Business of Drinks

What does it actually take to win — and keep — placement inside one of the largest hospitality systems in the world?In this episode, we sit down with Gary Gruver, Director of Global Beverage Strategy at Marriott International, who helps shape beverage programs across 30+ brands, 130+ countries, and a system approaching 10,000 hotels.If you’ve ever thought, “If we could just get into Marriott,” this conversation might change your thinking, because there is no single “Marriott.” There are fundamentally different business models — from luxury properties like Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to high-volume select-service concepts — each with its own economics, velocity expectations, and operational constraints.And, as Gary shares, most brands underestimate what happens after placement.It turns out that getting on the menu is maybe 20% of the work. The rest is execution — distribution, inventory reliability, training, and boots-on-the-ground activation. Without that, even great liquid disappears.Key insights:🔶 Why “getting into Marriott” is the wrong goalEach tier — luxury, premium, select — requires a different product, story, and service model. In select-service, drinks need to be made in under 60 seconds. In luxury, it’s about theater and storytelling.🔶 The real KPIs are velocity and operational reliabilityOut-of-stocks, weak distributor alignment, or lack of sales support will kill a brand’s placement. If a product can’t be consistently ordered and sold, it becomes a liability.🔶 Placement does not equal success — activation doesMarriott doesn’t “sell your brand” for you. Without education, bartender engagement, and ongoing programming, even standout products stall.🔶 How emerging brands can break in (without scale)Start local, build traction at a single property, and over-communicate wins. Then expand regionally. Corporate programs follow proven demand — not the other way around.🔶 Back bar math: What gets cut (and why)Shelf space is finite. Slow movers get displaced. New products win only if they outperform on velocity or bring a compelling new POV.At its core, this episode is about operational excellence. Hospitality is one of the most demanding environments for a beverage brand. If you can win here, you’re not just visible, you’re viable.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineSubscribe to the Business of Drinks channel for more insights on how brands, retailers, and operators are unlocking growth across beverages. And please rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners. Thank you!

What happens when you rebuild French wine from scratch — without appellations, without traditional grapes, and without the assumption that younger consumers care about either?In this episode, we sit down with Antonin Bonnet, co-founder of Pierre & Antonin, a fast-growing French wine brand scaling a very specific idea: Natural wine at a true mass-premium price point.The numbers and positioning are what make this story compelling. Pierre & Antonin produced ~350,000 bottles last year and is targeting ~400,000 this year, expanding across 20+ export markets. But the real unlock is how they got there — by rethinking everything from grape selection to packaging to brand storytelling.At the core is a contrarian bet: Hybrid “resistant” grape varieties. Long dismissed by the traditional wine industry, these grapes dramatically reduce vineyard inputs — less spraying, lower labor, lower cost — enabling the brand to hit a $15–$20 price point while maintaining margins.That economic model is paired with a sharp read on the consumer. Their average drinker is 26–27 years old — a cohort that prioritizes taste, price, sustainability, and story over varietal pedigree or appellation.And critically, the business is built around velocity, not tradition:Product-market fit: Pet Nat was the breakout SKU, driving ~60% of volume globallyRetail unlock: Landing Trader Joe’s doubled revenue and validated U.S. national demandGo-to-market: Instagram collaborations outperform paid ads for reaching urban Gen Z consumersBrand strategy: Simplified labels and back-label education reduce friction at shelfThere’s also a deeper industry question running through this conversation: Is wine overbuilt for the next generation?While the trade debates appellations and varietal purity, Pierre & Antonin is building for accessibility — in price, in messaging, and in experience. The result is a brand that’s growing by aligning sustainability with economics, not just storytelling.For drinks founders, this episode is a case study in identifying white space, challenging category assumptions, and designing a business model that actually works at scale.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

Katie Dunn, Principal at Masthead Strategies and active angel investor in consumer brands, breaks down how early-stage investors truly evaluate beverage companies. She discusses capital needs, clean cap tables, realistic raise sizes, founder qualities that matter, and common structural mistakes that kill deals. Practical, candid, and focused on what makes a drinks brand investable.

What happens when a small experimental wine project turns into one of the most recognizable brands in the grocery store?In this episode of Business of Drinks, we sit down with John Anthony Truchard, Founder and CEO of John Anthony Wine & Spirits, the company behind Butter Wines.What began as a 1,000-case experiment in 2009 has grown into a brand approaching 800,000 cases annually, with Butter itself scaling to more than $85 million in revenue. At one point, the brand controlled roughly 18% of the $15–$20 Chardonnay segment in the U.S. — an extraordinary share in a crowded category.Even more unusual: The brand achieved that scale without outside investment. Instead of venture capital, Truchard relied on bank financing, disciplined inventory management, and one “north star” signal — strong consumer pull.As he explains in this episode, aggressively scaling Butter wasn’t the riskiest decision he made. It was the least risky because the wine kept selling out in the markets where it launched.We unpack how Butter found its market seam by delivering a rich, barrel-style Chardonnay at a price point between mass brands like Kendall-Jackson and premium players like Rombauer. Truchard also explains how the company engineered a premium flavor profile at scale, and how he started with small, scrappy distributors before transitioning to national distribution with Southern Glazer’s and RNDC.Along the way, he shares candid lessons about growth — including the risks of locking in long-term grape contracts during boom years and how those decisions create difficult adjustments when the market softens.Finally, we discuss the company’s structured approach to innovation. Instead of chasing trends, the team follows a disciplined process — evaluation, innovation, execution, iteration — and then decides whether to accelerate a product or retire it.That framework has already produced Butter Light, now one of the fastest-growing light Chardonnays, and Butter Zero, which launched with 18,000 points of distribution before its first release.For founders and operators, this episode is a masterclass in scaling a drinks brand with focus, discipline, and the confidence to double down when the market says yes.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

