Episodes

This week on the podcast, the hosts discussed their smash-and-grab introduction to AriZona’s new line of hard teas, a Ted Lasso sighting at BevNET Live and a category-defining victory for non-alcoholic cocktail brands. This episode also features an interview with Luke Holden, the founder and CEO of Luke’s Lobster, a vertically integrated and family-owned seafood company based in Saco, Maine.

Sweetgreen co-founder Nicolas Jammet spoke about how the mission-driven restaurant chain curates its offerings and designs new meals, how he evaluates CPG brands before adding them to the menu, utilizing technology to enhance productivity without compromising culture and lessons for new and emerging entrepreneurs about how to build a sustainable business.

On location at BevNET Live Summer 2023 in New York City, the hosts reflected on an exciting first day of the event, along with that of bar industry trade show Bar Convent Brooklyn, held on June 13 and 14. They also discussed an evening of cocktails with filmmaker and spirits entrepreneur Steven Soderbergh and a visit to Pop Up Grocer’s permanent location in Greenwich Village.

This week features a conversation with GN Chan, the founder of Double Chicken Please, a New York City bar widely recognized as one of the best in the world. As part of our interview, Chan explained his view of the bar as “a design and performance studio,” an innovative menu in which you “drink your food and eat your drink” and the regionality of non-alcoholic cocktail and spirit trends.

There’s big money flowing into emerging concepts… and we have the receipts. Within this episode, the hosts discussed canned wine, plant-based analogs of popular snacks and THC-centric brands. We also discussed influential trends and innovative products in the evolving world of mixology in interviews with past World Class US Bartenders of the Year Jessi Pollak and Adam Fournier along with James Beard-honored mixologist and author Kim Haasarud.

Farrah and Yassin Sibai, the co-founders of Mediterranean-inspired frozen food brand Afia, explained why they have long relied on self-manufacturing, the importance of emphasizing both brand and product awareness, the effectiveness of Instacart ads and instant redeemable coupons and how “the validity of the vision” propelled Afia’s Series A funding round.

What parallels exist between music, food and beverage and how can they inform entrepreneurs about innovation strategies? The hosts look to legendary music producer Rick Rubin for answers. We also discuss trends from behind the bar with the 2023 USBG World Class bartender of the year Renato Tonelli and Julie Reiner, the owner of world renowned NYC cocktail restaurants The Clover Club and Leyenda.

Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the co-founders of Poppi, spoke about the reasons behind better-for-you soda brand’s explosive growth and how the company is maintaining its torrid pace. They also discussed their transition into new roles, Poppi’s remarkable trial conversion and repeat purchase rates, Amazon as a key part of the company’s marketing strategy and why video is king on social media.

At what stage of development should brands consider aligning with a celebrity or athlete? How can companies assess the potential value and impact of those partnerships? The hosts shared their perspective on both topics, and also spoke about why niche brands might need to reconsider certain positioning and packaging callouts that have them collectively scratching their heads.