How Quincy Is Reinventing the Dirty Martini, One Perfect Jar at a Time

Host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Halli Sigel, co-founder of Quincy, to talk about how a jar of olive brine turned into a category-defining mixers and garnishes brand. Quincy's mission is simple - build brand love for the other half of the glass by redefining mixers and garnishes for the modern consumer.Before Quincy, Halli spent nearly a decade inside high-growth, venture-backed startups like Casper and Chief, working at the intersection of operations and member experience - she was employee number seven at Chief. That mix of scaling businesses and building community stuck with her, and it planted the seed for what would eventually become Quincy. The idea itself came from her own fridge - after making a batch of dirty martinis for friends, she realized the brine ran out long before the olives did, and no one was making a jar built specifically for people who actually drink martinis.The conversation covers Quincy's origin story and the "why" behind the name, how the brand built three distinct revenue channels across retail, on-premise, and food service, what actually goes into a jar of Quincy, and how the brand has positioned itself to grow alongside both the alcohol and non-alcoholic markets. Halli also shares what's next for Quincy's single-SKU strategy and what she learned from her first Summer Fancy Food Show as an exhibiting brand.Listen in as they discuss:Why Quincy chose Spanish queen olives over the trendy CastelvetranoThe real story behind the name Quincy - and the actual person it's named afterHow a "beertini" collab with a Brooklyn brewery became Quincy's first co-branded productBuilding three separate revenue channels: retail, food service, and on-premise bar accountsWhy Quincy views the sober-curious and NA movement as a tailwind, not a threatWhat's actually inside a Quincy jar - the ratio of brine to olives, and why it's flipped from a typical olive jarHow buyer feedback at larger retailers is shaping Quincy's expansion plansLessons from exhibiting at Summer Fancy Food for the first timeHow Halli and co-founder Shelby Sims reconnected in 2023 after a false start in 2020Halli's go-to at-home recipe, featuring a dill-infused ginEpisode Links:Halli Sigel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halli-sigel-1b436395/Quincy Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkquincy/ Website: https://drinkquincy.com/ Instagram: @drinkquincy  Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.Show Links:Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here(click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)Join the Startup CPGSlack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Caitlin's LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] music by Super Fantastics