Taste Radio

The story of how Eddie Simeon and his two best friends turned a hipster hobby into a multi-million dollar business is, dare we say, hella good. Simeon, along with Jomaree Pinkard and Tobin Ludwig are the founders of Hella Cocktail Co., a brand of premium crafted products designed to democratize and elevate cocktail culture. Launched in 2011, Hella Cocktail Co. markets botanically-inspired bitters and mixers along with ready-to-drink sparkling apéritifs admired for their flavor and versatility. The products are currently sold in over 20,000 stores, bars, hotels, and restaurants. Over the past 12 years, the co-founders have pursued a thoughtful, and occasionally unorthodox, growth strategy that has prioritized strong unit economics and profitability. Eddie describes the approach as one in which the company has been “willing to be more patient to be less wrong.” Last year, Uncle Nearest Ventures – the investment arm of Uncle Nearest Whiskey focused on funding minority-founded, owned and led spirit companies – ac