JuneShine Series A Operating Plan Deck
Embedded source PDF with local contact sheet. This is a high-value reference deck for beverage founders because it links a COVID pivot, category leadership, chain retail, wholesale distribution, gross margin, capex, team buildout, and use of proceeds.
Active Multi-Brand Beverage Platform, Hiring With Production-Transition Caution
JuneShine is active in 2026. The official site sells hard kombucha and ready-to-enjoy cocktails, LinkedIn shows 123 visible employees and current posts, and Lever lists open roles. The nuance: Brewbound reported in March 2026 that JuneShine Brands is outsourcing production, shutting down its own facility, and affecting 30 employees.
Operating Status
Official commerce site, current LinkedIn activity, current roles, and active portfolio brands support an active status.
Headcount Trend
LinkedIn shows 123 visible employees / 51-200 band; open roles exist, but 30 production roles were affected by outsourcing.
Funding Outcome
Press supports at least $30M+ quantified JuneShine funding, plus undisclosed seed/Series A and a related $15M Willie's Remedy+ round.
JuneShine
A hard-kombucha brand that used a category wedge, strong operating plan, and retail execution story to raise follow-on capital, expand into canned cocktails, acquire Flying Embers, and evolve into JuneShine Brands. Use it to teach founders how to turn traction into a fundable operating plan.
Funding Raised
Known public amounts by year. Undisclosed seed and Series A are marked; Willie's Remedy+ is shown separately as related portfolio-brand funding supported by JuneShine Brands.
A Strong Deck Because It Connects Brand, Category, Channel, Team, And Capital
JuneShine's 2020 deck is more than a pretty beverage story. It shows how a brand survived a channel shock, pivoted into off-premise and DTC, built category proof, recruited beverage operators, and mapped the specific uses of Series A capital. The later financing and acquisition history make it a strong successful-reference deck.
Best for CPG, alcohol, retail, distribution, and category-leadership feedback.
$24M Series B
Amberstone and Litani led the November 2021 round after the 2020 operating-plan deck.
Active Platform
JuneShine Brands now includes JuneShine, Flying Embers, and Willie's Remedy+.
123 Visible
LinkedIn shows 123 visible employees and a 51-200 employee band, with open roles in 2026.
Production Shift
The 2026 move to contract production affected 30 employees and changes the operating-model read.
What The Deck Does Well
- Traction under stress: Slide 3 explains the COVID shock, pivot, revenue milestones, gross margin, and SKU leadership in one narrative.
- Operational specificity: Slides 7 and 8 map product, people, brand, wholesalers, retailers, capex, capital, revenue, margin, and EBITDA.
- Team-market fit: Slides 9 and 10 show beverage, chain sales, quality, finance, and DTC operators instead of generic startup resumes.
- Distribution proof: Slides 15, 19, 21, 22, and 23 give channel-level support for retailer and wholesaler execution.
What To Challenge In Founder Decks
- Density: Several JuneShine slides are proof-rich but too text-heavy; founders should surface the punchline faster.
- Definitions: Category leadership, SKU rank, MULO + convenience, ACV, velocity, and gross margin need clear source notes.
- Scenario planning: Capex-heavy beverage decks should show what happens if production shifts to contract manufacturing.
- Channel economics: DTC, wholesale, chain retail, and tasting rooms need separate CAC, margin, repeat, and working-capital logic.
Hard kombucha as a better-for-you alcohol entry point.
Shift from on-premise to off-premise and DTC.
Chain wins, SKU rank, and distributor revenue detail.
Series A tied to people, capex, market expansion, and brand spend.
Spirits, Flying Embers, Easy Rider, and Willie's Remedy+.
Company Facts
Best Founder-Feedback Uses
Use Slide 3 to show founders how to explain a shock without sounding defensive.
Use Slides 7-8 when a founder needs to connect money raised to specific operating outcomes.
Use Slides 9-10 to show functional depth for regulated CPG and chain retail.
Use Slides 15 and 19 to show how appendix data supports the main claim.
Funding Evidence
| Event | Date | Amount | Investors / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | 2019-02-12 | Undisclosed | Litani Ventures, Amberstone Capital, Red Light Management, Chris Hollod, Trail Post Ventures, and others. |
| Early round | 2020 | $6M | Referenced in PRNewswire and Brewbound as a 2020 financing before wholesale expansion into 25 states. |
| Series A | 2021-06-08 | Undisclosed | Diplo, Whitney Cummings, Cody Ko, Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Ty Haney, Ashe, Peter Rahal, Litani, and Amberstone. |
| Series B | 2021-11-15 | $24M | Led by Amberstone and Litani Ventures; Allen Gannett participated. |
| InvestBev | 2024-01-31 | Seven figures | Adult-beverage specialist investment for marketing and portfolio expansion. |
| Willie's Remedy+ | 2026-02-05 | $15M | Related brand Series A led by Left Lane Capital with Second Sight Ventures; not direct JuneShine corporate funding. |
Founder, Team, And Headcount Signals
| Signal | Read | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Serrao | Co-founder and CEO | CEO voice in funding, product, and Willie's Remedy+ announcements. |
| Forrest Dein | Co-founder and creative/marketing leader | Founder voice across podcasts, brand evolution, and Flying Embers/Willie's strategy. |
| Deck team | Beverage operators | Slides 9-10 show sales, chain, quality, brewing, HR, finance, hospitality, and DTC depth. |
| Current public headcount | 123 visible LinkedIn employees / 51-200 band | Supports active mid-sized company status; exact headcount varies by source. |
| Hiring | Open 2026 roles | Lever and LinkedIn list current roles in regulatory affairs, contract manufacturing, and sales. |
| Production transition | 30 employees affected | Important caution for the status overlay and for capex/manufacturing feedback. |
Post-Deck Company Evolution
| Date | Signal | Profile Use |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-06 | Celebrity-led Series A announced. | Confirms the deck's Series A path. |
| 2021-11 | $24M Series B closed. | Clear successful-round outcome. |
| 2024-01 | InvestBev seven-figure investment. | Adult-beverage specialist validation. |
| 2024-03 | Flying Embers acquired in all-stock deal. | Category-consolidation outcome. |
| 2026-02 | Willie's Remedy+ raised $15M Series A. | Related platform leverage and new category growth. |
| 2026-03 | Production outsourced; 30 employees affected. | Operating-model caution and headcount nuance. |
Podcasts And Interviews
| Program | Year | Use |
|---|---|---|
| The Bossticks / Dear Media | 2021 | Early founder and brand-building narrative. |
| BeerNet Radio episode 76 | 2021 | Founder interview around the Series A/B period. |
| Brewbound Live 2021 | 2021 | Trade-audience interview with Serrao and Dein. |
| San Diego Magazine Happy Half Hour | 2025 | Origin story and transition into Easy Rider and Willie's Remedy+. |
| BeerNet Radio episode 331 | 2026 | Current Willie's Remedy+ strategy and regulatory discussion. |
Most Useful JuneShine Slide Patterns
| Slide | Pattern | Founder Feedback Prompt |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | COVID pivot and traction narrative | Can you show how a market shock changed behavior, and how your operating response created proof? |
| 5 | Milestone timeline | Can an investor see execution velocity in one scan? |
| 7-8 | 18-month operating plan | Does every hiring, capex, market, and brand-spend item map to a measurable outcome? |
| 9-10 | Category-specific team | Are the resumes relevant to the hardest parts of the business? |
| 11 | Brand demand proof | Does audience reach translate into revenue, velocity, and repeat? |
| 15 | Category rank proof | Are SKU rank and category leadership sourced and defined? |
| 19 | Wholesaler revenue detail | Can appendix data explain channel concentration and market maturity? |
| 20 | Sources and uses | Is the ask tied to a specific operating plan? |
Deck Contact Sheet