German minimalism meets American Flavor: Interview with Brause
Most drinks in the American beverage aisle fall into two extremes: overly sweet sodas or alcohol-forward options, with very little space in between.
After moving from Germany to the United States, Amna Mettman and her husband found it surprisingly difficult to find flavorful, thoughtfully made non-alcoholic beverages with clean ingredients.
In Germany, alcohol alternative drinks weren’t niche; they were simply part of everyday culture. In the U.S., however, the choices often felt either too sugary or missed the mark entirely.
What started as conversations in the sauna, their most creative thinking space, turned into Brause, a modern craft beverage inspired by nostalgic German soda culture but designed for the American palate.
Take a read!
Q: Tell us who you are, what your brand is, and what made you want to start a beverage brand?
I’m the co-founder of Brause alongside my husband, Julian. We launched the brand in March 2025. We are originally from Germany, and after moving to the U.S., we realized the drinks are very different, and most are high in sugar, and the flavor profiles are different.
What led us to start Brause was our search for better-for-you sodas and alternatives to non-alcoholic beers and wines.
Q: Did you feel like finding non-alcoholic beverages with cleaner ingredients was harder to find in the US?
Yes, these solutions already existed in Germany, so we tailored the recipes to the American Palette and brought them to the U.S.
First, I love beer, but most non-alcoholic options here felt boring or flat. Second, in Germany, there are malt-based beverage alternatives to beer, often paired with ingredients like apples or dates, and those simply didn’t exist in the U.S. market.
Q: Did you have a clear brand vision from the start, or did it evolve as you built?
It definitely evolved.
My husband and I are big sauna people; that’s where we have our most creative conversations. While others discuss politics, we talk about ideas. At one point, my husband said that since the brand would live in the U.S., the branding should reflect that environment.
German design tends to be very minimalist, while American beverage aisles can feel like sensory overload. We wanted Brause to feel calm and intentional within that chaos.
Q: When you created the concept of the brand, what was the first decision you made?
We started with formulation. We worked with a formulator in Brooklyn at JAI Development, whose founder had previously brought a German beverage to the American market. Together, we worked on creating something inspired by German drinks but adapted for the American palate.
I even asked family members to send beverages from Germany, so we could study flavor profiles and ingredients for inspiration. Then we focused on making them healthier.
At the same time, we were building the brand identity in parallel.
The name Brause is actually a very old-school German word for soda. We loved the nostalgia behind it.
Q: How did you come up with your launch strategy?
At the time, we were living in the Bay Area. We produced our first run of 10,000 cans across three SKUs.
Originally, the concept leaned more toward malt beer, but it evolved into our date-and-malt formulation. We also started with product names translated directly from German, but we realized those names didn’t really resonate with American consumers.
We didn’t design that first production run for profit—we wanted feedback.
We launched our Shopify store without a marketing budget and onboarded with Faire and Airgoods. Our first order came from Happier Grocery, which are amazing at supporting and discovering emerging brands.
Q: What communities, platforms, or spaces have been most valuable for you as a CPG founder so far?
StartupCPG has been incredibly valuable. It’s a large community but still feels very intimate, and honestly, I can’t believe they don’t charge to be part of it.
We attend many of the events they share, and our first trade show was Grocery Run last April, where we landed our first retailer.
Community members are extremely supportive. I’ve even befriended direct competitors and shared Expo West tickets so others could avoid spending thousands attending.
Q: How did you decide to start in retail, and what has that experience been like?
Retail was more of a pull than a push. Buyers were excited about Brause, so we focused on being visible at trade shows and industry events.
We realized we entered retail a bit too early, and our positioning was off. Initially, retailers placed us near brands like Olipop and Poppi, but Brause isn’t really a soda. It’s a craft beverage, and also a premium product.
We shifted our positioning toward non-alcoholic craft drinks and redesigned our packaging to highlight flavor profiles, which significantly improved things.
We’ve since found stronger alignment in food service channels like premium hotels and even private jet services, which feel like a much better fit for the brand.
Q: What feels the most overwhelming right now as a founder?
If I had approached this purely rationally, I probably wouldn’t have chosen such an expensive category. Shipping and freight costs for beverages are incredibly high.
We’re also building in a category somewhere between non-alcoholic drinks and craft beverages, which can be difficult for retailers to understand. It doesn’t always fit neatly into one box.
But I believe the non-alcoholic category will continue to evolve, just as plant-based meat needed to clarify its identity. Brause stands for elevating refreshment, focusing not only on being alcohol-free but also on the drink’s quality and experience. A beautiful drink is a beautiful drink.
There are definitely highs and lows. My mantra lately comes from the film Formula 1: “It’s all just noise, focus on the ride.” I try not to get too carried away by either extreme.
Q: When you realized you were ready for design support (logo, packaging, or website), where did you naturally start looking?
Honestly, most of the design came from my husband. My early mockups were actually created in Canva, and then he refined the creative direction while I focused on execution.
The feedback has been amazing. Beverage aisles can feel overwhelming visually, so our minimalist design really helps us stand out. We also avoided vertical text because it isn’t user-friendly, and we spent an unusually long time choosing the right font.
Q: Have you changed your marketing strategy since launch?
Not significantly. It’s just my husband and me.
We know we’ll eventually hire support, but right now we focus most of our time on sales, where we believe we spend our energy best. However, we plan to double down on TikTok this year, so we are figuring that out.
Q: How do customers typically discover Brause?
Mostly through retail discovery. The minimalist packaging helps people quickly understand what the product is.
Q: What are you most excited about in the second year?
I’m really excited about expanding further into food service and hospitality channels, especially hotels. We’ve found some unique opportunities there that align well with the brand.
And personally, I feel incredibly lucky to build this company with my husband. Our strengths complement each other; I’m more extroverted and love pitching retailers, while he focuses on the areas where he thrives.
Q: Last question. I’m a CPG Copywriter, so I can’t end the interview without asking a copy question. I know you wrote your own copy for your brand and website. So I wanted to know what your process was like writing the messaging for Brause.
A lot of trial and error. As I mentioned earlier, we had to change the packaging messaging. We’re still figuring it out.
Eventually, we’d love to hire someone who specializes in copy and messaging, but for now, we learn and refine how we communicate Brause.
I loved learning how Amna had to really strategize how to bring her favorite parts of German beverages and the language, and tailor them to the American palate. It’s a reminder that building a brand isn’t just about creating a product; it’s about translating culture, taste, and experience in a way that resonates with a new audience.
As she navigates life as a new founder, balancing experimentation, branding, and retail strategy, Amna shows that patience, curiosity, and a willingness to pivot are just as important as the initial idea. For anyone building in a crowded or emerging category, her story is a great reminder: understanding your audience, leaning into your unique perspective, and iterating with intention can turn a personal passion into a brand people can’t wait to try.
DORA:
Identify gaps that matter: Pay attention to what’s missing in the market and why. Brause started because the non-alcoholic beverage space in the U.S. lacked flavor, variety, and better-for-you options.
Prototype and test early: Launch small runs or experiments to gather real feedback before scaling. The first 10k cans of Brause weren’t about profit; they were about learning.
Find and lean on your community: StartupCPG and other industry networks were pivotal for retail connections, support, and advice. Community can accelerate learning faster than solo trial-and-error.
Want a drink? Check them out!
