EPISODE · Feb 25, 2026 · 46 MIN
Bitters, Ghost Towns, & Botanical Sodas w/ Shae Whitney of Dram
from CRAFTED
How do you grow a national beverage brand without investors, trend-chasing, or artificial ingredients? Dram began as an all natural cocktail bitters producer, and (unintentionally) went on to become the leader in the ‘functional beverage’ space.Today, Eli talks with Dram founder, Shae Whitney, about Dram’s unlikely origin story; what led her to start making bitters with real botanicals; building a business in a Colorado ghost town; the strange history of their original production space; and how Dram navigated the rise of functional beverages without chasing trends.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:What is Dram (2:16)First Flavor Profiles (5:05)Crafting Bitters (7:06)Production in Silver Plume (10:56)Moving to Salida (27:20)Botanical Seltzers (33:20)Most Popular Expressions (37:15)N/A Bitters (38:48)The Functional Beverage Category (39:48)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastBLISTER NEWSLETTER:Get It & Our Weekly Gear Giveaways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
How do you grow a national beverage brand without investors, trend-chasing, or artificial ingredients? Dram began as an all natural cocktail bitters producer, and (unintentionally) went on to become the leader in the ‘functional beverage’ space.Today, Eli talks with Dram founder, Shae Whitney, about Dram’s unlikely origin story; what led her to start making bitters with real botanicals; building a business in a Colorado ghost town; the strange history of their original production space; and how Dram navigated the rise of functional beverages without chasing trends.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:What is Dram (2:16)First Flavor Profiles (5:05)Crafting Bitters (7:06)Production in Silver Plume (10:56)Moving to Salida (27:20)Botanical Seltzers (33:20)Most Popular Expressions (37:15)N/A Bitters (38:48)The Functional Beverage Category (39:48)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastBLISTER NEWSLETTER:Get It & Our Weekly Gear Giveaways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Bitters, Ghost Towns, & Botanical Sodas w/ Shae Whitney of Dram
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