Shopify Happy Hour

What does it take to turn a tiny Ecuadorian snack company into a global brand sold in more than 30 countries? In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan sits down with Martin Acosta, founder and CEO of Kiwa, to break down how a $24,000 acquisition evolved into an internationally distributed CPG business built on sustainability, direct farmer relationships, and relentless product innovation. From...

Launching a supplement brand is hard enough but building one around clean ingredients, outdoor performance, and spiritual alignment instead of hype and artificial formulas? That’s a very different approach to wellness. In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan sits down with Zac Curhan, co-founder of Truwild, a natural supplement brand creating clean hydration, kombucha, and performance products...

Launching a food brand is never easy — but creating an entirely new category like frozen cottage cheese ice cream? That’s a different level of bold. In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan sits down with Joe Rotundo, founder of Smearcase, the first and only frozen cottage cheese dessert brand built for people who want indulgence and clean, protein-packed ingredients. From a late-night craving...

Launching a CPG brand is always a grind — but reinventing pork sausage with chef-crafted recipes, premium cuts, and a sixth-generation family farm story? That’s a whole new challenge. In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan sits down with Cassie Maschhoff , co-founder of Lottie’s Meats , the sister-run brand elevating pork with gourmet sausages and ground blends made from real ingredients, res...

Launching a consumer brand is never easy — but launching a brewery without alcohol? That’s a whole new challenge. In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , I sit down with Joe Chura , founder of Go Brewing , the non-alcoholic beer brand redefining how we think about social drinking. Joe shares his journey from idea to launch, the countless recipe iterations, and the marketing moves that helped Go Br...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour, Dan sits down with Francine Voit, co-founder of Pistakio, to talk about how she turned an underused nut into a standout brand — and made pistachios fun, accessible, and delicious for everyone. Fran shares the inside story of how Pistakio started as a college capstone project, went viral with creative sampling stunts (including a tiramisu purse that made it th...

How do you scale and optimize 45+ Shopify stores without losing your mind—or your margins? In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan Cassidy sits down with Dov Quint , Storefronts Lead at OpenStore , to explore the playbook he’s built for operating dozens of DTC brands at scale. You’ll hear: How OpenStore standardizes tech stacks without sacrificing performance Why A/B testing offers (and pricin...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , we sit down with Xeba Zareie —founder of Preme Foods , a wellness-driven CPG brand helping people with chronic illness and sensitive stomachs enjoy indulgent nutrition again. What started as a personal battle with gut health turned into a mission: create functional, prebiotic-powered products that don’t compromise on taste or ingredients. From handmaking pud...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan sits down with Ronnie Teja , founder of Branzio Watches , to unpack his inspiring journey from picking blueberries as a new immigrant to building a global watch brand with a scrappy $10K start. Ronnie shares real stories of entrepreneurship—burnout, supplier scams, PayPal bans, and team drama—and how he overcame it all by staying relentlessly curious, le...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , host Dan sits down with Nishal Kumar , founder and CEO of No Days Wasted , a science-backed recovery brand helping people enjoy life’s moments—without paying the price the next day. Over a glass of wine (or two), Nishal shares: How a mountain workout routine and social life led to the idea for No Days Wasted The surprising science behind hangovers—and why DH...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , we sit down with Kristin Charbo, co-founder and CEO of glonuts —a clean, craveable donut alternative with just 1g of sugar. Kristin shares the honest story of building glonuts from her one-bedroom apartment kitchen alongside her co-founder (and now husband) Grover, hand-making over 100,000 donuts before scaling to national retail shelves. We dive into how th...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour , Dan sits down with Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar , the best-friend duo behind Good Girl Snacks , creators of the now-famous Hot Girl Pickles . From launching in public on TikTok to landing Erewhon as a retail partner within a year, Leah and Yasaman share their journey of building a pickle brand that’s bold, crunchy, and anything but traditional. They dive...

