Episode 56

056 | Georgie Bell | The Early Journey of a Founder-led Brand | The Heart Cut

In Episode 56, I continued the conversation with Georgie Bell, The Heart Cut's co-founder from Ep.55. She has extensive industry experience, having previously worked at Diageo, Bacardi, and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

We discussed how to explain a product, starting from a liquid, going into taste profile, storytelling, and target occasions. We closed with a dive into the life of a start-up with learnings and course correction to build bottom-up. I hope you will enjoy our chat.


Time Stamps

0:00 Intro

0:24 Where Do You Start

4:46 Importance Of Follow Up

7:41 Importance Of Normal Bars

13:05 Importance Of Off-Trade

15:18 When To Wholesale?

17:09 One Bottle, One Case, One Pallet

23:40 Building Demand With Partners

30:56 The Drinks Ecosystem

34:20 Start Up Challenges

47:34 Contact Details

49:19 Outro


About The Host: Chris Maffeo

About The Guest: Georgie Bell

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About the Podcast

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The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast
Brands Are Built Bottom-up.

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About your host

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Chris Maffeo

With 20 years of experience working for some of the biggest drinks brands across 30+ markets, I've developed a unique understanding of how brands grow in today's market.
Now, I help drinks brands build sustainable growth through bottom-up demand creation.
My methodology focuses on how brand demand spreads - from initial venue adoption to international expansion.
I teach brands how to create, convert, and sustain demand across the three critical stages of growth: from one bottle to one case to one pallet.
My expertise lies in understanding how brands grow through genuine advocacy, from bar to bar, city to city, and building foundations that enable natural scaling.
Through consulting, training, and speaking engagements, I help brands:
• Build sustainable demand from the ground up
• Systematize their approach to building brands city by city
• Navigate the path from local success to international growth
• Develop strategies based on occasions rather than demographics