The Startup CPG Podcast


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 Castelvetrano
  • The real story behind the name Quincy - and the actual person it's named after
  • How a "beertini" collab with a Brooklyn brewery became Quincy's first co-branded product
  • Building three separate revenue channels: retail, food service, and on-premise bar accounts
  • Why Quincy views the sober-curious and NA movement as a tailwind, not a threat
  • What's actually inside a Quincy jar - the ratio of brine to olives, and why it's flipped from a typical olive jar
  • How buyer feedback at larger retailers is shaping Quincy's expansion plans
  • Lessons from exhibiting at Summer Fancy Food for the first time
  • How Halli and co-founder Shelby Sims reconnected in 2023 after a false start in 2020
  • Halli's go-to at-home recipe, featuring a dill-infused gin



Episode Links:


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 @startupcpg
  • Visit host Caitlin's LinkedIn
  • Questions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com
  • Episode music by Super Fantastics

Creators and Guests

Host
Caitlin Bricker
Managing Editor @ Startup CPG

What is The Startup CPG Podcast?

The top CPG podcast in the world, highlighting stories from founders, buyer spotlights, highly practical industry insights - all to give you a better chance at success.

Halli Sigel
We use Spanish Queen olives, pitted. I believe that they and like from our interviews with bartenders, they are like the juiciest, the most flavorful. I know castable tonos have kind of like picked up in popularity, but I feel like the true martini olive really is this like big, juicy, paired perfectly with like your spirit of choice. So that's what went with. You know, we've done some Cobra branded products with other brands as well at different olive varietals, but for now I think ours is superior.

00:39
Caitlin Bricker
Hey everybody, this is Caitlin Bricker, Managing Editor at Startup CPG. We are back with another founder feature. Today I'm sitting down with Halli Sigel, co founder of Quincy, a 2025 Shelfie Award winner and a premium mixer and garnish brand for martinis and mocktails made with olives and a specially crafted brine. Halli spent 10 years at high growth startups like Casper and Chief before realizing she was the Barten, her friend group. She was making 20 dirty martinis at parties and watching olive jars dry up in her fridge. She and co founder Shelby reconnected in 2023 after the world shut down and they haven't looked back.

01:16
Caitlin Bricker
We're diving into her three distinct revenue channels from specialty retail to on premise bars and restaurants with east coast and west coast distribution, and why positioning as alcohol free was the smartest move for capturing the NA market without ever having to reformulate. And her community driven approach to hosting and entertaining that go way beyond the product. We hear from founders on this podcast every week. If you're a brand and want to get new opportunities right in your inbox, text CPG to 833-605-7002. That's 833-605-7002 and we'll get you hooked up. As always, enjoy. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Startup CPG podcast. This is Caitlin and today I'm here with Halli Sigel, co founder of Quincy. Welcome to the show.

02:08
Halli Sigel
Hello. So excited to be here.

02:10
Caitlin Bricker
Always great to welcome a new guest. And I just saw you a few weeks ago at Summer Fancy Food. So I'm excited to hear how that went for you and what your experience was like. Before we dive into that, can you tell everybody what Quincy is?

02:24
Halli Sigel
Yeah. So we say we're building brand love for the other half of the glass by redefining mixers and garnishes for the modern consumer.

02:31
Caitlin Bricker
I love it. And for anybody who's listening and isn't familiar yet, Quincy was a 2025 Shelfie Award winner. It was my first introduction to Quincy. There we go.

02:43
Halli Sigel
I should have told you somewhere you.

02:45
Caitlin Bricker
Well, you just moved so we'll let it slide. We can get it front and center again.

02:50
Halli Sigel
Yes, thanks.

02:52
Caitlin Bricker
You did have it out and about. When were at Summer Fancy Food, it was great to see past winners with their awards out on the table. You were one of them. What did it feel like to win an award for your brand?

