We love hearing from folks with Kenosha ties that are elsewhere doing well, tell us about your Kenosha backround?
My family moved to Kenosha from North Dakota when I was 5 years old and my father got a job as a science teacher at Bradford High School. I attended McKinley Elementary, McKinley Jr High, Bradford High School, and University of Wisconsin-Parkside. My first job was at a Kohl’s Food Store on 22nd Ave and Washington Rd (now a CVS store) where I worked full-time for all 3 years of high school and 4 years of college.
You have two new lines of adult beverages, how has it been making strides in the adult beverage market?
It is a very competitive marketplace but the recent consumer switch to more authentic craft type brands of spirit products with natural ingredients has played in our favor.
Even your new drinks have Wisconsin ties as ingredients, the best helps create the best, right?
I have lived in 9 states, going on 10 with a move to Florida this winter but I will always try to source Wisconsin ingredients whenever possible, particularly in the dairy area where Wisconsin dairy products resonate quality throughout the country.
Do you feel the designer coffee explosion has helped the popularity of drinks like your new Cafe Rumba?
Yes, there are several generations of premium quality coffee consumers now and we source our Kona coffee from Hawaii and that makes a difference to discerning consumers.
Does it surprise you how fast your two new lines of spirits has taken off and found early success?
It actually has, we didn’t think we would have 15 states in our first 6 months of distribution but people seem to love the taste of Café Rumba.
What challenges have you found most difficult?
Getting distribution with the large liquor distributors is the toughest part, they don’t like to necessarily build new brands and they have a great deal of pressure on them from the big guys, meaning the big spirit brands.
Give us your best holiday memories of Kenosha, WI?
I would say the blizzard of ’78 (dating myself here) and walking around the north side of Kenosha shoveling cars out for money
Will there be a third line of products any time soon or is two enough to deal with for now?
Yes we are working on a Chai Team product as well as a rtd can version of Café Rumba called Café Rumba Bold to go along with Café Rumba bottled product. We are excited Ginger Scorned Bourbon Cream which launches next week in Wisconsin only.
For more information please check out Beach House Beverages
