Advertise on podcast: Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast

As the largest wine and spirits distributor in North America, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has a unique perspective on the US alcohol market. Senior leaders David Chaplin (Chief Growth Officer), John Wittig (Chief Commercial Officer), and Alan Wizeman (Chief Digital Officer) share their views on the health of the US alcohol market, consumer trends, distributor inventories, and the fast evolving world of business-to-business e-commerce.     Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services. 

Economic power duo Jane Foley and Christian Lawrence return to discuss the outlook for a recession, interest rates, inflation, and consumer spending and how these economic trends could impact food and beverage companies as we enter the new year.   Rabobank clients can sign up for our research via this link: research.rabobank.com. Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services. 

For the first time in more than a year, the Liquid Assets team gets to do a recording in the same room. They take turns picking news stories that speak to wider trends impacting the beverages industry. Rabobank clients can sign up for our research via this link: Research.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services.  

Bourbon has been booming for years, but that growth was preceded by a half century of hardship, hard work, and good luck that laid the groundwork for the soaring category we see today. Heaven Hill’s Max Shapira and Kate Latts lived through the good times and the bad. We tap that experience to understand the winding path that has led American whiskey to its current zenith and what more recent trends could mean for the future of this “distinctively” American spirit. Rabobank clients can sign up for our research via this link: Research.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services.

David Broughton, a journalist and director of research for Sports Business Journal, discusses the history of sports advertising, how it is evolving, and what recent changes to the industry mean for building brands on the back of humanity’s most beloved pastimes.   Rabobank clients can sign up for our research via this link: Research.Rabobank.com   Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services.

With one of our favorite guests, consumer foods specialist Maria Castroviejo, and one of our favorite formats (a draft!), we debate the strategies that will drive beverage M&A deals over the next 12 to 18 months.     Rabobank clients can read our report The New Deal Environment by logging in to our website.  Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services.

Margie Lehrman, CEO of the American Craft Spirits Association, and Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association, team up to discuss the winds of change blowing through the craft industry. Not long ago, the seas of craft beer and spirits were all smooth sailing as operators expanded into new, undiscovered territory. As costs rise, consumers shrug, and investors start to feel uneasy, many craft operators have been forced to batten down the hatches and rethink their long-term strategy, lest they should be blown off course. 

Steve and Jim invite Liquid Assets listeners to join them in congratulating Bourcard for becoming a father… on Father’s Day. Congrats Buki!!!

There are two major ways that beverage companies are changing their ingredients to fight inflation. Some brands are looking to cut costs by replacing their more expensive ingredients with cheaper ones. Others brands are developing new products or modifying existing products to increase revenues by adding more functional ingredients or making healthier versions of those products. We are joined by John Kelly and Paul Villis from the Kerry Group. They help us better understand what drives these decisions and share their experiences from helping brands manage this process.

As the big get bigger, many new brands and foreign brands are wondering how to get attention in the massive and complicated US distribution landscape? Sara Harmelin, Vice President – Digital & Innovation at Allied Beverage Group, and Michael Bilello, Executive Vice President – Strategic Communications & Marketing at WSWA, are both part of Access Craft, a program from WSWA to help smaller and new-to-market brands navigate the three-tier system and get the most of out their distributors. They share some success stories, best practices, and sage advice on finding success in the US market. 

We sit down with Danny Wirtz, vice chairman and a fourth-generation family leader at Breakthru Beverage Group, to discuss M&A, the digitalization of distribution, and how brands can work better with distributors in this time of uncertainty. Breakthru has a larger beer business than most other wine and spirits distributors, giving Danny unique insights into why some wine and spirits brands are choosing to work with beer wholesalers. 

Tom Cole (Chairman) and Francis Creighton (President and CEO) help lead Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA). We sat down with Tom and Francis at WSWA’s annual conference, Access LIVE, to kick off our series on US distribution. They share their views on industry trends, competition, and their legislative agenda for the year ahead.