How Megan Klein Turned Her Passion for Plants Into a Modern Mocktail Brand

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

Over the last several years, this been a major increase in non-alcoholic beverages entering the scene, ultimately reshaping the drinking culture. Leading the industry is Little Saints, founded by Megan Klein. A brand that is truly founded from passion, Klein launched the non-alcoholic and sugar-free brand in 2021, inspired by her passion for understanding the dynamic power of plants and the role they play in our lives. Boosted by premium sourced functional ingredients like reishi mushroom, botanical terpenes, and CBD, Little Saints aims to provide an elevated experience that can exist socially in tandem with the modern drinking culture.

Inspired by popular cocktail creations, Little Saints puts its own spin on its offerings, like the ginger mule, paloma, spicy margarita, and negroni. Since its launch, Klein has already garnered attention from bespoke retailers, like the beloved L.A.-based health food grocer Erewhon, as well as amassing a loyal following through her social platforms and direct sales online. 

As an industry leader paving an uplifting way for alcohol-free alternatives, it may be a surprise that her career trajectory looked a bit different before Klein was at the helm of Little Saints. In fact, she began her career as an environmental lawyer, joining the nonprofit law firm and advocacy group Earthjustice before starting a small law firm of her own. She then ventured into an indoor farming career with FarmedHere, a vertical farm that was a leader in the local food movement of the mid-20-teens. Then in 2017, Megan pivoted the company and founded Field + Farmer, a plant-based food and beverage brand that sources ingredients from local farmers and is still on Whole Foods shelves today. Yet her unwavering love for the environment was at the heart of all of her careers. 

Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Klein continues to evolve modern drinking culture through the power of nature.