03:04
Halli Sigel
You know what, I was, I actually remember this cause I was on the subway like I had a meeting and I was listening to like the results and I was like, there's no way, like we're going to win. I was like, oh my gosh. And I remember as were going under the tunnel from Brooklyn to Manhattan, you're like, and now we're going to do mixers and garnishes. And I remember it like clocked out. Like I wouldn't hear you guys announce it and like a bunch of my friends and CPG text me, Yay, congrats. Yay. And I was like, wow. So it felt really good just to kind of be recognized for, you know, the work that we put into building.

03:34
Caitlin Bricker
A brand once we got Quincy in our hands. Full transparency. I'm just about two years sober. I have never had a martini in my life. I've eaten the stuffed olives before but when we got this product, I just could not get over the branding, the presentation. It was like before I even tasted it. It was a clear winner for me personally and I just, I gotta peel back all the layers for what you have going on in this jar because there's just so many good things going on. So I don't know too much about your background. Can you share what you were doing before Quincy and what led up to Quincy?

04:13
Halli Sigel
Yeah. So I spent the first 10ish years of my career working at high growth venture backed startups like Casper and then Chief. Always at the intersection of like operations and experience. So definitely more like customer service member operations. I was actually employee number seven at Chief and that's kind of where I really feel like I grew in my career. So yeah, I have like a true love of like just the experience that people have with brands as a consumer. But then also like how do you set up a business to be like scalable, like scale it, profitability, like all those things. So for me kind of being an entrepreneur is like the perfect combination of those two things.

04:50
Caitlin Bricker
And especially being at the bottom floor of a company that's grown to be so large and so well known, you see a Lot. And I'm sure you see a lot that many people don't see on the outside. You're feeling things, seeing things, hearing things, and then you see what the public sees. So that's a pretty cool way to take some info and knowledge and insider information and apply it to your own brand.

05:13
Halli Sigel
Exactly. And I will say Casper definitely has an alumni of, like, very impressive CPG founders, like, founder of Graza and Rocco, Fridge and Nell Atelier. So, like, there's definitely, like, a lot of interesting people came from that time. And I feel like that's just the type of person that worked at CASP and similarly, like, chief, just, like, go getter. Entrepreneurial spirit, all of that. So just being surrounded is amazing.

05:37
Caitlin Bricker
And you're one of them.

05:38
Halli Sigel
Yes. I can only hope.

05:40
Caitlin Bricker
Okay, so before I ask, why Quincy? Why the name Quincy?

05:46
Halli Sigel
Yeah. So my co founder and I one time were in Palm Springs and went to a bar and the bartender's name is Quincy. So we just kind of, like, remember their personality a lot. And when we sat down to think of a name, drinking, not drinking, like, making a cocktail mocktail. So personal. Like, you ask someone how they make something and, like, they, like, take pride in the fact that, like, what they do is, like, a little different than what everyone else does. And so we wanted to come up with a name that, like, almost could, like, develop its own personality to the consumer versus it being like, okay, well, you know, we're something, like, extra dirty or whatever. We knew we wanted to expand our product line well beyond the martini, but two, we wanted to be. This is a personal experience.

06:26
Halli Sigel
So I don't know, it just felt like a fun, whimsical name. And that personality just stuck with us. So that's how we got there.

06:31
Caitlin Bricker
I love that. That is so cool. Have you ever been able to get Quincy into Quincy's hands?

06:37
Halli Sigel
No. Like, it was like. I feel like one of those. Like, it was like a fever dream. Like, were like, as in Palm Springs for a conference. It was like a whole thing. I feel like it was like a mirage. He was there, then he wasn't. I don't know.

06:49
Caitlin Bricker
Did you ever try to reach out and get it into his hands?

06:52
Halli Sigel
We need to. I feel like I haven't yet, so let's make it happen.

06:55
Caitlin Bricker
I mean, you can be like, hey, remember us? And also, we're shouting you out on a podcast and we have this gorgeous new product named after you.

