VDV INTERVIEWS JOSH LANDAN- THE CREATOR OF ASHLAND HARD SELTZER

In honor of our MASSIVE giveaway with Ashland Hard Seltzer...we decided to sit down with the creator himself- Josh Landan, to hear a bit more about Ashland, how it started, what his favorite flavor is, and some great advice for other entrepreneurs.

Ashland Hard Seltzer is pretty much all we drink over here at VDV, so this giveaway on our Instagram is pretty much the closest thing to heaven & the BEST way we could possibly close out the Summer season. We love nothing more than grabbing an Ashland Hard Seltzer at the end of the day, hanging with our loved ones & watching the California sunset.

Pure, simple, aesthetically pleasing, and sooo tasty- Let's find out how Ashland began...

What’s your background/how did you get into the alcohol biz?

My background is in film as I made documentaries for 12 years before I created Saint Archer in San Diego in 2012. I wasn’t a brewer and didn’t know anyone in the beer business, but I jumped into the deep end, moved my family from Ventura to San Diego, got it going, and never looked back. 

What made you want to create Ashland? My friends and I were drinking the other hard seltzer brands and felt like I could create something that was better. Once I decided on doing it, I set out to make a different tasting seltzer that was also aesthetically more pleasing.

How does the process of making Ashland work?  What is the alcohol in it? Our product is very simple, clean, and straight forward. The alcohol comes from fermented sugar and the only ingredients that we use are water, yeast, 5% alcohol, and Organic Essence. That's it. 

How do you come up with new flavors?

The flavors are really just variations of my favorite non-alcoholic seltzer options. The new Orange Pineapple flavor came from my love for Cactus Cooler soda from when I was a kid!

What is your favorite flavor of Ashland Hard Seltzer?

Orange Pineapple!

What’s your connection to Van De Vort?

Wes, Andrea, and Cannon are some of our closest and dearest friends. 

What is your ideal summer day?

Early Coffee from Seaside Market, a surf with Kelley Gaston and Wes, a beach day with all of our families, and a BBQ and Ashland to close it out. Doesn’t get much better than that!

What are some of your tips for entrepreneurs wanting to start their own business? Believe in yourself and your abilities, recognize early on what you are not good at and hire the best of the best to do it for you, be humble, don’t be scared to fail, jump into the deep end, and don’t look back. 

What are some of your favorite spots in SD?

Seaside Market, Pipes Cafe, Pannikan, The Taco Stand, Born and Raised, Chiefs in Solana Beach

Where can we find Ashland if we want to purchase it? Almost everywhere! Costco, Ralphs, Target, Whole Foods, BevMO, Total Wine, ALDI, Grocery Outlet, Sprouts, Lazy Acres, Seaside Market, and over 500 more!

Thank you so much for sitting down with us, Josh!!

Definitely don't sleep on this AMAZING giveaway that's currently happening over on our Instagram @shopvandevort... Ashland is a company that is really near and dear to our hearts, & if you haven't tried it yet- this is the perfect first taste. Trust us, it will become your new weekend fav. 

XO,

VDV