Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Makler.
Hi Josh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I am originally from Portland Oregon but made the move down to Southern California first in 2011 when I attended school and played baseball for the University of Redlands as a pitcher. I ended up following a dream of trying to get a pro baseball contract in the summer of 2015 and came down to San Diego to play for a team and give it a shot. While following my baseball passion I needed to look for a job to support myself and stay afloat. This is when I jumped into the San Diego food and beverage industry. I grew a huge love for the craft industry after attending Redlands and hanging out at one of my favorite breweries Hangar 24. This is what sparked my interest and is eventually now my career.
I ended up working in both front of house and back of house roles in SD food and beverage, starting out as a busser at the Project Bar and Grill in Hillcrest and working my way up through the ranks of every position within a years time until I ended up bartending and managing the spot at the end of my time there in 2018. I have also worked other bartending and serving roles with finer dining options such as Don Pietros in Old Town, and The Wine Vault & Bistro. These jobs were always the side gigs that I kept working for fun and to keep myself busy and out of trouble!
My career as a brewer and beverage developer began with Novo Brazil in 2015 as a low man on the totem. I was a keg washer, bartender, and delivery driver at the start of my time there and ended up leaving quickly once an opportunity came up to work as the first brewing employee for Boochcraft Hard Kombucha. I started as an assistant brewer and quickly moved into the role of Lead production brewer in my 2 years’ time with Boochcraft. I decided I wanted to brew beer again and left Boochcraft to go back to Novo Brazil and be a part of their brewing and Cellar Team while focusing on special brewing projects. I began to start to spark the movements and interest in them starting their own Hard Kombucha brand which would eventually become what we all know as Nova Easy Kombucha. During my time with Novo was when I got connected with my partners at Juneshine. This is when my career took a big next step and I helped Found the company as a Co-founder and Brewmaster for the brand. I developed the original Juneshine recipes and products out of a garage in North Park and we ended up taking control of the brewery igniter space on El Cajon Blvd. During my time with Juneshine I operated as the brewmaster, recipe developer, small-batch brewer, and ingredient purchasing specialist. It was a wonderful time with great people, but in December of 2019 I decided to make a change in my life and look into developing something new, leaving the company right before the pandemic was quite a shock though.
2020 gave me the time to work on a new brand and develop what is now Kové Hard Yerba Mate. I was working a few restaurant jobs, and helping my business partner Dennis O’Connor develop alternative beverages with Thorn Brewing when the pandemic hit us hard. This gave me the time to step back and develop the hard yerba mate products for Kové, and partner with Co-Founder and CEO Alex Montelbano, and Co-Founder and CCO Ryder England. We launched in November of 2020 and have been working hard to get our line of yerba mate-based hard tea beverages out to the market. We use real ingredients and never compromise quality for a natural flavor or fake sweetener. I consider Kové to be all the fun and quality that has been associated with top notch hard kombucha brands, but with no funky sourness and the crushability of a seltzer, We ended up partnering with Thorn Brewing in Barrio Logan on an alternating proprietorship on the brewing space, and have been working for hand & hand with them in production and sales operations. We consider ourselves one big team in Barrio with our other neighbors at Rebru Spirits as well and have been dubbed as the Acre of Awesome. Kové is currently selling products in California, Oregon, and we are looking forward to bringing on Idaho, Washington, Colorado, & Arizona in the upcoming 2022 year.
Currently, I operate as the Chief Operations Officer for Kové and work as an Operations and Development Consultant with a Partner for multiple other alternative beverage startups. I have been going to school for winemaking at UC Davis & SDSU for the last 3 years online as well and hope to one day start a natural and even organic wine brand to show the world that you don’t need any of the 90 approved additives in wine, to make good wine. During my free time, I enjoy doing cardio, yoga, playing music on my keyboard and have a small golf obsession.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely been a bit of both. Brewers are notoriously underpaid and it has always been hard to make a living working in production for someone else. This is what forced me to hold 2 jobs most of the time and work as a bartender at night, and inspired my goals of getting to owning my own brands and working for myself.
I also have felt the rough rocky roads of being a startup in working with partners and working longer hours than I ever expected. They say you literally have to eat and sleep your brand and I can firmly say to be successful that is fully true. I put my entire self & passion into everything that I do with work and it can be tough balancing life, relationships, and general self-love me time throughout it all.
I have done a lot of work to find a balance that works for me and believe in the ideas of unlimited PTO for myself and employees, and always make sure to take a break whenever I need, it.
What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for?
We specialize in making Hard Tea and Alternative Beverages for the more conscious consumer that is looking for healthier options to drink. We are innovators in the market and always look to use the highest quality real and raw ingredients. We specialize in making a beverage that everyone can enjoy at any time of the year or day.
What sets you apart from others?
We are the world’s first Hard Yerba Mate brand with a real brewing process using no extracts. We also use real ingredients and never use natural flavorings and fake sweeteners like other seltzer-style beverages to make our products. This gives our product a real taste and makes it taste more real and less fake overall.
What are you most proud of brand-wise? What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
We are proud to be an innovative alternative beverage in the capital of craft beer, and now the capital of alternative beverage brewing. We strive to succeed in this market and then bring our amazing beverages to the rest of the nation, and eventually the world. We are Organic Vegan and Gluten-free and know that by using the best ingredients made by the best people you can make the best product.
The Kové taproom is located next to Thorn Brewing in Barrio logan where we produce all of our products. We will be opening up two new taprooms coming soon in 2022, one in Miramar with a small-batch brewery next to Pure Project, and another in Liberty Station in partnership with Seahive Station MarketPlace. Our products currently come in 4 packs of 12 oz cans, and single 16 oz can specialties. You can purchase our products in cans and on draft all around San Diego. Some of our favorite accounts for drinking a Kové are Pretzels & Pints, Cardiff Seaside Market, Kindred, and California Liquor.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe much in luck being a huge factor. I believe luck can place you in the right place and right time moment, but it will always be up to you to seize that moment and do what you need to do to succeed. I was given the moment in San Diego to be a pivotal member of the start of Alternative beverages but I would have never gotten to where I am now without an extreme force of will and dedication. My passion and drive helped me take the moment and turn it into what has now become a successful career, even though I am still not ready to settle yet. I plan to keep driving towards my goals and will never stop learning and educating myself to become better than I am.
Pricing:
- Mango Colada 4 Pack 12 oz Cans $9.99
- Passion Berry 4 Pack 12 oz Cans $9.99
- Mojito 4 Pack 12 oz Cans $9.99
- Lemonade Iced Tea 4 Pack 12 oz Cans $9.99
- Specialty 16 oz Cans Single $4.99
Contact Info:
- Email: josh@drinkkove.com
- Website: www.drinkkove.com
- Instagram: @drinkkove
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkkove
