Cult Craft Liquids: Building Community Connections One Soda at a Time

A sustainable local food system is built on more than products. It is built on relationships.

This community network is built from the ground up, over time. It begins in the field, when a farmer knows they have a reliable market for their harvest. Or, when a food maker connects with a new customer. And it comes to fruition when a small business owner knows there are people and organizations working alongside them to help them grow.

For Cult Craft Liquids, a Cleveland-based producer of small-batch, zero-proof craft sodas, community has been at the center of their story from the beginning.

Founded in 2025, Cult Craft was born when Eric and Viv Kaizer decided to use their skills in craft beverage production as a way to give back to their community and create something meaningful.

Their signature root beer and cream sodas are produced in small batches, with an emphasis on quality. But the beverages are more than nostalgic flavors. They are an invitation for people to gather, to celebrate milestones, share conversations, and create moments of connection over flavors we all remember from our childhoods.

“Nearly everyone we've met has a story, a fond memory, or a meaningful connection to root beer and cream soda,” Viv Kaizer shares. “Our greatest hope is that Cult Craft gives you an excuse to get together—to celebrate the small wins and joys, along with grand ones, in your life.”

But creating a meaningful product was only part of the vision. Cult Craft also wanted to be part of a larger movement: one where local businesses support each other and where success is shared throughout the community.

Collaboration and Local Food Systems

Since launching, the Cult Craft team has experienced firsthand the power of a connected local economy.

The businesses that carry their sodas have become more than retailers. They have become advocates for the fledgling company, sharing their story, promoting their products, and helping introduce Cult Craft to new customers.

In return, Cult Craft supports those businesses by contributing to a network where local producers and local businesses grow together.

“Since we started this business, I’ve never felt community like I have until we started doing this,” says Eric. “The places that are selling our sodas are supporting us in every possible way. They’re promoting us and helping us grow, and we’re doing things to help their businesses grow, too.”

That spirit of collaboration is exactly what a strong regional food system needs to grow and thrive.

The Role of Forest City Food Collective

As a food hub, Forest City Food Collective helps create the network that allows local food businesses to thrive. By connecting producers with buyers, retailers, institutions, and consumers, Forest City helps local businesses identify opportunities they may not be able to find on their own.

For Cult Craft, that connection is already opening new doors.

After being introduced through Forest City partner FrankieLynn Hot Dogs, Cult Craft began working with Forest City Food Collective in June of 2026.

While the partnership is still new, Cult Craft sees the potential of being part of a larger network.

“We’re thrilled to work with Forest City and connect with businesses we wouldn’t have otherwise had an opportunity to get in front of,” the Cult Craft team shared. “They’re helping connect farms, buyers, and communities across Ohio to make local food and beverages more accessible, efficient, and equitable.”

Every Purchase is a Choice

When you choose a locally made product, you are choosing more than a product on a shelf.

You are supporting the people behind it, including the farmers, the makers, the entrepreneurs, the retailers, and the community organizations working together to create a resilient local food system.

A purchase from Cult Craft helps a local business grow. A donation to Forest City Food Collective helps build the infrastructure that allows many local businesses to grow.

Together, those choices create a food system rooted in relationships instead of transactions. A system where businesses support one another, communities stay connected, and local producers have the opportunity to thrive.

Because local food is about more than what we eat or drink. It’s about the communities we build around regional food networks and the people those networks serve.

Help Grow Our Local Food System

Every local purchase matters. Every donation makes connections possible.

Support Forest City Food Collective and help create opportunities for the farmers, food makers, and small businesses building Northeast Ohio’s local food future – like Cult Craft Beverages.

Make a gift to support local growers and producers today. Visit: https://forestcityfoodcollective.com/donors today.

To learn more about Cult Craft Liquids, visit: https://www.cultcraftliquids.com/.