Miranda Breedlove, Hyatt Beverage Director who built beverage programs across 70+ lifestyle properties, walks through how big hotel groups choose and scale drink brands. She discusses distribution as the first gate, piloting in a few properties, the power of local rep support, experiential activations, and trends like zero-proof and a martini revival.

In an era of low-and-no headlines, one contrarian wine brand leaned into flavor high ABV. It scaled to 2.5 million cases in just three years.In this episode of Business of Drinks, Erica sits down with Kaitlin Silva, Director of National Accounts at Tri-Vin Wines & Spirits, to unpack how XXL went from roughly 85,000 cases in its first year (2023) to 2.5 million cases in 2025, while much of wine was flat or declining.The story isn’t just about virality; it’s about execution.XXL didn’t start by winning Walmart. It was built in independent markets first - including roughly 100,000 cases in Maryland and about 300,000 cases in New York in year two. Consumers were actively looking for the brand. That pull-through gave Tri-Vin leverage when approaching national chains. Kaitlin offers a rare inside look at how national accounts actually function, with two reset windows a year and six-to-eight-month feedback loops. It’s a “hurry up and wait” cycle where you’re pitching into fall’s reset before knowing your spring results. We also discuss how data is the real language of chains. Kaitlin talks about living in SKU rankings, flavor segmentation, and state-by-state performance slicing. As she says, you may not be top 100 overall - but you might be top 5 within a specific subsegment in that region, and that’s the conversation that opens doors.Perhaps most interesting for trade listeners: Velocity is currently winning over pure margin optimization. Many chains are focused on moving units and driving incremental shoppers in a value-conscious environment. XXL’s ability to turn - and to bring new consumers into the wine aisle - has been central to its expansion.If you’re building a beverage brand, pitching national accounts, or trying to understand where wine’s real growth pockets are emerging, this episode offers perspective on how independents create momentum, how data earns scale, and why sometimes the biggest opportunity comes from zigging while everyone else zags.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

What does “smart money” actually mean in beverage — especially in one of the most capital-intensive categories in CPG?In this sponsored episode, we sit down with Karen Xiang, Investment Lead at Btomorrow Ventures, the corporate venture arm backed by British American Tobacco. And we go deep into how corporate venture capital is evolving — and what it really means for founders building functional and full-size beverage brands today.Btomorrow Ventures (BTV) is not a traditional VC fund. With a £150M first fund and a newly launched £200M second fund, BTV is investing across “better brands” and “better habits” — with a particular focus in the U.S. on full-size functional beverages and functional snacks. But capital is only part of the story.Karen explains how BTV’s new in-house growth platform is designed to unlock operating leverage — connecting portfolio brands to distribution pilots, commercialization support, data analytics, and internal expertise inside a global FMCG infrastructure.For founders, this episode is an insightful discussion about:•  What corporate venture capital (CVC) actually is — and how it differs from traditional VC•  What to ask before taking strategic capital•  Why beverage remains a difficult category for many VCs — and what that means for your cap table•  How to think about partnering with strategics without becoming “the last fry on the truck”Karen also offers a thoughtful framework for avoiding trend-chasing in drinks. In a world of protein pivots and format fads, she argues that fundamentals — consumer clarity, occasion ownership, distribution sequencing — still win over time.For investors, we explore how BTV thinks about co-investing rather than competing — and why having a strategic partner on the cap table can accelerate growth across the entire syndicate.If you’re a founder navigating functional beverage, a co-investor evaluating corporate capital, or an operator thinking about long-term category shifts, this episode offers a rare inside look at how one of the industry’s more nuanced CVC models is building in the U.S.As always, we focus on the mechanics of growth — not just the headline numbers, but how brands actually scale.Listen in for a grounded, strategic conversation about capital, distribution, and the future of value-add investing in drinks.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

What does it take to turn a 1,500-acre family orchard into the second-largest cider company in the U.S.?In this episode of Business of Drinks, Caroline sits down with Andrew Blake, Founder and CEO of Blake’s Beverage Company, to unpack how a seasonal agricultural business evolved into a national beverage platform selling just over 2 million cases annually across 44 states.Blake’s began with a barn renovation and a tasting room designed to smooth out harvest-driven revenue. Six months later, a distributor knocked — and Andrew had to learn distribution on the fly. The move changed the trajectory of the company, but not without cost.For founders, this is a grounded look at what scaling through the three-tier system actually requires. Andrew shares how the business was profitable in direct-to-consumer agritainment — then lost money entering distribution. The takeaway: Distribution is a long game, with upfront margin compression, trade spend, and capital intensity that many underestimate.We also dig into the mechanics of growth. Blake’s expanded from a 5,000-square foot facility to a multi-plant footprint in Michigan, New York, Texas, and Oregon to de-risk apple supply and mitigate crop volatility. Today, the company manages roughly 200 distributors and nearly 200 beverage-focused employees within a broader 1,100-person enterprise.Two hero SKUs anchor the portfolio: Triple Jam (~350,000 cases projected this year) and American Apple (~300,000 cases and accelerating). Andrew’s view aligns with broader data: Younger consumers are drinking less volume but seeking more flavor and impact — and cider’s flavor-forward profile is resonating.Category-wise, cider still accounts for under 3% of beer share in the U.S., compared to 7–8% in more mature markets. Andrew believes there’s room to expand — through premiumization on one end and new value plays, including a more aggressive push into convenience, on the other.We also explore Blake’s roll-up strategy with Austin Eastciders and Avid Cider, and Andrew’s caution to founders eyeing acquisitions: Cut synergy projections in half and assume everything will take longer than planned.If you’re building in beverage — especially in a capital-intensive, agricultural category — this episode offers real insight on distribution strategy, capital discipline, and earning mindshare at scale.Because as Andrew puts it: There’s no finish line. The job just gets bigger.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

What does it actually take to build a non-alcoholic spirit that the bar world respects?In this episode of Business of Drinks, Chris Abbott, co-founder of The Pathfinder, walks us through how the NA brand scaled to more than 20,000 nine-liter cases in 2025 — up over 80% year-over-year — by doing something many emerging brands skip: Earning credibility on-premise first.From Day One, The Pathfinder wasn’t positioned around what it doesn’t have. Instead, the team spent two years developing a fermented and distilled hemp-seed base, layered with 20 botanicals, so bartenders could treat it like a real spirit. Their key insight? If you want back-bar respect, build like a spirits brand — not a wellness brand.Chris shares why they went after the hardest accounts first — bars you can’t buy your way into — and how landing 50 to 100 serious on-premise placements before leaning on distributors changed the entire conversation. As he observes, case studies are helpful, but visible traction in elite accounts is what turns heads inside distribution (and for consumer brand awareness).He’s also transparent about what really motivates distributor partners. It’s not just growth charts. It’s whether reps believe they can make money selling the brand. Once that clicks, velocity follows.We talk about the unexpected upside of scarcity (including an early COVID-era stockout that created outsized buzz), why the company resisted the typical CPG urge to launch multiple SKUs too early, and how RTDs were introduced later as a smart trial and versatility play — not as a distraction from the core bottle.Retail expansion through Total Wine and Whole Foods became another proof point. When Pathfinder started selling in markets where the founders weren’t personally hand-selling or training staff, that’s when they knew product-market fit had moved beyond the echo chamber.At its core, this is a conversation about disciplined growth. Chris returns again and again to fundamentals: Unit economics, profitable scaling, and earning the right to expand into new states and new channels.If you’re building in non-alc, spirits, THC, functional, or any emerging drinks category where credibility with the trade matters, this episode offers a replicable blueprint for how to do it — and how to scale without losing focus.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

What looks like a novelty on the shelf can be a very real business when the fundamentals are right.In this episode of Business of Drinks, we sit down with John King, co-founder and owner of The Original Pickle Shot, to unpack how a bartender-born ritual turned into a nationally scaled spirits brand.The numbers tell the story. The Original Pickle Shot is now selling roughly 110K 9-liter cases annually, growing ~15% year over year, and ranks as the 10th largest flavored vodka in the U.S. — all without outside investment. What many assume is a niche product is, in reality, a high-velocity business driven by occasion, community, and repeat purchase.John walks through what product-market fit actually looked like for the brand — not hype or marketing spend, but watching depletions rise organically as consumers pulled the product through retail. Early success came off-premise first, with 50 mL bottles driving trial and 750 mLs becoming the fastest-growing format as the brand earned its place in party and tailgate occasions.For founders, this episode is a candid look at the trade-offs of staying self-funded. John shares how reinvesting every dollar back into the business forced discipline around expansion, prevented “false volume,” and slowed state rollouts until the company had the operational backbone to support them. The cost: Years of personal sacrifice and saying no to capital. The benefit: Control, speed of decision-making, and sustainable velocity.Distributors and retailers will appreciate John’s clear-eyed take on partnerships — why beer vs. spirits houses matter less than alignment on expectations and margins — and how fun, irreverent brands still need hard data to win shelf space.If you’re building, selling, or scaling a drinks brand and want a grounded example of how a so-called niche becomes a category leader, this conversation delivers real-world lessons.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!