07:06
Halli Sigel
Yes, exactly. I love it.

07:08
Caitlin Bricker
And why Quincy? The product?

07:12
Halli Sigel
Yes. So along with being an operator, I like, love to host. I am very passionate about, like, bringing my friends and family together over a great meal. And definitely I'm like, known as the bartender of my group of friends. And one night I made, I think, like 20 dirty martinis and the next day opened up my fridge. And if you're familiar with how to make a dirty martini, or for those who don't know you use the brine that the olives are cured in, and then cut that with like the vodka, gin, n a botanics as well, you can definitely, like, make a mocktail. And jars typically have just enough brine to like, keep the olives fresh or, you know, preserved. Never enough to actually make the martini. And also something we learned is that olives are typically just preserved in salt water.

07:55
Halli Sigel
No like, flavor or anything like that. The olive itself kind of like lends the flavor as it kind of like sits in the jar. And so opened my fridge, saw all these dried up olive jars because I used up all the brine and I didn't need the garnish. And there's only so many dishes with olives that you can make. And I thought to myself, why doesn't somebody make a jar that's really geared towards someone who's making the dirty martini? So more brine. Brine that tastes good, that like, bartenders would want to use. And then just enough garnish, just enough olives in there that you can top off your martini. And that's kind of how Quincy. And it's like, again, like, it's like infancy, like, it's like earliest stages. It was like, we're going to start with this one product, and that's what we did.

08:33
Caitlin Bricker
And I have tried it very simply with a little bit of Quincy, some tonic and like tonic water and some lemon. I think it's like nice and bright, a little savory, a little tart. It's like, very good. I think it's a great product.

08:48
Halli Sigel
Thank you. Yeah, I mean, get electrolytes in. And I love that too. Even like an afternoon pick me up, like, it's great with like a lemon seltzer or things like that. I feel like we live in an age where people are like social coffees. I'm sure you see this a lot with like, different, like syrups or cold foams or things that people really take care in the craft that they make their beverages. And I just haven't quite seen that yet with like some of these other, like, mixers and garnishes. But that's where I see is like a huge Opportunity is like everyone's kind of doing it and now we're like creating products for people to do it.

09:18
Caitlin Bricker
Totally. I have no familiarity with how olives are chosen for martinis. Is it just cut and dry? Oh, okay. I didn't mean to say that.

09:29
Halli Sigel
No, I love it. That is like actually probably a very controversial question in like the bartending sphere. And I think there's like bartenders like royalty in New York and they all have different like bartending families and they'll have different like opinions on what is right. We use Spanish Queen olives, pitted. I believe that they and like from our interviews with bartenders, they are like the juiciest, the most flavorful. I know Cassable Toronto's have kind of like picked up in popularity, but I feel like the true martini olive really is this like big, juicy, paired perfectly with like your spirit of choice. So that's what went with. I think, you know, we've done some co branded products with other brands as well at different olive varietals, but for now I think ours is superior.

10:12
Caitlin Bricker
Talk to me about the co brands because I'm always interested to see where brands end up when it comes to co branding and collaborations.

10:19
Halli Sigel
Yeah, so we did co branded 2co branded products with Big Night. It's a store in New York that has three locations. We did Cocktail Onions and Castle Toronto olives and they're still on the shelf, so definitely suggest purchasing them. They're amazing. And then in December, actually one of the founders of Taleo, which is like a female brewery in New York and they have distribution on the east coast as well, tried our brine and were kind of pitching the idea of like a beer Teeny like for their menu and she's like, what if we actually like bottled and put it in kegs and served it on tap at our breweries.

10:53
Halli Sigel
And so December of last year and then hopefully again this year, we had like a Quincy beer, Teeny, which was like a pilsner with some brine and then it was on tap and available in bottles. So it was really fun to kind of see both Quincy come to life in terms of like other mixers and garnishes. I was like kind of our first foray, but then also in other beverages because like that's the whole point.

11:11
Caitlin Bricker
Very cool. And I love that you're getting feedback from bartenders too because ultimately you want to reach people at home who are crafting cocktails at home, but you also want to reach the bartending audience who's going to be reaching for this on the job. So can you tell me about your strategy for dtc, if you have it, and retail and restaurant businesses?

11:32
Halli Sigel
Yeah. So we have three distinct revenue channels. I'll kind of like give you a history briefly of each. So started with retail in our jars, our 16 ounce glass jars, as you can see here very much. I'm in New York, Brooklyn based. So went to like all of my local stores and sold it to them. And just to learn a bit more, like who's buying it, where should it be, merchandise with the olives, with the mixers, what's the right like price point? Really getting that data that I feel like is really important as you want to scale to those like larger retailers. We honestly spent like a year and a half kind of just like focused on these like six specialty stores.

12:05
Halli Sigel
And with that, a few bartenders tried our product obviously because they were like on the shelf and they went to a party and they tried it and we started hearing back from people that wanted to bring it behind the bar. For on premise. These will not work. They serve 14 to like 15 martinis. Their glass that like nice labels. So we worked with like about 10 bartenders on like, what is the right format? Is it a 750? Is it a gallon? Like what are you looking for? Because they still had the same. A lot of bars have the same problem as a consumer. Like they'd order these olives, they'd have to like make their brine or just like not super easy, but it's such a popular cocktail. They'd end up wasting like so much time, effort and money trying to get this made.

12:42
Halli Sigel
And so when they tried our product, like, wow, this like tastes like the brine that we spent hours making and it's like the perfect proportion. So use that to develop our on premise. I was actually like and still do deliver to bars and restaurants in New York. But now we have distribution for the east coast and we just launched distribution on the west coast for bars and restaurants. Food service is very different than retail, but it's actually been really nice because we've gotten some menu placement or if they have the dirty martini on the menu, they'll list like Quincy brine and olives because like, ultimately that's what we're trying to do is like the same way that I order like a kettle on the rocks or kettle dirty martini or you know, Casamigos margarita.

13:19
Halli Sigel
We want people to start actually having that brand affinity towards like the mixer and garnish that goes in similar, I think, you know, Fever Tree I think is done a good job with that. But go to a restaurant, say, oh, wow, they surf Quincy. We know this is m high quality experience.

13:31
Caitlin Bricker
Yes. And I think that comes through just with the branding alone before you even try the product. I mean, I said this before. For me, it was a clear winner because it was just so gorgeous. But then you get to try the product and you think, all right, this is it.

13:45
Halli Sigel
We worked hard on the recipe. We worked. You think like, oh, recipe brine. And again, it's not super complicated, but there is some level of, like, nuance of like, how much brine you're taking from the barrels. Because olives are picked unripe and then they ripen in these, like, big barrels like wine. And so we kind of have a ratio of like, how much of that brine that we use, just normal salt water, how often are we filtering it. The olives that we have, we don't use any additives or colors. So like, I remember one time were actually at a food chunk. Someone's like, oh, like, there's a little bruise on this. We actually like kind of like that. Because you would actually be shocked. Go look in your olive aisle and like, see what's in some of these olives.

14:18
Halli Sigel
Like the colors, hardening agents, things like that.

14:21
Caitlin Bricker
If they're basically being embalmed.

14:23
Halli Sigel
Yes, exactly. It's like, get that perfect olive and like, there's something nice about that imperfection if it tastes good.

14:29
Caitlin Bricker
So what exactly is in a jar of Quincy when somebody goes and purchases it?

14:34
Halli Sigel
Yeah, so we have about 10 to 11 ounces of the brine. Again, like that combo of like the mother brine. That's what it's called in salt water. And then about like 20, 22 ish up pitted Spanish queen olives. So again, like, if you're putting one or two, it kind of nets out. Again, like I said, everyone has a preference on how they make their dirty martini. A jar will typically make anywhere from like 14 to 20, depending on how dirty you like and how many olives you want to garnish with it. But that ratio is definitely flipped from a normal olive jar.

