Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Randolph.
Hi Chelsea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Yardie Cocktails is my love letter to Jamaica, sealed with rum. I never imagined I’d build a rum canned cocktail company, but looking back, the signs were always there.
While I was born in Florida, my earliest memories are of myself in Jamaica trying to avoid getting pricked by thorns as I reached for the juiciest lime on my grandma’s lime tree. I’d then beg her to take me to the market to buy strawberry syrup to blend into my slushy concoction. I was too young to know the difference between strawberry syrup and grenadine! After a long day at school, I’d come home excited to blend all that fruit with the ice I’d happily prepared ahead of time in the ice tray, since we didn’t have an ice maker. She’d always indulge me. Those memories never left me.
As I got older I kept that same spirit. Whenever I traveled somewhere new, I’d bring back the local rum or other liquor and recreate something at home. It was my way of staying connected to wherever I was, and always finding my way back home.
Then the pandemic hit. Flights were cancelled, I couldn’t get back to Jamaica, and I really started missing home. I didn’t have any real hobbies aside from recipe making, so I started making Jamaican-inspired rum cocktails. I’d bring them to gatherings and share them with friends and family, and people kept saying “you should turn this into a company.” I thought they were crazy! This was just my hobby. But I started anyway. Figured out a name, found designers, found manufacturers, and went through the whole process to build and launch it authentically, without outside investors, because I wanted to grow something I was truly proud of. Something that represents Jamaica and the flavors of the broader Caribbean.
I sat with the usual newbie founder questions for a long time. How am I going to pay for this? What do I know about beverages? Should I launch with one flavor, two, or three? Do people love rum as much as I love rum? Will people even get the name? Where would I have production? Will people buy this? Eventually I realized the answers were easy and I just had to trust myself and move forward.
So I took the leap. I worked on Yardie as a passion project for about 2 years before founding it in Florida in April 2025.
In December 2025, Yardie launched in select Total Wine stores across Florida, and I’m really proud of that. Three delicious cocktails made with rum: Rum Punch, Pine & Ginger, and Sorrel Punch. I love Yardie Cocktails, I love Jamaica, I love being Jamaican, I love tinkering with new recipes, and I love being able to share my culture with people through these beverages. It’s funny to think it all started because I was searching for a hobby I didn’t realize I’d always had.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I knew starting this would take a lot of time and effort, especially as a solo founder. I did a ton of research, but there was still a lot I didn’t know about the beverage industry. I learned a lot on the fly by jumping in and rolling up my sleeves.
Even the things that sound small like figuring out suppliers, manufacturers, printers, how you want your brand to feel and sound, all of it is complex, especially when you’re bootstrapped and doing it on your own. And then there are things you truly can’t predict. At one point I ran into a global shortage of a key ingredient, which completely pushed back my launch timeline. You just can’t plan for something like that. And then you layer on navigating state and federal alcohol regulations and figuring out distribution. Those decisions can genuinely make or break a company.
Looking back, some of those hurdles seem silly now. But every single one of them led to Yardie being where it is today. And every hard moment continues to push me forward, because I deeply believe that smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Yardie Cocktails is a line of bar-quality rum canned cocktails inspired by my Jamaican heritage. The name “Yardie” means someone who’s from Jamaica. It’s an endearing term that carries a lot of pride, and it was important to me that this brand feel genuinely reflective of my culture, not just in name but in every sip.
Yardie has three rum cocktails: Pine & Ginger, Rum Punch, and Sorrel Punch, all at 5.9% ABV. I created the recipes to be reminiscent of my upbringing in Jamaica. The Rum Punch is a smooth cocktail with guava, mango, orange and pineapple. It’s juicy, bold, and gets you island ready. The Sorrel Punch is a modern take on the Jamaican classic, bursting with hibiscus, citrus, and warm island spices. And the Pine & Ginger is a sparkling twist on Jamaica’s pineapple-ginger drinks, refreshing and bright with a subtle kick of ginger. All three will transport your tastebuds to the beautiful beaches of Jamaica.
What differentiates Yardie is that not only are our cocktails inspired by authentic recipes, but we’re also made with rum. There aren’t many rum cocktails on the market right now. Most brands are chasing vodka and tequila. But for me, there was never another option. What’s more Jamaican than rum? And when you do find a rum cocktail on a shelf, it usually misses the mark on the authentic flavors you’re craving. Yardie doesn’t miss.
Yardie is available at select Total Wine stores in Florida: Fort Myers, Orlando, Palm Beach, Pembroke Pines, and Sarasota. We’re sold at Bamboo Beach Tiki Bar & Cafe, a beach side restaurant right here in Fort Lauderdale, and we’re sold at the City of Miramar’s amphitheater. Most recently we were sold at their Afro-Carib Festival. And that’s just the beginning. More partnerships are in the pipeline and I’m really excited about what’s next.
So, if you haven’t tried a Yardie yet, find us at Total Wine. Taste Jamaica for yourself.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Anything with entrepreneurship could be viewed as a risk, but the way I think about risk was really shaped by how I grew up. I come from a very entrepreneurial family. My parents owned a construction company that built single-family homes. They took out loans to get the business started. I grew up helping clean those homes, repainting baseboards, and watering freshly laid sod after school. My mom started as a speech therapist and now employs therapists across multiple disciplines. Real estate, investing, building something of your own was just dinner table conversation in my house. It was powerful growing up as a young Black woman feeling like you could do anything as long as you worked hard.
I was also aware of the racism my parents experienced after moving from Jamaica, but they never let it stop them. They didn’t have a choice. My mom experienced racism during her speech therapy program when professors would overly critique her in an attempt to fail her. I watched as she continued to persevere through her tears to earn her graduate degree and move into business ownership. Sometimes my parents couldn’t get construction projects approved because of racist inspectors. I watched them navigate city-level bureaucracy and defend their work to get their approvals and sell their first home.
I carry these learnings with me every day, especially being a Black woman in an industry where we are still underrepresented. I’ve seen firsthand the grit it takes to achieve a dream.
Yes, entrepreneurship can come with risks, but when you have a plan, the drive, and a north star, it turns the risk into a calculated strategy. I will acknowledge I’m spending real money, working late nights after my nine-to-five, and putting in hours no one sees. But I think it’s worth trying to build something at least once.
The real risk is not trying and not doing something a little different. Every moment that has felt like a risk is worth it when I see someone feel represented by seeing a Black woman-owned company on the shelf at Total Wine.
So yes, maybe someone could call me a risk-taker. But really, I’m just Chelsea. Someone who had an idea and was brave enough to try to make it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drinkyardie.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/drinkyardie
- Other: TikTok: @drinkyardie
