511: Monica Cornitcher’s Journey From Personal Loss to Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Success
Side Hustle ProShow Notes
I sat down with Monica Cornitcher, CEO and co-founder of Medase Cocktails, a premium non-alcoholic beverage brand redefining what it means to drink without alcohol. What started as a simple desire for a real cocktail experience without the after-effects turned into a six-figure investment and a fast-growing brand that’s now catching the attention of major retailers.
Monica shares how she and her co-founder Inga Dyer went from Zoom conversations during the pandemic to building a fully developed beverage company. Instead of rushing the process, they leaned into research, worked with a food scientist, and built a five-year strategy before launching. Their focus was clear: create authentic, full-flavor cocktails that people actually recognize and crave.
In this episode, Monica opens up about the real cost of building a physical product, navigating grief after losing her co-founder, and the strategy behind growing through direct-to-consumer before entering retail. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, intentional growth, and building a brand rooted in purpose and community.
Main Takeaways Why taking time to validate your idea and build a strategy can save you costly mistakes How to approach launching a physical product without cutting corners on quality The importance of direct-to-consumer growth before entering retail How resilience, grief, and purpose shaped the future of Medase Cocktails
Highlights Include 00:00 – Introduction to Medase Cocktails 03:00 – Monica’s first business and corporate background 06:00 – The idea sparked during COVID and building with intention 08:00 – Why they worked with a food scientist instead of DIY 10:00 – Creating a 5-year business strategy before launch 13:00 – Identifying their target consumer and product positioning 21:00 – Funding the business with $100K+ of personal investment 26:00 – Attending Expo West and attracting investors 29:00 – Navigating grief after losing her co-founder 30:00 – Growth on Amazon and direct-to-consumer success 33:00 – Why retail is expensive and how to prepare for it 45:00 – Lessons from production mistakes and product quality control 47:00 – Competing in a growing non-alcoholic beverage market 50:00 – Lightning round insights and tools
Links Mentioned in This Episode Save the Date: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit Plan (Friday, May 15)
Watch & Listen Watch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustlepro
Announcements If you’re ready to build a podcast that becomes your exit plan from your 9-to-5, sign up for my next live class: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit Plan Save your seat here.
Social Media Instagram: @medasecocktails TikTok: @medasecocktails Facebook: Medase Cocktails
Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro SideHustlePro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Side Hustle Pro
I kept putting off this solo episode because I did not want to get camera-ready. So I took the camera out of the picture. This audio-only life update is about the changes that helped me feel like myself again, a year after sharing that I was burned out.
One of the biggest misconceptions I see when it comes to making money is the belief that you need to start from scratch. A new certification, a brand new idea, or a completely different skill set. But the truth is, most of us already have everything we need. The real problem is not a lack of knowledge, it is not knowing how to package and position what we already know.
This week in the guest chair, Symone’ Austin shares her powerful journey from being laid off to building a thriving YouTube platform.
In this episode, I sat down with Jannese Torres, host of the Yo Quiero Dinero podcast, to talk about how she went from a corporate career in engineering, pharmaceuticals, and consumer manufacturing to building a $500K-a-year media business. Jannese shares how getting laid off pushed her to take entrepreneurship seriously and how her food blog, Delish D'Lites, became her first profitable side hustle. We talk about how she used her blog income to pay off her student loans, why she launched Yo Quiero Dinero in 2019 to create the personal finance show she wanted to hear as a Latina, and how the podcast became the engine behind her book, speaking engagements, brand partnerships, and other income streams.
If this resonated with you, here are additional resources: ⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift