Most supplements don’t work the way people think they do.

In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, I sit down with Dan Margenau, founder of Lix Brands, to unpack one of the most overlooked problems in health, wellness, and functional beverages: bioavailability.

Dan built Lix to solve a simple but massive issue - our bodies can’t absorb most of what traditional supplements deliver. Through a patented encapsulation process, Lix transforms hard-to-absorb ingredients into water-soluble, highly bioavailable compounds that integrate cleanly into beverages, supplements, cosmetics, and hemp-derived products.

We cover:

What bioavailability actually means (and why most products waste nutrients)

How Lix’s encapsulation technology works

Why water solubility changes everything for manufacturers and consumers

Clean label formulation and production efficiency

The impact on CBD and THC beverage onset times

Dan’s journey from operations consulting to building a deep-tech ingredient company

This conversation is part science, part entrepreneurship, and part real-world manufacturing insight - for anyone building in supplements, functional beverages, hemp, or wellness.

Check out LixIngredients.com

Listen on all podcast platforms.

Watch on ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate Fochtman sits down with Gordon Whelpley, Co-Founder of Float House CAN-NA-BREWS, to break down what it actually takes to build a compliant, scalable THC-infused beverage that doesn’t fit neatly into existing categories.

CAN-NA-BREWS was designed to drink like beer without being classified as a malt beverage, creating a new lane inside the hemp beverage market that requires precise formulation, intentional process design, and a deep understanding of regulatory structure.

This conversation focuses on:

• how CAN-NA-BREWS avoids the malt beverage definition while maintaining flavor and structure
• the manufacturing and formulation challenges of non-alcoholic, cannabinoid-infused beverages
• why low-dose THC beverages align with alcohol-style regulation models
• the operational reality of building production infrastructure while co-packing for other brands
• why enforcement and smart regulation matter more than reactionary bans
• what category creation actually looks like when there’s no existing playbook

This episode is a clear, technical, and practical look at how hemp THC beverages are built, regulated, and scaled - without hype and without shortcuts.

Available now on: ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you podcast.

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

Opening a craft brewery in 2025 takes more than good beer - it takes clarity, discipline, and real strategy.

In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Nate Fochtman sits down with Kyle Underkoffler, co-founder of Berg Brewing Company in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to break down what it actually takes to build a brewery from scratch in today’s crowded beer market.

This conversation covers:

• How Berg Brewing transformed a historic building into a working brewery
• Why European beer styles, simplicity, and quality still matter
• The realities of running a small brewery and wearing every hat
• Building a business with family and maintaining trust
• Why founders need a clear vision before spending their first dollar
• How hospitality, leadership, and culture impact long-term success

This episode is built for craft brewers, beverage founders, and operators who want to understand the business behind the beer - not just the branding.

Subscribe to Ready To Drink for honest conversations with the people building the beverage industry from the inside.

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Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com