Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeremiah Fleta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jeremiah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Nashville’s own MIRAT rum was created by years of entrepreneurial dreams as well as many nights of mixing rum formulas in Chris Brannon’s kitchen. It’s hard work blending trial formulas and drinking them all night, but somebody’s gotta do it! Chris, my cofounder and childhood best friend, has a background in fermentation science – and I have one in sales and logistics. We had always wanted to start a business together. After learning a ton from launching and disbanding a few smaller ventures we got to work planning MIRAT! The reason we wanted to launch a rum brand in particular is because we felt the market was oversaturated by new tequilas and whiskies popping up every month. But more importantly, rum has been a long-time favorite spirit of ours, and we wanted to approach it in our own way. MIRAT first landed on shelves in October 2022, so we just hit our first year in business! Here’s to many more!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Wayward Spirit House, LLC owns and manages the local Nashville rum brand MIRAT. We sought to create an incredibly versatile liquor, liked by rum and non-rum drinkers. Combining a handful of tropical flavors and a bit of cane sugar with Caribbean white rum, MIRAT is one of the easiest drinking liquors you’ll ever have (and at 35% ABV, we have more alcohol and way less sugar than the competition). Locally owned and bottled here in Nashville, TN. Dive into our website or Instagram to learn more! I am President, COO, and co-founder of Wayward Spirit House, LLC.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
Chris and I have been friends since middle school, but we actually crossed paths before – in 4th grade at the Margaret Maddox YMCA here in East! We were on opposing soccer teams. He was offense, and I was defense. He had weaved his way down the field and was going for the goal when I stole the ball away. Irritated, he kicked my shin guard and ran back down the field. Who knew we’d launch a company together all these years later…
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
When we initially launched MIRAT rum, we mainly focused on bars and liquor stores in the East Nashville area. That’s because it’s where we were both born and raised, and where we each live. Having grown up in East, we were familiar with the territory and generally connected very quickly with our customers. This gave us a reputation around East, and we consistently worked to get MIRAT placed into more and more locations. Being such a small and bootstrapped operation, Chris and I both still do liquor store tastings almost every weekend around the Greater Nashville Area – and our stores notice. It makes it very fun to interact with customers during store tastings when you’re one of the people who started the company!
Contact Info:
- Website: miratrum.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miratrum/