The Freedom Funnel Story

The idea was born in 2016. We had always been a fan of the Flabongo, but we knew there was room to make something bigger, bolder, and better. Mike teamed up with his brother-in-law Nate, and together they set out to reinvent the beer bong.

The vision shifted to something bigger. At first, the plan was to create team-based funnels—a tiger bong for LSU, the Bengals, or the Detroit Tigers. But as they ran through the most popular mascots, the eagle came up. That’s when everything changed. The vision shifted from just sports to something bigger: all of America.

We bootstrapped the development. With no deep pockets to fund development, they worked with a mechanical engineer in Estonia, tweaking model after model. Most improvements came from late-night brainstorms—and a bong hit or two. Mike handled the creative (right brain), Nate brought the logic (left brain), and together the formula worked.

The tweaks mattered:

  • A vortex pour that made chugging smoother and faster than any other funnel.
  • Car decals instead of paint for patriotic graphics, engraved into cavities so they’d never peel.
  • Textured details on the eagle for added realism and quality.
  • A curved beak that could crack cans and bottles.
  • A design that stood upright as patriotic barware when not in use.

We committed to Made in the USA. On July 4th, 2019, they officially purchased their mold—because what better day to launch Freedom? They chose North Canton, Ohio, close to Buffalo, for manufacturing. But when the product first launched, the world didn’t exactly care.

Bills Mafia became the first true believers. Mike brought Freedom Funnels to tailgates at the Twin Oaks lot in 2019, and game by game, they started spreading from car to car. By the end of the season, plenty of Bills fans had one. Then came the big break: Post Malone got his hands on a Freedom Funnel, and suddenly the party culture started paying attention.

2020 was the breakout year. At an ad convention in NYC, Mike met the founder of The Chive, sparking a partnership that made Freedom Funnel a top seller on Chivery. TikTok became the next rocket fuel—Nicky T went viral first, then TooTurntTony, StaleCracker, and countless creators followed. The vision of loving your damn country while partying was becoming reality.

We leaned into the chaos. That year, they released Trump and Biden Funnels. Unsurprisingly, Trump funnels outsold Biden’s by a landslide (only two Bidens ever sold). But political censorship bit hard: Facebook shut down the entire ad account because of the ties to Trump (same reason Facebook is getting sued today). They kept pushing anyway, selling Trump Funnels out of principle, and learning that freedom isn’t free.

The party went mainstream in 2021. It was the biggest 4th of July yet. Barstool posts and endless influencer collabs kept the brand hot. Fans even discovered that Freedom Funnels could make it into stadiums, fueling another wave of adoption. That same year, Mike and Nate launched Varsity Coolers under the Well Served LLC umbrella—another revolution in the making.

Then came the Joe Rogan bump. Redneck Reilly and Crowboy69 joined the family as loyal ambassadors, building a true community around the brand. But the moment that changed everything was when Shane Gillis pulled out a Freedom Funnel on Joe Rogan’s “Protect Our Parks.” Joe grabbed it, ripped a beer, and immediately understood: Freedom Funnel was better than shotgunning. From that episode on, Rogan, Gillis, Ari, and Mark kept bringing it back, and the brand exploded. People were sneaking them onto planes, pulling them out at every 4th of July, and the Freedom movement had gone mainstream.

Now, we’re gamifying the shotgun.  By 2023, the team was working on the next invention: Chug Roulette—the ultimate shotgun tool. A party pistol that pierced the perfect shotgun hole in a beer, but with a twist: you never knew when it would go off. Users could load cartridges to change the odds, adding true gamification to shotgunning. Safety was built in: the eagle design made it look less like a real gun, protective wings held the can, and the piercing tongue punched the perfect hole every time. After years of development, Chug Roulette officially launched in 2025, with shipments rolling out to customers that September.

We’ve come full circle. More recently, HBO’s Hard Knocks: Buffalo Bills brought the brand back to where it started, showcasing a Freedom Funnel at a tailgate.

And we are just getting started. 2026 will be packed with new inventions and collabs. The mission remains the same: make Well Served products as iconic to America as mullets, cold beer, cigarettes, big boobs, and freedom.

God bless you all.

Mike Novak - Founder of Freedom Funnel