Building a Functional Beverage Brand with Retail Strategy and Plant-Based Innovation | Peter Olander

About this episode

In this episode, Lars Miller and David Gonzalez interview Peter Olander about launching and scaling a functional beverage brand focused on plant-based innovation.

What does it take to launch and scale a functional beverage brand in today’s market? In this episode of Free Spirits , Lars Miller and David Gonzalez sit down with Pete Olander, the founder and CEO of Happie, a modern functional beverage brand focused on plant-powered energy, clarity, and balance. Pete’s journey blends personal health discovery with deep operational knowledge. Drawing from a background in finance and nutrition, he built Happie from scratch—developing formulas, managing supply chains, navigating compliance, and building strong retail and e-commerce distribution strategies. If you’re in CPG, functional beverages, or the broader adult beverage space, this episode unpacks the reality of bringing an innovative product to market—without shortcuts or fluff. 🔍 What You’ll Learn (Chapters): 0:00 – Introduction Meet Pete Olander and Happie’s origin story. 5:32 – From Health Journey to Beverage Formulation How personal wellness challenges led Pete to explore functional ingredients like adaptogens and mushrooms. 11:50 – Product Development & Iteration Why simplicity and taste drive Happie’s formulation strategy. 18:04 – CPG Ops: Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Compliance…

People in this episode

Hosts: Lars Miller, David Gonzalez

Guest: Peter Olander

Topics covered

• functional beverages
• retail strategy
• plant-based innovation
• product development
• supply chain management
• e-commerce

Keywords

• functional beverage
• plant-based
• retail strategy
• supply chain
• product development
• e-commerce
• health
• adaptogens

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Happie

Products: functional beverage, plant-powered energy, adaptogens, mushrooms

More episodes of Free Spirits: Insights on Functional Beverages

• Inside the Growth Strategy of a Premium Functional Beverage Brand · January 5, 2026 · 32 min
• Emergency Podcast: What the Federal Crackdown Means for Functional Beverages · November 13, 2025 · 23 min
• Building Functional Beverage Brands Through Creative Partnerships · November 6, 2025 · 44 min
• Real-World Data and the Future of Functional Beverages · October 17, 2025 · 41 min
• Scaling a Multi-Brand Functional Beverage Platform with Evan Eneman of Iconic Tonics · October 3, 2025 · 43 min
• Inside Boston Beer’s THC Beverage Play: Innovation, Operations, and the Future of Adult Drinks · September 16, 2025 · 37 min