Black Women-Owned Zero-Proof MEDASE Cocktails Makes Its Way To California-Based Grocer Erewhon – AfroTech

MEDASE Cocktails has expanded to another retailer.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Los Angeles-founded venture was cofounded by Inga Dyer and Monica Cornitcher. The two were inspired to launch the company in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic when Cornitcher relocated from Atlanta to California, allowing her to spend more time with Dyer, who was already based there.

“Then we started to talk about, ‘Hey, it would be nice to have a cocktail, right?’ Because we did drink cocktails throughout college, after college, but we were kind of slowing down on drinking. And Inga’s reason for not drinking was that she was battling breast cancer at the time,” Cornitcher said in a previous interview with AFROTECH™. “And during her battle with breast cancer, she was not drinking at all. And we were starting to experiment with mocktails in the space. We probably tasted everything out there at the time.”

In 2023, MEDASE Cocktails launched as a premium, zero-proof, organic, ready-to-drink cocktail brand. Following Dyer’s passing from cancer, the business briefly paused operations before relaunching in June 2025 with a full lineup that included four new flavors.

In April 2026, MEDASE Cocktails received a strategic investment to support its distribution, operations, and marketing efforts, positioning the brand to generate more than $20 million in annual sales before its next investment, as previously reported by AFROTECH™.

The investment is timely for the cocktail brand, which is now launching in California-based grocer, Erewhon. Prior to this expansion, MEDASE was sold at 32 local retail stores and in the Harbor View Hotel in Martha’s Vineyard. According to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, MEDASE is now available across Erewhon’s Southern California locations, allowing customers to experience its beverages firsthand in flavors including Kissed Lemon Drop, Golden Hour Jamaican Rum Punch, Heavana Can’t Wait Mojito, and Hey Big Dipper Old Fashioned.

“Launching at Erewhon is an incredibly meaningful moment for us as a Los Angeles-founded brand,” said Cornitcher, in a news release. “Erewhon has long been a destination for discovery and innovation in wellness, and we’re proud to be part of a community that’s redefining what it means to celebrate well.”