NON-ALCOHOLIC · FUNCTIONAL
AND FUNCTIONAL + EFFECT™ BEVERAGES
I've built beverage companies. Now let's build yours, together.
I work side by side with founders and leadership teams on manufacturing, margins, distribution and growth. You get a builder's advice and a practical plan built around your business.
The introductory call is free.
100+
brands and founders advised
30
years building beverage and media platforms
3
beverage platforms built: 1 public, 2 private
RESULTS
Founders who have done it with us.
HYDE'S HAIL MARY
From the NFL to the shelf.
START Former Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde had a concept: a hemp-infused, zero-alcohol shandy.
OUR ROLE Through our introductions we built his team: formulation, packaging design, social media, legal, label approval and manufacturing. We guided it as he learned to take over.
RESULT Concept to shelf, with its first retail client. Launched August 2025.
BECKETT'S
No. 3 at Total Wine & More, three years running.
START A new non-alcoholic spirits brand.
OUR ROLE Douglas was co-CEO and on the board. He set the strategy to market and proved the concept at BevMo before it went national.
RESULT Only Athletic Brewing and Heineken 0.0 outsell it in non-alcoholic there, in all 29 states. As of October 2026.
LONG COAST
A dual strategy
that reached No. 5 nationally.
START The risk of relying on a single category.
OUR ROLE A year together on a dual strategy: non-alcoholic, and the same drink with an effect ingredient.
RESULT At one point its Hemp THC Pineapple Mimosa ranked No. 5 nationally in Nielsen scan data. The non-alcoholic version adds a second path of revenue.
SIPTIVA
From concept
to Total Wine & More.
START First-time beverage founders.
OUR ROLE Built together, from concept to finished product, in tightly regulated Virginia.
RESULT One of the first in Virginia at Total Wine & More.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
“Doug Fulton and The Brand Accelerator actually do what they say they’re going to do. You just don’t find that in business these days. It was by far the best decision Elevado Drinks has ever made.”
Chuck Moore
CEO, Chaco Flaco Drinks and Elevado Drinks
“Doug’s expertise saved us years of trial and error, fast-tracking our journey to market. … The value far outweighed the cost. If you’re considering launching a beverage, don’t wait. Get Doug involved early.”
Jeff Koenigs
Founder and CEO, LURE Drinks
“I truly feel like I have a partner in him, someone who is invested in my journey and wants to see me flourish.”
Angie Stevenson
Founder & CEO, Alohi Sparkling beverages
The introductory call is free.
MEET DOUGLAS FULTON
The builder in your corner.
I am an operator and beverage architect. I work directly with founders and leadership teams on the decisions that shape how a beverage business launches and grows: what to build, how to make the margins work, how to reach the right channels. I have built beverage platforms myself, so I know what each decision costs. As a colleague puts it, I help you “navigate the potholes so you don’t end up in the ditch.”
As featured in TIME · Free Spirits podcast · Zuber Lawler Going Global · Proactive · Cannabis Tech
FIRST INTO NEW CATEGORIES
2017
Adult-use cannabis beverage
2019
Non-alcoholic
2022
Hemp-derived THC
2024
Functional
2026
Kava, kanna and adult alternative
WHERE DO YOU NEED HELP?
If this is your week, we should talk.
These decisions are costly to get wrong. You don’t have to make them alone.
Launching a brand
You have an idea, or you are about to sign with a co-packer.
Already in market
Sales have stalled, or the margin doesn’t work.
Board and senior leadership
Your company is moving into non-alcoholic or functional.
NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
The Brand Health Diagnostic.
Two calls and a written report scoring your brand on the ten dimensions that decide whether a beverage brand scales. You’ll know your top three risks, your strengths, and what to fix first. Credited in full toward advisory if we continue.
You also get our network: direct introductions to manufacturers, supply chain and logistics partners, DTC platforms and attorneys.
WHAT WE BUILD TOGETHER
We build beverage brands with you, from concept to scale.
A prioritized commercialization roadmap
Built as we go, not a final report.
Pricing, manufacturing and distribution strategy
Refined as your business moves.
Sales and retail materials, reviewed
Design and final copy stay yours.
A stronger operating foundation
A sequenced plan that keeps building as you grow.
HOW WE WORK
Hands-on, collaborative advisory in weekly strategy sessions, built around your business, your stage and your goals. Not a standardized curriculum.
Concept
Get the foundation right
Build
Build the engine to win
Commercialize
Get to market faster
Scale
Build value that lasts
The Founder Operating System™
Every engagement starts at 00. We map your brand, then use the modules it needs, in the order it needs them.00
Your Starting Point
01
Founder Vision & Alignment
02
Market & Customer Strategy
03
Portfolio & Brand Architecture
04
Commercialization Strategy
05
Pricing & Profitability
06
Manufacturing & Supply Chain
07
Distribution & Retail Expansion
08
Retail Readiness & Sales
09
Capital Strategy & Value
10
Strategic Execution Plan
Backed by 14 working tools: pricing models, distributor agreements, broker scorecards, a brand book builder, an investor toolkit and more.
Think at enterprise level from day one.
That is what the Constellations and Diageos of the world pay for.
You need a partner, not just advice. We are in the trenches with you, operator to operator.
START HERE
Tell us about your brand.
Douglas works personally with every founder and takes on a limited number of brands. He reads every request himself and replies within two business days to arrange an introductory call if there is a fit.
NOT READY TO TALK YET?