South Carolina Business Review

Lowcountry drink mix company sees explosive growth

By Mike Switzer

Published January 28, 2026 at 6:30 AM EST

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MariElena and Joe Raya, cofounders of Bittermilk in Charleston, SC

The last time we interviewed our next guest, they had just started bottling and selling their pre-made cocktail mixes and they still owned a popular bar in town. Now, several years later, they have sold the bar and their cocktail mix business has skyrocketed, selling all over the country. Mike Switzer interviews Joe Raya, cofounder of Bittermilk in Charleston, SC.

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

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