Founder Feature: Brenna Turner and Joey Labes of Sake High!

In this episode of the Startup CPG podcast, Grace Kennedy speaks with Brenna Turner and Joey Labes, the co-founders of Sake High!, a premium sake brand brewed in Japan and designed for the modern U.S. consumer. From launching one of the first canned sakes in the U.S. to debuting innovative sake-based hard teas, Sake High! is on a mission to make sake more accessible, versatile, and relevant to a new generation of beverage drinkers.

Brenna and Joey share their journey of building an alcohol brand as a couple, navigating the complexities of international sourcing and U.S. distribution, and staying true to their values by continuing to partner with traditional Japanese breweries. They also dive into their grassroots marketing strategy, how they’re challenging sake norms, and why consumer education is key to their success.

Explore the future of sake — and the startup driving it forward. Listen now!

Listen in as they share about:

• The Origin of Sake High!
• Branding & Packaging Process
• Disrupting the Sake Category
• Bootstrapping Growth & Product innovation
• Challenges of Alcohol Distribution
• Running a Startup as a Couple
• Community & Collaboration

Episode Links:

Website: https://www.sakehigh.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenna-turner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelabes/ 

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 CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpgost
• Visit host Grace's Linkedin 
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [e-mail]

Episode music by Super Fantastics