Meet the Founder
Pete Olander
Founder & CEO of Happie Beverages — building a premium functional beverage brand from the ground up, without institutional capital.
The Origin
From J.P. Morgan to plant-based beverage.
I came from finance — J.P. Morgan and First Western Trust — but when I decided to build a beverage brand, I knew I didn't want to do it the way most people in this space do. I didn't want to slap a label on a white-label product and call it a brand. I wanted to actually understand the plant, the community, and the science behind it — and build something rooted in trust and transparency.
So I moved to California. I spent years immersed in the compliant cannabis market — working in cultivation, distribution, and learning what retail customers actually wanted. I got to understand the trends firsthand, the supply chain from seed to shelf, and the people who had been building this industry long before it was mainstream. That experience made Happie a true California-rooted company, not just in name but in DNA.
That foundation is what sets Happie apart. The company runs two product lines at the intersection of the two fastest-growing beverage categories in the country: hemp-derived Delta-9 THC beverages as a premium alcohol alternative, and Fungi Fusion — a line of adaptogenic mushroom drinks formulated with clinical-dose Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi. Every batch is third-party tested. COAs are available to customers. Transparency isn't a marketing line for us — it's the reason the company exists.
What I've Built
Seven years of beverage development. Bootstrapped.
Career milestones across finance, formulation, manufacturing, and distribution — built without a single round of institutional funding.
J.P. Morgan · First Western Trust · SAP Implementations
Built expertise in deal structure, capital markets, systems, and high-net-worth client management before transitioning to CPG.
Happie Beverages, Inc. — Delaware C-Corp
Founded the company on a thesis: premium ingredients, real dosing, no medical-claim shortcuts. Wellness with an edge.
Hemp-derived Delta-9 line — 5mg + 10mg sparkling
Reformulated and relaunched the THC line aligned with the federal/state 10mg cap. Dual-dose strategy designed for state variance.
Clinical-dose mushroom beverage line
Launched Lion's Mane (900mg), Cordyceps (700mg), and Reishi (400mg) drinks — dual-extracted for 3–7x bioavailability, with ocean-derived Aquamin minerals.
National distribution & AI-integrated operations
National distribution contract covering an 80,000-store retail network through a 7-year co-pack partnership. AI operations stack across competitive intelligence, sales, content, and distribution.
The Brand
Two product lines. One conviction.
Happie operates at the intersection of the two fastest-growing beverage categories in the country — built for the people redefining what wellness looks like.
The premium alcohol alternative.
Sparkling Delta-9 THC + CBD beverages. Federally compliant, third-party tested, 30 calories. Same ritual. Better ingredients. Designed for adults rethinking their relationship with alcohol.
The clinical-dose mushroom drink.
Caffeine-free functional beverage with dual-extracted Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi. Built around clarity, recovery, and balance — supported by ocean minerals, not sugar.
In the Press
Featured coverage of Pete & Happie.
5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder
A long-form interview on finance, grit, building Happie, and what emerging-industry founders should know before they start.
Read on Authority MagazineInside The Rise Of Drink Happie
Pete Olander's plant-based approach to modern well-being and how Happie is positioning at the intersection of wellness and category-defining beverage innovation.
Read on IBTimesFounder Spotlight — Pete Olander & the Happie story.
Pete joins Hint founder Kara Goldin to share the journey from finance to founding a hemp-derived THC and functional mushroom beverage brand.
Listen to the episodeHappie Beverages Expands National Presence with Plant-Based Innovation
Wire feature distributed April 3, 2026 across 150+ regional papers via EINPresswire — covering Happie's national distribution scale-up and dual-line strategy.
Read the featureWhat I Believe
Build the machine before the moment arrives.
You don't need permission to build something real. The playbook that says you need a co-founder, a seed round, and a 20-person team before you can compete is outdated. What you need is discipline, the right infrastructure, and the conviction to keep building when the timeline doesn't match your ambition.
"Every challenge I've faced — regulatory complexity, capital constraints, partnership failures — taught me something that made the business stronger."
The regulatory headwinds that felt like punishment forced me to build compliance systems that became a barrier to entry for competitors. The capital constraints forced operational efficiency that venture-backed brands can't replicate. The AI operations stack wasn't a luxury — it was a survival mechanism that became a competitive advantage.
When the window opens — and it always does — you want to be the one who's ready, not the one scrambling to catch up. That's the founder I'm trying to be. That's the company I'm trying to build.
Connect
Find Pete here.
For press, partnership, distribution, or collaboration inquiries.