15:02
Caitlin Bricker
I am very curious. Have you felt the heat at all? With more people moving away from drinking alcohol and having more non alcoholic lifestyles, has that impacted your brand at all? And if it has, how have you pivoted?

15:17
Halli Sigel
I love that. So I think for us there's a few things here. One I view almost as like a tailwind versus a headwind. First, like all of the na that you see in the market is some level of. It's mimicking, like, alcoholic beverages in some capacity. It's like, here's like a phony Negroni or here's like a fake gin or things like that, or here's like an aperitif. It tastes familiar, so we feel like it's really good if we can, like, win. First off, it's still like a trillion dollar category. So if we can really establish ourselves and like, we are the experts in martinis. We don't put any alcohol in our product. We advertise that you can mix it with, like, non alk alternatives on our label on our website.

15:55
Halli Sigel
And so we think that if we, again, like, can really establish ourselves as like, the premier cocktail mocktail, those who are, like, not drinking or drinking less will kind of say, oh, okay, like, I do want to try, like, a salty or savory alternative. And, like, we fall nicely into that category. So I kind of view it as, like, it expands our market, if anything, even with ready to drinks. If you go to any rtd, like, website, they have like, a recipe book. So, like, even RTDs are starting to say, like, okay, like, mix it with this or try it with this or. So we're just like a compliment to all these categories. I really think it's. It opens more doors.

16:28
Caitlin Bricker
I completely agree with you. I just needed to hear it straight from you.

16:32
Halli Sigel
I've never had a conversation with somebody who's not like, oh, like, drinking glass. And I'm like, yeah, definitely. Like, their bars, restaurants, even, like the summertime. Like, we've noticed, like, a dip in just like our bar sales. But I just think people care more now about what they're putting in their body. So if they're gonna have one cocktail, it's gonna be like, high quality and premium, so.

16:49
Caitlin Bricker
Mm, totally. All right, so let's shift gears. I want to hear about your experience at summer fancy food, because that was the first time I saw you in action at a trade show. Was that your first time being in a trade show environment?

17:03
Halli Sigel
So first time at a trade show table. We have done distributor shows this past year, which are very different. Definitely more of, like, a purchasing mentality when you go to those versus, like, kind of brand exposure. The startup CPG section was amazing. I think it was, like, the best place for us to be as an emerging brand one because, like, the foot traffic, like, it is a place to be. Like, I think we saw every buyer that we wanted to see came through, and I, you know, talked to some people who are maybe in a different section and like, oh, I didn't see that person. But then also just like the brands that we were next to you all, which was lovely one side also because all the buyers happened to be there too, so we got to chat.

17:39
Halli Sigel
But were on the other side of Caddo, which is like cottage cheese dip. And it was just so fun to like, chat with other founders and like, learn their experience and watch them pitch and like, what they're saying, the feedback they get. So overall it was like a very positive experience.

17:53
Caitlin Bricker
I'm so happy to hear that. And you did have prime placement. You were like front row seat to everything every buyer meeting. I'm sure you probably were hearing some good feedback for other brands throughout the time too.

18:06
Halli Sigel
It was great. And then like, everyone would like, look over what we're doing and then they'd almost like use our olives as like a palate cleanser. Between they'd go from like ice cream to or whatever. And we'd be like, you want an olive? And they're like, yeah, okay.

18:17
Caitlin Bricker
So I feel like a Cado Quincy collab would be so good.

18:23
Halli Sigel
I know were like dipping the olives in that. I mean, I'm all for stuffing. We've stuffed with caviar, different cheeses, like all the fun stuff. Like, we'll never do a stuffed olive, I will say, because it kind of goes against our ethos of like premium high quality, like, but I mean, not better for you. I don't think we'll ever make those claims. It's a drink. But yeah, I think a lot of those, like, if you're buying blue cheese stuffed olives, they're good, I like, but I just prefer to stuff them myself. It's actually not real cheese.

