MAFFEO DRINKS: The Lab

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In Episode 034, I spoke to Gaetano Chiavetta. He heads UK & Italy On-trade at Everleaf Drinks | B Corp. He has previously worked for Global Brands and brings Bar Manager and Bartender experience from several On-trade venues in London. I hope you will enjoy our chat. Time Stamps (2:26); Building Demand (7:46); Targeting Via Wholesalers (17:17); Building Systems For Connection (26:28); Value of The Cocktail Menu (29:58); Do The Homework (39:10); Growing Beyond Your Home Market (42:12); Contact Gaetano About The Host: Chris Maffeo About The Guest: Gaetano Chiavetta This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In Episode 033, I continued the conversation I had in episode 032 with Julian Marsili. He is a Global Drinks Brand Director who has many years of experience in the drinks business. He is behind the successful global rejuvenation of the Carlsberg brand, the launch of Alcohol-Free brews and other Portfolio Innovations. He has previously managed Peroni Nastro Azzurro in Italy. I hope you will enjoy our chat. This is a two part-episode, so Don't forget to listen to episode 032 as well. I hope you will enjoy our chat. Time Stamps (00:35); The Bottom-up Trade (02:45); Target Spaces (07:23); Recovering Brand Essence (12:24); Marketeer Disconnection From Trade (19:57); 1% Everyday (25:30); Distinctiveness Vs Differentiation This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In Episode 032, I enjoyed speaking to my friend and ex-colleague Julian Marsili. He is a Global Drinks Brand Director with many years of experience in the drinks business. He is behind the successful rejuvenation of the Carlsberg brand globally, the launch of Alcohol-Free brews and other Portfolio Innovations. He has previously managed Peroni Nastro Azzurro in Italy. I hope you will enjoy our chat. This is a 2 part-episode so Don't forget to listen to episode 033 as well. I hope you will enjoy our chat. Time Stamps (1:38); Brand Saliency (11:57); Maintaining Basics (17:05); Disconnected From Product (24:31); Demand Space Vs Target About the Host About the Guest This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In episode 031, Chris Maffeo had the honor of meeting in person with Joonas Mäkilä, a close friend and Co-founder of Mother's Milk Beverages, a Spirits Company based in Finland. He is a Finnish Commercial Advisor with two decades of experience in FMCG multinationals, private equity-backed hospitality groups, and other industries. We hope you will enjoy their chat. This is a video episode if you watch it on Spotify. About the Host: Chris Maffeo About the Guest: Joonas Mäkilä Time Stamps (2:00); Lingoncello Launch (9:10); Breaking Into Outlets (11:50); Taking Advantage of The Back Bar (13:50); A Outlet Owner's View of Attempted Sales (18:38); Small & Big Brands (28:45); Brand Stories (38:00); Target Occasion > Target Consumer (40:20); Expand Or Focus Distribution (50:00) Win at Home (57:00); Internal Competition (1:02:35); Cash Efficiency This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In episode 030, I had the pleasure of talking to Paul Thomas. He is the Global Head of Shopper Insights at Beam Suntory. He has previously worked for Asahi International, Diageo, Ferrero, and Ipsos. He has an incredible global experience in Drinks Industry Insights. It was a pleasure to discuss it with such pragmatism and common sense. I hope you will enjoy our chat (00:50); Insights in the Field(13:43); Adapting to Market Conditions(19:40); Chasing Trends; A Very Bad Idea(23:30); Why Do We Have To Chase Gen Z?(34:26); What A Bar Tender Needs To Know About Your Brand(36:18); Penetration Vs Spread(42:47); How Much Localization Is Good?(51:25); Bridging Categories(55:47); Insights At The Bar Level About The Host: Chris Maffeo About The Guest: Paul Thomas This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In Episode 029, I had the pleasure of chatting to Brian Rosen. He is the Chairman of Growth Beverage and Founder of InvestBev, Sprout Beverage, Bev Strat and Algoma Capital. He has decades of experience in building drinks brands in the US. He gave us incredible insights about the dynamics of the US market. I hope you will enjoy our chat. Time Stamps (5:08) How To Spend Money Effectively(12:28) Building Demand Effectively(15:04) Home Court Advantage(18:39) Doing The Boring Stuff(27:35) Running Out of Money(31:25) Breaking Into The US(40:00) Demand Generation About the Guest: Brian Rosen This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In Episode 028, I had the pleasure of chatting with Duncan McRae, Co-founder of Woven Whisky and a Drinks industry veteran, having previously worked with William Grant's & Sons and Diageo. A living example of Building Brands Bottom Up. I hope you enjoy our chat. Main Topics Discussed: (00:00) Building Demand (03:08) Brand Awareness (08:58) Managing Relationships (10:44) KPI's & Incentives (13:46) "Blue Tick Moments": Becoming Known in the Ecosystem (15:40) Bottle Shops vs. On-Trade Growth (26:46) It starts with the liquid (32:00) Adapting Your Sales Pitch (37:52) Better Brand Training (44:35) Taste Profile before categories (52:00) Special Pours & Drawbacks About the Host: Chris Maffeo About the Guest: Duncan McRae About the product: Woven This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  In episode 027 I had the honor of interviewing Steven Grasse. He is the founder of the renowned agency Quaker City Mercantile and of Tamworth Distilling. He is a legend in the drinks industry, having created brands such as Hendrick's gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, and having crafted great rebirths such as Pilsner Urquell, Guinness, and Miller High Life. I hope you will enjoy our chat.Main Topics Discussed:0 to 1 Bottle:- Differentiating Liquid- Why Not to Chase Trends- Bridging Categories through Taste Profile1 Bottle to 1 Case:- Building a Rich Brand World- The Importance of Rituals- Choosing Partners & Distributors1 Case to 1 Pallet- On, Off-Trade and State Monopolies- Institutional Knowledge- Award ShowAbout The Host: Chris MaffeoAbout The Guest: Steven Grasse This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  This is the second part of the chat with Maurice Doyle, CEO of Compass Box Whisky. He is a business coach and brings 3 decades of industry experience, having held senior leadership roles at Bacardi, William Grant & Sons and Suntory. I hope you will enjoy our chat. Main Topics Discussed:0 to 1 Bottle -Figuring out pricing -Back bar analysis -Targeting the right bars 1 Bottle to 1 Case -Cocktail opportunities in bars -Strengthening customer-brand relationships (Love & Money) -Creating volume focused KPIs 1 Case to 1 Pallet -Beyond the back bar -Ironing out the value chain -Incentivizing your value chain About the Host: Chris Maffeo About the Guest: Maurice Doyle This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary  This is the first part of the chat with Maurice Doyle. He's the CEO of Compass Box Whisky. He's a coach and brings three decades of industry experience, having held senior leadership roles at Bacardi, William Grant and Sons and Suntory. I hope you will enjoy our chat. Main Topics Discussed: From 0 to 1 Bottle - Conceiving of your brand - Differentiating yourself - Why people drink From 1 Bottle to 1 Case - Building Demand Efficiently - The importance of repeat consumers - The value of On-Trade From 1 Case to 1 Pallet - Expanding your drinks range - The power of consistency - Always think of the second sale About the Host: Chris Maffeo About the Guest: Maurice Doyle This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. Celebrate with us our 3rd anniversary with a special 30% off forever at maffeodrinks.com/anniversary