Food Startups Podcast: Episode 166 – How passion + strategic execution made this cocktail vinegars brand a hit – Don Morton of Shrub District
Hema Reddy, Food Startups Podcast
Shrub District Founder Don Morton talks with Hema Reddy of the Food Startups Podcast about his journey to launch Shrub District. Listen to the full episode to hear about Don’s approach to the modern bar, what Shrub District plans for the coming year, and the challenges ahead for building a modern beverage business.
Excerpt: “We’re all so busy, how do we bank time a little bit? How do we do some prep work that can get us ahead so that when folks knock on your door and say, ‘Hey! We’re here for dinner!’ you’re not rushing around and doing all this catch-up. Instead you’re prepared, you’re ready, you’ve got it all set.
That’s sort of how we approach the mixer space, which is we’re putting time in a bottle for you. So that you can make a batch of Old Fashioneds for a group of folks who drop by for dinner impromptu and you don’t have to be stressed about it. And we can elevate our beverage game instead of just offering a cold beer… Which is… I love a cold beer, but sometimes we want a cocktail and cocktails should be as approachable and easy, yet high quality as the beers and wines we drink.”
With a keen focus on quality and sometimes, seasonal ingredients, Don is determined to provide an exceptional experience while making it convenient for consumers to make a cocktail.
Some key takeaways from the interview:
- test the product after you have nailed down the formulation with real customers
- make sure that you have variety for folks otherwise you will leave money on the table
- finding partners that meet distribution challenges
- innovating in a category that’s quite hot while not over extending on capacity and production
Listen to the full interview at Food Startups Podcast or subscribe on iTunes.