18:48
Caitlin Bricker
So I have to say too, before this thought leaves my brain, because it happens sometimes I think what you have done by positioning yourself as a product that does not contain alcohol so that you can span the market for NA and alcohol is so cool because there are other brands that have positioned themselves the same way. We'll use bitters as an example where it's alcohol free bitters because some people don't want alcohol at all. And you've done the same thing where now you, in my opinion, are five, 10 years ahead of the game, won't have to think about reformulating. Whereas other brands that might be coming in working on these products that do have trace amounts of alcohol, they are going to have to reformulate to work with the market and where it's trending.

19:32
Halli Sigel
Yeah. A hundred percent like there's a lot of traces, vermouth and martini mixes and then there's also like cherries, things like that have like trace alcohol. So definitely not something we want to like put in our products.

19:45
Caitlin Bricker
Props to you for that.

19:46
Halli Sigel
Thank you.

19:47
Caitlin Bricker
What do you see on the horizon for Quincy? Do you see yourself expanding your product line or are you strong with that single sku?

19:56
Halli Sigel
So it's so interesting. We've gotten so much mixed feedback on like how fast we should be expanding and now that we're in like larger grocery and liquor stores, the buyers are definitely keen for us to like take up more shelf space and I think that makes sense. Like if you're going to look at a brand and you see like five of one varietal, like you'll probably like be more drawn to it. But we really wanted to like focus and win on the martini. But we also don't want to be known as like an olive company and like the brine only. And so we are coming out with two different formats of our martini. One is I wish I could share more but like I'm scared.

20:30
Caitlin Bricker
Please do not share it. Protect your baby.

20:34
Halli Sigel
It should have come out in September though, so people will be able to see. And then we do have like a co branded, a different co branded product this time with a person coming out. And then finally we have, we're like in early conversation with scientists over two completely net new mixers. Again our ethos is high quality and premium, easy to use cocktails and mocktails that people actually drink. Like no shade to like all these random syrups and stuff. Like I don't really know what to do and I want to like if I'm trying to make something at home, I want it to be like as easy as possible and then all again like through that community, like a strong brand, a community driven voice, like all of that. So as we think about our expansion, it fits into those like buckets.

21:16
Caitlin Bricker
And I have totally seen you speaking of community with your products placed at special events in New York City and just like really highly curated and I just love the vibes when I see that. It's typically Erica from Filo and I mean shout out to her because literally everything she does is perfect.

21:36
Halli Sigel
If anyone listening is looking for events. She is like the ultimate curator for sure.

21:41
Caitlin Bricker
The best. Yeah. Have you thought about any other ways that you can incorporate Quincy into events and tablescapes and just like I don't want to say immersive experiences but food is immersive. Food and beverage is Immersive it is.

21:55
Halli Sigel
I mean, there's nothing like going to something like a vintage show or something where you're like, I didn't expect to have a martini and like, here I am. So, like, this concept of like a mobile martini bar, like, is definitely something we're, like, going to continue to push and just like showing up places where you, like, wouldn't expect something we have started to do. And I think it's not taken off as much on our social media, but we like, basically give like a pack of Quincy, a digital camera and like a liquor or NA of their choice and we're like night out with Quincy type of thing and like, take photos. Because I think, like, again, we're trying to really, like, cultivate this community of people. It's more than just like a drink.

22:29
Halli Sigel
It's like the ecosystem around how people, like, connect and gather and how do we, like, show up in that way? So trying to get involved more with our community is like something we're focused on.

22:38
Caitlin Bricker
I love it and I think it is special because the product that you have too, it's not just you pop the cap off and you drink it. It takes time to put together a recipe, have an idea, have this, like, thought of what you want to create and how people want it customized, which forces you to take a little bit more time and talk to your people.

