Building A New Category: The Signal Was The Strategy — Second Nature episode artwork

Building A New Category: The Signal Was The Strategy

Second Nature October 9, 2026 1:03:38

About this episode

John Schade first discovered Dry Brew:a patented, waterless, ready-to-eat cup of coffee, while searching for something better than a mediocre coffee gummy he'd seen on Shark Tank. He reached out to the original founders immediately. It took over five years, and a random cold email in 2024, before he finally got the chance to help build it.

In this conversation, recorded after meeting at Outdoor Retailer through Popfly's Wild Reach program, John walks through Dry Brew's go-to-market journey, starting in aviation with pilots who instantly understood the product, then following that same signal into trade shows, outdoor specialty retail, and eventually Target. He also gets into the patent that protects the entire category, why packaging has to do all the talking on a retail shelf, and the wild, unexpected use cases customers keep finding - including a police officer who uses it for 2am hostage negotiation call-outs.

BONUS: The team at Dry Brew has shared a 20% discount link for Second Nature listeners. You can use this link (or type in SecondNature20 at checkout) for your order: https://drybrew.com/discount/SecondNature20

Second Nature is proudly supported by Popfly and Halo:

Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands

Popfly for Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators

Halo: https://www.poweredbyhalo.com

Show Notes:

Dry Brew: https://drybrew.com/

John Schade: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnschade/

Dry Brew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drybrew

Dry Brew on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drybrew

Final Boss Sour: https://finalbosssour.com/

Neurogum: https://neurogum.com/

Nathan's Gum: https://nathanandsons.com/