocktails.

Dan delves into the origins of its signature lemon shake up canned cocktail, which debuted at the 2022 Indiana State Fair and exceeded expectations by selling out within weeks.

Our discussion covers the brand’s rapid growth, rebranding from High and Mighty Distillery, and expanding into Midwestern markets like Illinois and Wisconsin.

With insights on working with university partners like Ball State and Butler University, Dan shares the ups and downs of building a startup in the competitive beverage industry.

You are going to learn about:

• How Shake Up Started and Quickly Became a Hot Commodity

• Shake Up’s Rebrand from High and Mighty Distillery

• The Highs and Lows of Startups in the Beverage Industry

Thank you to our partners:
NCW
Cowpokes

Check out these great clips from the show:
01:15 Guest Introduction: Dan Fahrner, Shake Up
02:00 The Lemon Costume Story
02:37 Building the Brand: Shake Up Cocktails
04:10 From Concept to Reality
06:22 Challenges and Early Successes
09:03 Navigating the Alcohol Industry
10:29 The Role of Moonshine University
11:57 Partnership with Indiana State Fairgrounds
15:27 Overcoming Financial Hurdles
16:50 The Lemon Shake Up Takes Off
20:05 Scaling Up and Distribution
23:47 Grassroots Marketing and Events
28:32 Grassroots Growth and Legal Constraints
28:57 Crowdsourcing New Flavors
29:46 Expanding Beyond Indiana
32:21 Rebranding Challenges
35:52 University Partnerships
40:37 New Product Launches
42:56 Indiana Pride and Local Partnerships