22:58
Halli Sigel
Exactly. Yeah. I mean, like, I just saw an article actually, literally just now Bevnet posted that like, martini sales are, like, pulling, like Nielsen said. Like, it's like margaritas here. I just think people are just putting a lot more thought and care into, like, the things that they make at home for their friends or their family. Like, I think we're kind of reentering that, like, that phase in life.

23:18
Caitlin Bricker
I don't know.

23:18
Halli Sigel
So could just be my age. But I, like, love a good dinner party.

23:21
Caitlin Bricker
No, I mean, I do too. I have a toddler, but so it makes things a little different. But I love having my friends together. It's like my social battery gets so worn down when I'm just behind my computer screen all day. I mean, I love talking to you and everybody else, but being able to actually connect with people in person, people that you love and just haven't seen for a while. It totally just like brings the battery back up and I'm like, okay, I'm good for a few months now.

23:49
Halli Sigel
Yes, exactly. So again, it's like more than, I think a lot of brands these days, and I think it's a smart move. They're trying to be like, more than the product. It's like, how are we showing up in the ways that people are using the product? So for us, it's like, again, like, hosting dinner parties nights out. How do we, like, put Quincy at the forefront of that? It's definitely an area we're working on for sure, but it's like, definitely something we want to continue to double down on.

24:11
Caitlin Bricker
And it sounds like it's very authentic to you too. Like, you're not trying to have you or Quincy branch out and be something that doesn't feel right or comfortable to you. Because, yes, they say that you can grow if you go out of your comfort zone, but why in this sense,.

24:28
Halli Sigel
I have always wanted to start my own thing. Like, ever since I was little, I like, I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. And I think, like, obviously working at Casper in Chief, you get the exposure. You get to just the types of people, the types of companies is amazing. But, like, I know a lot of people who become founders, truly founders. And, like, it's so funny. Our social media friends are like, oh, my gosh, like, you got to get out there more. And I definitely think I do. But, like, for me, it's like, not even about just being a founder. It's truly bringing to life something that I have a deep care and passion for. And it had to be right. Like, it never was.

24:58
Halli Sigel
Like, oh, I'm just gonna go start like this because I think it's like, the next hot thing, and I think I'm gonna, like, be able to exit and make, like, a lot of money. Of course, everyone wants, like, those things, but for me, it's like, truly comes from, like, the same as my co founder, Shelby. We got connected because we both have.

25:11
Caitlin Bricker
A passion for this.

25:12
Halli Sigel
We were not friends before this, so it's really rooted in, like, our brand.

25:16
Caitlin Bricker
I think that's great. How did you and Shelby meet?

25:19
Halli Sigel
A mutual friend. Like, literally, we're both chatting about, like, martinis and hosting, whatever, and she said, oh, you should be my friend, Shelby. And then very similarly, like, we both come from, like, entrepreneurial families. Like, no one that you like, literally Google. Like, trust me, we're not no babies here. But, like, we had that fear in us. And so our friend was like, you guys should chat. Like, I think there's something there. And we tried to get it off the ground in 2020, but it was like, a horrible time. Like, it was Covid, even though people were drinking more, but it was just hard time start a business. And then in 2023. I remember I just like had the urge again and I texted her, like, I think I want to pick this back up. And she said, that's so weird.

25:52
Halli Sigel
I was just in a yoga class and I was thinking the same thing. So I called Universal Line.

25:57
Caitlin Bricker
I have to say something too. I know right now you have a single sku. This might be controversial for retailers to hear. I love a single SKU product. Yeah, I do. I love a single SKU product. It does not bother me at all as a consumer or as an editor. When I see single skew products on shelves. I think they're nice and strong. So I just have to say that I agree.

26:18
Halli Sigel
I think, like, it's so she just like owning where people can say like, oh my goodness, Quincy made the best sturdy martini. And then when we do decide to expand, it's like, oh my gosh, I can't wait to see what else they are cooking up. Because I just know they're like the creme de la creme of like what they do. That's like feedback we've heard too. So we've been in market for two years, but we still feel so small. This is like our first, like big year.

