Building a Caribbean-Inspired Non Alcoholic Beverage Brand | Karl Franz Williams with Jeff “Fuzzy” Wenzel.
In this episode of Invst Guru, host Jeff “fuzzy” Wenzel sits down with Karl Franz Williams, founder and CEO of Uncle Waithley’s Beverage Company, to talk about building a beverage brand rooted in Caribbean heritage, hospitality expertise, and modern consumer trends.
Karl shares how his background in mixology, restaurant ownership, and beverage brand management led him to create a non alcoholic ginger beer infused with Caribbean flavors like scotch bonnet pepper, sorrel, smoked pineapple, and thyme. What started as a house-made drink in his rum bar turned into a nationally distributed brand now carried in over 200 Whole Foods locations across the East Coast.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
🥤 Why the adult non alcoholic beverage category is exploding?
🌶️ How Caribbean flavors bring authenticity and differentiation to crowded shelves?
🍹 Why does mixology level craft matter even without alcohol?
🏪 How Uncle Waithley’s scaled from one Whole Foods store to over 225 locations?
📦 Distribution strategy across e-commerce, restaurants, and retail.
📈 The importance of product velocity, reorders, and consumer love.
💰 How beverage brands think about fundraising, manufacturing costs, and growth capital?
🌍 Why does this brand have global potential beyond the US market?
Karl also breaks down the realities of scaling a beverage company, including manufacturing minimums, distributor challenges, retail shelf competition, and why trial and tasting are critical to long term success.
This episode is perfect for:
✔️ Beverage founders
✔️ Consumer brand operators
✔️ Retail and food industry professionals
✔️ Investors exploring CPG and beverage brands
✔️ Anyone interested in non alcoholic and functional drink trends
🔗 Learn More About Uncle Waithley’s Beverage Company
Visit https://unclewaithleys.com to explore the full product lineup, brand story, and where to find the beverages in stores and online.
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🎙️ About Invst Guru
Invst Guru, hosted by Jeff “fuzzy” Wenzel, features in-depth conversations with founders building real companies across consumer brands, healthcare, biotech, and emerging industries.
“Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation to invest. Invst Guru and its affiliates are not broker-dealers or investment advisers and do not make recommendations regarding any securities.
If any company mentioned is conducting a Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) raise, all investments must occur through an SEC-registered intermediary platform such as DealMaker Securities, StartEngine, Republic, or Wefunder. No investment terms or returns are discussed here.
Investing in private and early-stage companies involves significant risk, including loss of capital and illiquidity. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Always conduct your own due diligence and consult a licensed financial advisor before investing.
All opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not represent endorsements or partnerships by Invst Guru.”