After Health Scare, Levin Launches Beverage Biz

Eric Levin was born with polycystic kidney disease, inherited from his late mother, which is a disease that decreases kidney function to the point of requiring dialysis or transplant.

In 2015, Levin’s kidney function was down to eight percent, and he could barely muster enough energy to make it through the late afternoon each day. His time for a transplant had arrived. As did his decision to break into the brewing business.

“Post-transplant while working at McKesson, I developed a thirst for beer. There were many new emerging breweries and beer styles coming up during this time; and I made it a point to travel around the country and try everything I could.  I quickly realized how many great beers [there are] in other states that we didn’t have access to in Georgia.”

Researching his next marketing move, he concluded that being a beer distributor would allow him to bring beer into the state “to share with communities. I wanted all the people of Georgia to get access to the best beer made.”

Thus, Modern Hops was born. Starting with one local brewery, Cherry Street, he learned the industry and built a business model. He said, “I personally find brands I want to sell or think consumers would love.”

They sell craft beer, wine, spirits, mead made with honey wine or fermented honey with fruit, also the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage.

For his career as an executive in health care strategy at McKesson, Levin traveled the country helping hospital and primary care accounts transition from a fee for service model to value-based reimbursement. He explained, “This was basically changing the way physicians were paid and incentivizing them financially for positive and healthy patient outcomes.”

Levin does not claim to be an expert on brewing or distilling. He answers to being an expert on “knowing what consumers want and staying ahead of the industry trends. I have very carefully created an elite beverage portfolio that cannot be rivaled. We sell and promote the best of the best.”

In 2023, he brought THC hemp beverages into the state, a healthy, non-alcohol alternative and stated, “This is why we have the hemp beverage application on our website, as we are encouraging retailers to get a license and bring these drinks in.”

He said, “THC seltzers are made with very low dose THC and sometimes CBD giving consumers a low-calorie alcohol alternative. They are made from Delta-9 THC which gives consumers a mellow, uplifting vibe. There is no hangover or weight gain associated with these drinks like there is alcohol. There is also no psychoactive component like marijuana. Some are seltzers while others are made with fruit juice. A few brands I recommend are BLNCD, Cycling Frog, and Torch.”

Modern Hops’ warehouse/office is located in Alpharetta. This is their fourth warehouse as the demand for space increases since starting out of Levin’s garage. They now have 24 full-time employees and send six trucks out per day. In addition to drivers, they have warehouse staff and sales reps who interface with retailers – liquor stores, grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. Currently, they only serve Georgia.

Bottom line per Levin, “Georgia is not sophisticated and still behind the times in the F&B world. It is part of my mission to change this. A lot of this is due to antiquated laws and large beverage distributors Budweiser and Miller who use ‘pay to play’ tactics to put their subpar products everywhere. These methods bury the premier products being put out by smaller suppliers. We want consumers to have choices when they go to the store or out to eat. All these companies do is limit the options.”

Levin grew up in Burke, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. He moved to Alpharetta at 13, attended Chattahoochee High School, and later graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern. His family helped start Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell, where he is a member and his two sons attended preschool.  His mom was also a teacher there before her death in 2021.