511: Monica Cornitcher’s Journey From Personal Loss to Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Success

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: Spotify: YouTube: 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.

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511: Monica Cornitcher’s Journey From Personal Loss to Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Success is an episode from Side Hustle Pro: Women Entrepreneurs | Black Women Business Owners | Solopreneurs by Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media.

This episode is 43:42 long.

This episode was published on Apr 24, 2026.

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