This episode of Shopify Happy Hour features Vasa Martinez, the founder behind Perfy—a mood-boosting soda that’s not just quenching thirst but supercharging brainpower.  Vasa takes us on a ride through his personal journey launching a brand that focuses on blood sugar regulation and brain health, while serving up innovative flavors and disruptive marketing tactics. Get ready to discover:  ✅ The se...

This episode of Shopify Happy Hour features Justin Tidwell, the visionary behind Nowadays—a cannabis-infused spirit brand that's shaking up the beverage industry. Justin walks us through the evolution of his THC beverage brand, sharing candid insights on everything from product development hurdles to the art of organic marketing.  He explains how pivoting during the pandemic fueled rapid grow...

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour, Dan sits down with David Fudge, co-founder and CEO of Aplós, a brand redefining non-alcoholic spirits and cocktails. David shares the journey behind Aplós, from the art of mixology to crafting functional beverages that don’t compromise on flavor or experience. He dives into the growing demand for premium non-alcoholic options, why consumers are shifting habit...

Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, shares how he built a brain and body fuel brand from the ground up. This episode is packed with game-changing insights for founders and health-conscious hustlers! Will reveals: The "secret" growth hack that helped him generate his first $90K in sales—something you won’t find in any marketing book How he built an email list of 100K subscribers without...

Yash Chavan, founder and CEO of Saral , breaks down a smarter way to approach influencer marketing and why brands are shifting from paid media to earned media. This is a must-listen for e-commerce brands looking to scale influencer partnerships as he explores: The pyramid approach to influencer marketing and how it helps brands scale effectively Why seeding products to influencers is the best way...

Jennifer Commins, founder of Pluck Tea and certified tea sommelier, shares her journey launching and growing her premium, eco-friendly tea business.  This is a must-listen for tea lovers as she explores: the journey of tea from leaf to cup the health benefits of matcha, and why it's different than other tea one surprising truth about tea most people don't believe using restaurants as a p...

Kevin O'Leary and Will Patch, co-founders of Cape Cod'r craft cocktails, share their journey launching a beverage brand made for those who crave memories of care-free summers.  In this episode we dove into topics including: using crowdfunding to raise cash for marketing and create raving fans  why founders need to share their story over and over advice for anyone thinking about founding...

This episode of the Shopify Happy Hour features Drea Groeschel, founder of Better Than Booze, an award winning beverage brand that duplicates craft cocktail flavors for consumers seeking non-alcoholic options. Drea shared TONS of insights and lessons learned from launching and growing Better Than Booze including: why early-stage brands need to KISS how she got into her first hundred retailers the...

Aaron Nosbisch is founder of BRĒZ which creates microdosed cannabis & mushrooms in a can.  During this episode Aaron shared his journey launching one of the fastest growing DTC beverage brands. We dove into topics including: launch strategies using organic UGC amplified by paid ads why every brand should advertise on Meta navigating regulations in a new category DTC vs retail expansion new pro...

Episode 3 of the Shopify Happy Hour features Drew Sanocki, e-commerce veteran and CEO of PostPilot, the #1 direct mail app on Shopify.  During this episode Drew shared tips including:   - the most valuable direct mail campaign types  - why coupon codes aren't as important as you think  - how to "prove" performance through appropriate audience targeting   - Black Friday / Cyber Monda...

In today's episode we interview Greg Rollett, head of brand growth at Grommet and an Emmy® award winning producer and discuss: growth strategies for new Shopify brands and products an underrated content strategy all founder-led brands should use how to generate sales without paid advertising one type of asset brands should invest in coffee and nootropics and lots more! Products mentioned in t...

In today's episode we interview Paul Drecksler, founder of Shopifreaks, the internet’s #1 rated e-commerce newsletter and talk about: the biggest opportunities for Shopify businesses today, that didn’t exist a couple years ago most exciting Shopify apps  underrated marketing strategies most Shopify brands should be doing, but aren't? what the future of e-commerce looks like in 5 years ad...