Leah Caplanis, CEO at Social Sparkling Wine

Diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer at 26, Leah Caplanis chose to heal holistically. When she couldn’t find an alcoholic drink that aligned with her new diet and lifestyle, she decided to create it with the help of expert brewmaster Ray Klimovitz – a 50-year veteran who co-founded Izze Sparkling Soda – and SOCIAL was born!     Launched in 2014, SOCIAL is a delicious organic, low-calorie (only 88 per serving!), gluten-free sparkling sake wine. It is the first alcoholic beverage EVER to include full nutritional content on its label. While SOCIAL offers a lower calorie, refreshing drink alternative, the brand also encourages people to live healthy, have fun and make the world a better place. SOCIAL gives 1% of proceeds back to charities and Leah’s mission is to empower people to enjoy the fun, social aspects of drinking alcohol while still pursuing their health and wellness goals. Prior to launching SOCIAL, Leah worked for Nestle USA for eight years in sales & marketing. She received her MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. More information on SOCIAL can be found at www.socialsparklingwine.com.   Podcast Highlights: Survey the marketplace before you pull the trigger Make your suppliers and customers your team members When things get too tough we dance it out. It changes the mood instantly.   Contact Leah: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram