[00:00:10] Ray Latif: Hey, folks, thanks for tuning in to Taste Radio, the number one podcast for the food and beverage industry. If you think you're hearing an echo, that's just Mike. I'm Ray Latif, the editor and producer of Taste Radio, and I'm with my co-hosts for this episode, Jacqui Brugliera, John Craven, and Mike Schneider. Just a reminder, if you like what you hear on Taste Radio, please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. And of course, we would love it if you could review us on the Apple Podcasts app or your listening platform of choice.
[00:00:39] Jacqui Brugliera: Memorized. Mike's losing it.
[00:00:40] Ray Latif: Everyone's kind of losing it, though. It's to be expected when we're doing these winter 2022 events, or at least our winter events here in sunny Santa Monica. It is sunny today, which is really nice. We also haven't done one of these, like, all of us in a room.
[00:00:55] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, we're, like, looking at each other. I know, this is weird.
[00:00:56] John Craven: In real life. I like it.
[00:01:00] Jacqui Brugliera: Possibly. Yeah, sitting behind the Airbnb.
[00:01:04] Ray Latif: Oh, yeah. Yeah. It was at the Airbnb outside. Yeah. But we are gathered here and have been gathered here since about we've been waiting for a week now, at least. I don't know what day it is. Yeah.
[00:01:14] John Craven: I think in prison is more the word I would use. I mean, not really complaining. I mean, it's great. You are the warden then. Yeah. Oh, I like that. You're going in the hole, Mike.
[00:01:24] Ray Latif: Or at least the inmate that everyone like has to listen to. Otherwise you're going to get shanked.
[00:01:30] John Craven: Hmm. I guess I can live with that.
[00:01:31] Ray Latif: Yeah. Warden or the head inmate. Yeah. No, in all seriousness, it's been great to be here in Santa Monica for Brewbound Live, Nosh Live, and BevNET Live. We've been talking about it for a long time, finally executing upon these events. The day of this recording is day one of BevNET Live, and we're just nearing the end of our programming, but the beginning of our networking like our happy hour and after party, et cetera. It's been a lot of fun. I mean, just starting with Brewbound on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, both really fun events. The stage content was just tremendous. I think, you know, once again, Justin, Jess, and Zoe, the editorial team behind Brewbound put together a fantastic agenda. I particularly enjoyed, as I always do, the Brewbound Pitch Slam. Some really interesting brands are a part of that, but congratulations to Sunboy which is a brand of sparkling Spiked Coconuts waters, which won the competition.
[00:02:28] Mike Schneider: I liked his brew-bound branded coconuts.
[00:02:31] Ray Latif: Yeah, really interesting story behind that brand. I really enjoyed hearing about how the founder and his team got their start or cut their teeth hosting illegal dance parties on the Brooklyn Bridge. And it was something that gave them... What does that even mean? Well, I mean, it's redundant, right? I mean, you don't really host like non-illegal or legal, that is, dance parties on Brooklyn Bridge.
[00:02:52] John Craven: I don't host anything on a bridge that's legal. I just meant more that I'm like, I don't know, just way not cool enough to even know what that means or know anyone who would ever do something like that. But you're a native New Yorker. How could you not be a part of that? Long Island?
[00:03:06] Ray Latif: I guess that's... Hanging out at the mall? I don't know. I'm more of the troll under the bridge, so... But yeah, I mean, it was interesting. I think it was like a really good sort of segue into, well, I mean, into Nosh Live, but really into BevNET Live in that you do see, continue to see this blurring of the lines between ALC and non-ALC brands. You know, Spiked, Sparkling Coconut Water really represents, I think, what a lot of consumers are looking for. you know, better for you ingredients, hydration in their alcoholic beverages, and also something that's a little bit lower calorie and lower ABV. I think Sunboy's 5% ABV. So good stuff there. And then yeah, on Thursday and Friday, we had Nosh Live. Tons of fun in that. That was a really good conference as well. Jackie, what did you enjoy most about Nosh?
[00:03:48] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, I mean, there was a great sense of community at Nosh, lots of great food brands. I also love the pitch land for Nosh sunny, which is reinventing, you know, the, the lunchable, the snackable products was really, really tasty and really interesting to see innovation in that category.
[00:04:04] Mike Schneider: It's great to see their evolution and to see them win the Pitch Slam. I also really liked Resist Nutrition, which it's funny to hear someone say, I'm going to Resist Nutrition when it's a hormone balanced bar, but really tasty stuff. They got a lot of great feedback on their label for what they can do to go to the next level, but I think that that bar has a shot. It's super tasty.
[00:04:26] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, there was a lot of big names on stage to talking about community and content creation. Emma Chamberlain, who is a big YouTuber with millions of followers, and then Rob Dyrdek, who people know from MTV and as a pro skateboarder, entering into the space and just talking about how they're taking their expertise and content community and bringing that into CPG.
