Meet Jeff Bradford | Host of the Beer, Wine & Spirits Channel

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Bradford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
The decision to keep going or to give up is part of living and is what makes every choice in our life interesting. It shapes are future, It rewards us or makes us stumble and fall, it brings waves of emotions both good, bad and everything in between, depending on the choices we make on a daily basis. What has helped me in my choices to keep going or give up is getting clear on what I wanted in life, who I wanted to be in life, my experiences and ultimately what brings happiness to my life. This allows me to know when to keep pursuing something or when to give up. Let me explain by giving certain situations during the course of my life on times I kept going and times I gave up.

During my 20 year career in the military, 5 years were in combat situations. These were stressful times, away from family, friends I needed courage, motivation and strength to get through these tough experiences, I choose to keep going because I was part of something bigger than me, To an oath I swore, to my brothers and sisters I had the privilege to lead and fight next to and for my country. Giving up was never an option.

At the tail end of my military career I ended up getting a 4 year Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nutrition. I am very passionate about nutrition and how it fuels are bodies, I still am to this day and to be honest I thought this was my career path once I retired from the military. I ended up getting a job giving nutrition council once I retired from the military and spending hours upon hours writing meal plans for individuals. I was so invested into each person, helping them look and feel their best. The only issue was I was more excited about them losing the weight and changing then they were. It was draining both physically and mentally. It started to effect me outside of work as well. I started to dislike coming into work and because of my experiences in the military and the never give up mentality, I stayed an additional 6 months. But the writing was on the wall. My friends, family knew and told me, I was miserable and finally gave up. The feeling was like taking the world off my shoulders and giving up this career ended up being the best thing for my happiness and well-being. I am still very much passionate about nutrition, but I wont be looking to make it a career ever again.

That lead me into exploring other passions and ultimately traveling around the world learning from brewers, winemakers, and distillers and telling their story on YouTube. I never was in front of a camera before, I never produced or directed anything and never even tried to put a script or story together. If your still reading this right now, you can see all the grammatical errors. But from the moment I started this new journey, I loved it. not liked loved it. It was the travel, meeting new people, being creative, learning and giving value to people around the world. It checked a lot of boxes of what I wanted in life and my happiness. I couldn’t wait to get up and tell another story and to this day the feeling is still the same. But something happened 10 months into creating the Beer, Wine & Spirits channel. I was putting a lot of effort into it all, spending money and not making a lot in return. I thought I was making great videos but my expectations got the best of me. What I expected was thousands upon thousands of views and followers and in reality I got a few if any. I would put out another episode, same result. For 10 months this happened and I wanted to give up. I was not receiving the likes, the subscribers, the views. I was working so hard and for what? Add that now my inner voice was saying give up, go do something else, maybe your not as good as you thought you were etc. etc. But the reason why I didn’t give up was because I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I love what I am doing. A few more months went by with the same results and then two of my videos went viral with over a million views and in a matter of days the few likes, comments and subscribers went from 10 to 10,000 and kept growing. People were commenting on how much value they were receiving and brands started reaching out. Its crazy to think that if I would have given up at that 10 month mark, I would never know the success I have know.

My advice is don’t give up to soon as everything in my life that I am most proud of to this point has been the hardest, scariest, most complex and challenging things I’ve done in my life. And if you are giving up because its to hard, scary, complex, challenging you’re going to regret it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So my passion for beer, wine, and spirits ignited an urge to investigate the stories behind the labels. So, in 2018, I sold everything I owned to travel the world. My objective: to learn the secrets of brewers, winemakers, and distillers. From Switzerland to Jalisco, Mexico, I set out to determine why their process yields extraordinary results. With each stop on the map, I reveal time-honored traditions, cultural influences, and industry practices that help you discover the soul of these incredible products.

As a former member of the US military, I learn by doing. You’ll see me harvesting grapes in South Africa, pouring beer at Oktoberfest, and chopping agave in Tequila. My channel is dedicated to the passionate, hardworking people who make the beverages associated with our favorite celebrations, special events and amazing moments with those we love.

So If your interested in learning more about beer, wine and spirits join me as I find the next fascinating story around the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So I just moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, and I am still finding my way around this amazing city, learning and the surrounding area but my Itinerary for anyone coming to visit would be:

First few days we would explore all Edinburgh has to offer and learn about Scotch whisky. We would start each day with a hike or run. One of the days would be a hike up Arthur’s Seat which is an old volcano that gives 360 degree views of Edinburgh and Lothians and on the other day would be a run up to Calton Hill watching the sunrise over the city. During the days we would be visiting Edinburgh castle exploring the grounds and everything it has to offer, We would explore Old town, the Royal Mile, The Queens palace, Lauriston castle, Scotland’s National Museum and in the evening we would take a tour at the Scotch whisky experience and find out what your palate is when it comes to Scotch. We would also hangout at my favorite bar in Edinburgh, The Bow Bar to explore over 300 bottles of Scotch. There are so many amazing restaurants and different cuisines that it really comes down to what your feeling, So let’s flip a coin and go for it.

We can finish the week by exploring the rest of Scotland, visiting castles like Stirling, playing a round of golf at St. Andrews, take some pictures at the Isle of Skye, Glencoe and of course throughout the journey we would explore breweries and distilleries along the way.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout to all the military leaders I have served with who taught me how to lead, train, fight and win. The values and principles I carry today is from these men and woman who I had the privilege to serve with. I also want to say thanks to everyone that supports my journey of Beer, Wine & Spirits. I couldn’t do this without each and everyone of you and I am grateful for your support.

Website: https://www.jeffbeerwinespirits.com/en/about

Instagram: @beer_wine_spirits

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beerwineandspirits/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgxh_okyMOVDR4vWpk_rVhg