Chelsea Handler's First Hustle Was Spiked Lemonade. Now It's Vodka.

"I always wanted to be a businesswoman. My main focus as a young girl was 'how am I going to get out of New Jersey and start a life of my own.' Handler recalls her early entrepreneurial drive, which began with running a spiked lemonade stand at age 10 in Martha's Vineyard to save money for her own first-class plane ticket."

"Honestly, I was always working with men, and the flavors were never quite the right vibe for me. I wanted something smooth and not too overwhelming, but it always had a weird aftertaste. Handler explains her frustration with previous beverage partnerships and what she sought in a new collaboration with a company that understood her vision."

"When we first got into the alcoholic beverage space, we used to joke that it was the 'year of 1,000 men,' because it felt like we were the only women. Ripps highlights the male-dominated nature of the beverage alcohol industry, where just 4% of women hold C-suite positions, underscoring the significance of female leadership in the space."

Chelsea Handler partnered with women-owned ready-to-drink beverage company Owl's Brew to launch her own signature cocktail line. Handler's entrepreneurial ambitions began in childhood, running a spiked lemonade stand in Martha's Vineyard at age 10. After achieving success as a comedian and author, she sought to create her own beverage brand. Previous collaborations with male-led companies left her unsatisfied with product quality and flavor profiles. She found alignment with Owl's Brew founders Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield, who shared her vision for a smooth, quality product. The partnership helped secure shelf space at Whole Foods, demonstrating the commercial viability of female-led beverage ventures in a male-dominated industry.

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