[00:04:45] Ray Latif: Yeah, and unfortunately, not everyone could be at those events, but we do have a video of every single panel and presentation from Brewbound and from Nosh on the sites right now, I believe, right? I think our team turned it around right now. Get that insider. Exactly. Unfortunately, insiders only. The only way to watch that content is to be an insider, a Brewbound insider that is, or a BevNET and Nosh insider. Definitely well worth the price of admission, so to speak. $49 a month still? Okay, perfect. There you go.
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[00:06:05] Ray Latif: Now, it was interesting because we had a winner of the Brewbound competition called Sun Boy, and as you guys mentioned, a winner of the Nosh competition called Sunny. Now, the winner of our Cocktail Showdown competition was called Velvet Llama. Velvet Llama, yeah. No Sun in that name.
[00:06:22] Mike Schneider: No Sunny Llama. The closest we have in the Noob Ever Showdown would be Suns. Oh, sans, yes. Hold that thought for a second.
[00:06:28] Ray Latif: I was going to say, no velvet, no llamas, though. No, no velvet, no llamas. But congratulations to Luca Fourgeois, the founder of Velvet Llama, which makes some tremendous cocktails that really do taste like what you could get from a bar. They have a Moscow Mule, they have a Margarita, and they have a phenomenal Espresso Martini. And, you know, I think that's what he was hanging his hat on. someone who has worked as a mixologist, as a bartender in some of the top bars in the world, more specifically at Macau Trading Company, which is a well-known bar in New York City. And I think, you know, the judges in particular were impressed with packaging, with the liquid, of course, but also sort of the market opportunity for really great tasting beverages that are not, and very dissimilar from a lot of the things that we have been seeing, be calls ready to drink cocktails, whether they're vodka sodas or seltzer type products. These are legitimately cocktails and, you know, in line and on trend with what a lot of consumers are looking for. Great ingredients, great flavor, great packaging.
[00:07:35] Mike Schneider: There were so many that made me almost jump on the wagon too. Like I really enjoyed the pitch of Robin Road. I thought, you know.
[00:07:41] Ray Latif: Fantastic brand.
[00:07:42] Mike Schneider: coming from a background of working at Michelin star restaurant and then putting together these formulas. And everybody on stage seemed to really be into the liquid and seem to think they had a bright future. So that, that was a cool pitch to hear. Yeah.
[00:07:56] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah. It was great to see just full flavor quality cocktails. Cause we have seen lighter, lower calorie options, but I think a lot of judges were saying that a lot of consumers are looking to have that cocktail experience at home and they're looking to pour it into a glass and have that experience.
[00:08:12] Mike Schneider: 15.5%. They were not messing around.
[00:08:14] Ray Latif: No, they were not messing around.
[00:08:15] Jacqui Brugliera: No, high ABV.
[00:08:17] Ray Latif: Yeah, Al Caccino, a maker of coffee-centric beverages. Yeah, great taste. You probably don't need more than a couple for your evening. A couple of teas.
[00:08:25] Spiked Coconuts: A sip.
[00:08:25] Ray Latif: Yeah, yeah. Also really impressed with Spirited Hive, which is a honey-centric brand of cocktails. I believe they have three flavors. They're coming out with a Tom Collins flavor as well, which is something they mentioned on stage. The judges are really impressed with the presentation, the business strategy, and the liquid itself as well. So all in all, I thought the Cocktail Showdown, this being the third iteration of it, was another great example of how more and more people are interested in this space and willing to differentiate and attempting to differentiate from what we've seen over the past two years. It also, you know, it was really interesting to see how many people were in the room. What a crowd.
[00:09:00] Jacqui Brugliera: Oh my gosh. Standing room only.
[00:09:02] Ray Latif: Yeah, we held that cocktail track. Well, it was a panel of investors and operators prior to the Cocktail Showdown in the Palisades room at the hotel here. Yeah, jam-packed. I think we had 300 people in there. The way it was standing room. Yeah, yeah. And same for the Cocktail Showdown. So exciting stuff, exciting times. More spirits-related content at BevNET Live here on day one as part of our breakout sessions and beyond. I am caffeinated to the max drinking. coffee, energy shots, juice shots.
[00:09:35] Mike Schneider: I had like 35 comateers.
[00:09:37] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah.
[00:09:38] Mike Schneider: I had some comateers. I'm also had more than my fair share of Remedy Organics. They should just put me on a Remedy Organics IV or the other IV, which is BioLite, has been saving my life at this event. I mean, I feel like, you know, since it's so dry here in Santa Monica and the whole team has been talking about how dry it is and can't drink enough water. Can't even open my eyes. These are here, they're crusted open. Oh God. What an image for our audience, Mike.
[00:10:06] John Craven: As I'm talking about someone's beverage, BioLite, save it in the show for me. Just to paint the picture, Ray can't open his eyes either. He's been at JJ for like eight nights in a row. His eyes are so red and he's on the floor right now. Yes.
[00:10:22] Mike Schneider: I know that's not true for a fact because Ray Adam Stern actually invited me to Bestia one night and got to be Ray's sister. What a wonderful time that was. Thank you, Ray.
[00:10:30] Ray Latif: Of course. Yeah, that was a really fun night. I only got to Shay J once this time. Actually, no, maybe twice, but just in time to see. We have a couple more nights. Unfortunately, Shay J's closed on Mondays.
[00:10:43] Jacqui Brugliera: What? Darn it. So not tonight. Apparently not.
[00:10:45] Ray Latif: No, that's what Stern told me anyway. He was already looking. I'm sure he got it from the internet. You know, and the internet is, they're right about everything. So yeah. Geez, what are we going to do tonight? Well, we do have our happy hour. We do have our after party. So there's that. There's that.
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[00:11:51] Ray Latif: Day one was exciting on so many levels. I thought, in particular, again, our New Beverage Showdown showcased this sort of contemporary beverage scene in so many ways with everything from, you know, NFT-centric brands to women-backed and mission-driven tea brands, as in Aeratea specifically, a lot of alcohol alternative brands, including Sambas. So exciting times.
[00:12:19] Mike Schneider: I mean, it's... I liked both of those for different reasons too. Sanz was just like, I could drink that all day. And Bon Buzz was super complex and fun. And, and you just, the only thing about it was you had no idea what was going to happen when you drink it because of the flavors. said nothing about what was in the vessel. So it's like, you know, the founder, Faye, she's really cool and fun. And I think she has a good idea there.
[00:12:42] Ray Latif: Yeah. I saw in your conversation with Kelly Criswell from Mudge, she posted on Instagram, that was her favorite beverage. She really liked it a lot.
[00:12:49] Mike Schneider: She can't wait to talk to her. So she's definitely gonna get the help she needs to go next level.
[00:12:53] Ray Latif: Yeah, absolutely. And I did really enjoy hearing from Mike Cesario, who, of course, is the founder of Liquid Death. Liquid Death is the brand of the year for BevNET. And I pointed out when he came up on stage, he didn't happen to mention that he didn't make it to the next round. I mentioned that I said, you know, here is the founder of our brain year. And one time semi finalists of the new beverage showdown, Mike Cesario, he seemed okay with that. I think, you know, at this point, you're
[00:13:22] Mike Schneider: He uses it from time to time to talk about how he didn't make it to the next round.
[00:13:27] Ray Latif: It's funny. I mean, Sandro was the same thing. Sandro Rogo from Sanzo. We were talking with him today. He was talking about the same thing. Another person who didn't make it to the finals of the New Beverage Showdown. And again, look where he is.
[00:13:38] Mike Schneider: That one I fought for, FYI. As opposed to Liquid Death, where you're like, put that under the rug, that's not going anywhere. He's got Gary Vaynerchuk, give me a break.
[00:13:47] Ray Latif: But speaking about Sandro and having an opportunity to meet with Mike, it was like, it's great because these are the opportunities you have. to network and meet with all these people that you hear about, that you want to have conversations with, that you want to learn from. It's all happening here. All the things that we've been talking about for like the last six months are like actually coming to fruition. And they always will, because this is the place to be to have those conversations. Now, as much as I would like to cuddle up with my little toy soft llama that Luca from Velvet Llama gave me on stage, he was holding it. And then as he's stepping off stage, he's like, Ray, I want you to have this. And I'm like, really? And I put it under my arm and I've been holding it. I didn't sleep with it last night. This is getting a little too GMI. It's getting weird. It's getting weird. I mean, I'm almost wishing for soccer talk, Ray.
[00:14:44] John Craven: What happens when raise what do you call it a team a club whatever yeah when they're like on a break for this world I do wanna I do want to put a picture of this.
[00:14:53] Ray Latif: Maybe we'll put a picture of this on Only if it's with you Yeah, well, of course, if you got to be like snuggling it so people can know what I'm talking about. Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is I would like to be snuggling with this and going to bed. But there's still a whole nother day. Well, another half day. That is today and a whole nother day of that night is young. Yeah. So quite a bit to do, which means we're going to sign off for now. But Thank you to everyone who's listening. Thank you to all our listeners who have joined us at Brew Brown Live, at Nosh Live, at BevNET Live. It's been so amazing seeing you. Thank you for all the nice compliments you've given us about Taste Radio. Please continue to listen and let us know how you enjoyed, hopefully, the events as well.
[00:15:36] Mike Schneider: Thanks for making it the number one podcast for the food and beverage industry.
[00:15:40] Jacqui Brugliera: And thanks for hosting all our competitions.
[00:15:42] Ray Latif: I really enjoy doing that. But I keep telling you, Jackie, if you ever want to, you know, host one of these competitions, I'm happy to pass the torch.
[00:15:51] Jacqui Brugliera: Coming for you.
[00:15:51] Ray Latif: And Ray, thanks for inviting me to best you on Saturday night.
[00:15:54] John Craven: Oh, I thought you were at Universal Studios.
[00:15:58] Ray Latif: I was. I'm just kidding. All right, as always, thank you so much for listening. For questions, comments, ideas for future podcasts, please send us an email to askatasteradio.com. Our audio engineer for Taste Radio is Joe Cracci, our technical director is Joshua Pratt, and our video editor is Ryan Galang. I love those guys. Signing off for the entire Taste Radio team, I'm Ray Latif, and we'll talk to you next time.
