Interviews
She Couldn't Find Her Favorite Drinks in America, So She Brought Them Here
How Amna Mettmann turned a pregnancy craving into a growing beverage brand inspired by German craft drinks.
Interviews
How Amna Mettmann turned a pregnancy craving into a growing beverage brand inspired by German craft drinks.
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The best founder stories often start with a craving that couldn't be satisfied.
Amna Mettmann was pregnant, in America, missing the drinks she grew up with in Germany. Nothing on U.S. shelves came close.
She'd already spent years thinking about it. Before becoming a founder, Amna was General Manager of Drinks at Postmates and had promised herself back in 2018 that she would one day bring these drinks to the American market. The pregnancy craving gave her the reason. Brause is the result — a sophisticated non-alcoholic craft beverage brand inspired by traditional German drinks, now in 500+ stores nationwide. We sat down with Amna to talk about launching with the right retailers, why self-funded growth changes everything, and the founder algorithm.
The Product and Audience: What is Brause and who is it for?
Brause creates sophisticated non-alcoholic craft beverages inspired by traditional German drinks. The brand uses ingredients like Bavarian wheat malt and roasted barley — ingredients more commonly associated with alcoholic beverages — to create a drink experience that feels elevated without compromise. Brause is designed for people who want an adult, sophisticated refreshment that feels authentic rather than like another generic alternative beverage.
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The Spark: When did you launch, and what made you say "I need to build this"?
The idea started with a craving. While pregnant, I wanted the drinks I grew up with in Germany but couldn't find anything similar in the U.S. It wasn't an entirely new idea for me. Before becoming a founder, I was the General Manager of Drinks at Postmates, and I had already told myself back in 2018 that one day I would bring these drinks to the American market. The pregnancy craving finally gave that idea a reason to become reality.
The Launch: When did you launch and how did you build momentum?
Brause officially launched in April 2025. Just two weeks later, we participated in Startup CPG's first grocery run in San Francisco, where the response was extremely positive. Instead of trying to be everywhere immediately, we intentionally focused on finding retail placements that matched our target customer and allowed the company to grow sustainably. We're also self-funded, meaning we haven't relied on Meta or Google advertising to drive growth.
The First 100: How did you find your first customers?
Retailers were the key. Our first two retail partners were Happier Grocery in New York and Potluck Local in Los Angeles. Both retailers cater to urban, sophisticated customers, making them a strong fit for Brause's positioning.
The Advice: What would you tell a first-time founder in their first 90 days?
Things will go wrong. My advice is not to overthink every mistake, but also not to simply accept it. Fail, learn, and move on quickly. The most important thing is improving your "founder algorithm" and getting better at making decisions with every challenge you encounter.
The Reality Check: What is the hardest part of this journey that people don't see on social media?
The number of unexpected "no's." Rejection is easier to handle when you're reaching for something that feels like a long shot. The harder ones are the opportunities that seem perfectly tailored to your brand, only to fall through anyway. Those moments are part of the process, even when they aren't the story you want to tell publicly.
The Milestone: What has been your biggest "we made it" moment so far?
For me, there isn't really a "we made it" moment. Every milestone simply moves the goalpost. The first distributor becomes the first reorder. The first reorder becomes a national rollout. The national rollout becomes the goal of selling one million cans. The mindset is simple: keep moving forward.
The AI Trend: How have you used AI to help your business grow?
AI has become a major part of our workflow. We use Claude as a research analyst, have built agents to apply on behalf of the company, and have used AI to create full marketing campaigns. We're also currently using Cursor while revamping the Brause website. For a lean, self-funded team, these tools help the company accomplish more without dramatically increasing our overhead.
The Horizon: What should we be excited to see from Brause in the next six months?
We're focused on expanding into more nationwide retail placements over the next six months. We're also developing a fourth SKU. Even with that expansion, we're intentionally keeping our product lineup lean so we can stay focused and execute well.
The Recommendations: What are your favorite under-the-radar brands right now?
CPG: Krack'd Snacks
Tech: Unbothered
Gear: Carinara
The Shop: Where can readers find Brause?
Brause is currently available in around 500 stores, including Mother's Market, Lassens, Berkeley Bowl, Happier Grocery, Metropolitan Market, and Haggen. The brand is also set to expand into Harmon's, World Market, and BevMo. Visit drinkbrause.com for the full retail list.
The Connection: Where is the best place to follow along?
Follow along on Instagram at @drinkbrause. The team also tried TikTok, but as Amna puts it, they're "too old for that."
Available in 500+ stores nationwide. Find one near you at drinkbrause.com.
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