Katie Brown grew up in Far West Texas—that’s the portion of the state west of the Pecos River—in a family with a history of pioneering. She created the RTD Lone River Ranch Water in 2019 which launched a nationwide craze for this simple cocktail with Texas roots. When Diageo purchased the brand less than a year later, Katie stayed on to run the business as the CEO, and today she and her family call Fort Worth home.

Katie Brown founded Lone River Ranch Water while living in New York City with her husband. The story might sound like an overnight success—the brand was acquired less than a year after it’s founding—but Katie’s research, hard work, and personal investment over several years tell a different story.

Because she’d grown up in a part of Texas that most people hadn’t heard of, Katie often found herself using the “ranch water” cocktail to introduce friends in New York to her western roots.

Her day job in advertising gave her a great education to what consumers are looking for, which helped when she began creating her own brand from scratch.

Because Lone River Ranch Water launched in late 2019, Katie and her team faced incredible obstacles when the Coronavirus Pandemic began a few months later.

Today as the CEO of Lone River, Katie enjoys finding the balance between being a present mom and showing her children how to pursue their dreams.

In this episode, Katie shares her hard-won advice including what she did right, how she stays grounded, and what she wants to be remembered for. Plus you’ll love the West Texas legend Katie shares about the first Ranch Water ever made—a Texas myth that started it all.

Find the episode on Spotify & Apple Podcasts