26:40
Caitlin Bricker
I feel like, oh, I'm excited for you. And especially if martinis are taking off. All right, so before we go, I need to ask you a few things first, what's your go to recipe for Quincy?

26:52
Halli Sigel
Ooh. Okay, so I have a new one actually. I just have like the typical like martini, but something I did for a party two weeks ago. I went to this like, herb party. So I was like, oh, I'm going to make like dill infused gin. So basically you take bottle of gin ahead of dill, put it in the bottle and let it soak for like 24, 48 hours. Strain it. So you have this like beautiful green gin. Then just make a normal martini. I actually don't put vermouth in my martinis. I don't love it. So I'll just two and a half ounces of this gin and then like a half an ounce to an ounce of Quincy shake it. Oh, my goodness, it was so good. It's like herbaceous.

27:25
Halli Sigel
And so now I actually just keep a bottle of this like herb gin in my fridge at all times.

27:30
Caitlin Bricker
Love it. And I love dill and I feel like dill is trending. That's something I wrote about with the shelfies, which we'll hear more about that soon.

27:39
Halli Sigel
But, oh, I'm so excited.

27:40
Caitlin Bricker
Dill was something that kept coming up in the shelfies. And I feel like Savory is here for beverages. Yes.

27:47
Halli Sigel
And it needs to because it's so good. I'm sick of, like, sweet things.

27:50
Caitlin Bricker
Oh, my God. Same here. All right, so now where can everybody find you online? Tell us your website, Tell us your social handles. Where are you?

27:58
Halli Sigel
So we're drinkquincy.com and then drink Quincy, Instagram handle. You can also find us on Amazon too. She's like, no.

28:06
Caitlin Bricker
Ooh, Fancy Misfits market.

28:09
Halli Sigel
I'm like, yeah, I can name the other misfits or other retailers too.

28:13
Caitlin Bricker
Very nice. And I just have to say, too, I know you were talking about, like, building in public and not having your face online and all that. Blah, blah, blah. It's going to be unique to everyone. And every time I see you in person, even the first time I met you in person, no small talk. Like, it's a legitimate conversation and a real conversation. And I so appreciate that about you.

28:35
Halli Sigel
Thanks. I mean, I don't know, it's a hard business to be in, so I feel like if anyone is like, all smiles and rainbows all the time, like, I, like, love that mentality, but, like, it's so great to find other people. You can just have, like, you said, like, authentic, real conversations. And like, I have no filter. I will always be myself. That is like, it's good and bad. But I guess why I'm like, no.

28:54
Caitlin Bricker
Filters necessary with me. Nothing is ever tmi. I need it all.

28:58
Halli Sigel
I am like, the opposite of like. I will. Yes.

29:02
Caitlin Bricker
Well, it is always great to see you. It was great to learn more about Quincy. Hopefully Quincy will end up in Quincy's hands. So keep us updated on that.

29:11
Halli Sigel
I know, Definitely.

29:12
Caitlin Bricker
We need the tea.

29:13
Halli Sigel
We need the tea. Well, so good to chat. Thank you.

29:16
Caitlin Bricker
So great to see you. And hopefully we hear more about Quincy's drop soon.

29:20
Halli Sigel
Yes, very soon. All right, bye.

29:24
Caitlin Bricker
CPG BFFs. We've now arrived together at the end of another episode of the Startup CPG podcast. As you may know, we're not just the top globally ranked CPG podcast. We're a community of tens of thousands of CPG founders and experts. And you should join us if you haven't already. Head to startupcpg.com to sign up. You'll get an invite to our Slack community, hear about events near you, and get access to opportunities that connect you with buyers, investors and other brands. Sense, it's free. So what are you waiting for? I'll see you in Slack and in real life. Thanks for listening.