In this episode, we hear from Kim McKinnish SVP and COO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) to talk about the future of beer. 

Kim shares insights on the current state of the industry, the power of advocacy, and key NBWA initiatives including the BREW Initiative, the Next Generation of Leaders Group, and the Beer First Campaign. 

Our conversation explores how leadership, relationships, and culture drive stronger businesses — and what distributors can do right now to build a healthier, more sustainable beer industry.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• An insider’s perspective on the current state of the beer industry and the biggest challenges and opportunities ahead
• What the BREW Initiative (Building Relationships & Empowering Women) is and how it’s helping develop talent across the industry
• Why empowering women and building inclusive cultures leads to stronger leadership teams and better business results
• The purpose behind NBWA’s Next Generation of Leaders Group and how it’s preparing future industry leaders
• The leadership skills and mindset shifts the next wave of beer professionals need to succeed
• An overview of the Beer Growth Initiative and NBWA’s Beer First Campaign
• Practical ways distributors and breweries can put the Beer First mindset into action in sales, marketing, and operations
• Kim’s outlook on where the beer industry is headed over the next 3–5 years
• Actionable takeaways for building better teams, better partnerships, and a stronger beer business

Do you need tips and strategies to improve cash flow in your beer business? 

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Packed with actionable tactics and best strategies you can implement right away to see real results on your income statement. 

Today, I’m joined by Julie Rhodes, co-founder of Kick Beverages and industry consultant with Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions. 

Julie and her team are making waves with Kick Fizz, a hemp-derived beverage that’s redefining how consumers think about social and functional drinks.

In this conversation, we dig into:

• The inspiration behind Kick Fizz and how Julie identified an opening for a hemp-derived beverage in today’s evolving market.
• How Kick Beverages positions itself in the space between beer and cannabis—and what that means for brand identity, compliance, and distribution.
• The science and art behind flavor formulation and dosage, and how Kick Fizz balances taste, experience, and safety.
• The unique challenges of consumer education in a category that’s still new to many drinkers.
• And finally, where Julie sees the future of THC beverages heading in the next few years—from retail placement to mainstream adoption.

It’s a fascinating look at innovation, regulation, and the business of bringing a completely new beverage category to market.

Want to learn more? Connect with [email protected]. 

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Financial results shouldn’t live only in the accounting office, they belong to every department. 

In this podcast, I'll share how beer wholesalers can build a culture of financial accountability by giving managers the tools, training, and systems to understand and own their numbers. 

You’ll learn how to provide financial literacy education, involve department leaders in high-involvement planning, and run regular financial huddles that turn data into action. 

The result: smarter decisions, stronger engagement, and better bottom-line performance across your entire operation.

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for the free weekly financial training newsletter specifically created for beer wholesalers.

In today's episode, we hear from RJ Martucci, Partner and Co-Lead of the Food & Beverage Practice at PKF O’Connor Davies, to break down the latest tax rules and strategies affecting beer wholesalers. 

From entity structure and depreciation rules to credits, incentives, and estate planning, RJ shares practical guidance to help wholesalers reduce taxes, avoid surprises, and build long-term value. 

If you want to keep more cash in your business — both now and when it’s time to exit — this episode is for you.

Connect with RJ Martucci - [email protected]

Get the beer industry financial training weekly briefing. 

In today's podcast we dig into the "state of beer" with economist Lester Jones, separating structural shifts from cyclical noise and outlining a practical playbook to drive sales growth. 

From broken pricing elasticity to on-premise strategy and demographics, we share data and specific moves.

Key Topics:
 
 • industry volumes down and dollars soft
 • structural vs cyclical drivers shaping demand
 • beer purchasers’ index sentiment and signals
 • pricing power fading and elasticity reset
 • on-premise momentum, draft advantages, happy hour value
 • occasion-led strategy with low and no alcohol
 • demographics by life stage, not generations
 • policy confusion on tariffs and taxation
 • action playbook for wholesalers and brewers

Resources: 

• Join the October 23rd webinar with FinTech and NBWA - Register Here
• Get the FREE beer business finance newsletter - financial intel delivered straight to your inbox

A CFO who became a head of marketing, eliminated millions in debt, and then built a company to fix distribution blind spots—Doug Veliky’s journey is a masterclass in making beer businesses sturdier and smarter. 

We dig into the decisions that actually move the needle: building an internal audit team at Reyes that focused on real compliance risk, redesigning systems at Revolution to produce market-level P&Ls, and consolidating a spaghetti bowl of loans into a revolving line that turned heavy debt into daily cash efficiency. 

That financial clarity paved the way for a bold move—buying the production facility—and gave the brewery control over the investments that shape its future.

We also get honest about how teams work. 

Doug shows how finance, sales, and marketing can stop talking past each other by aligning on the data each team needs: shipments, depletions, pull-through. 

The result? 

Better forecasts, fewer surprises, and programs that actually show up on the shelf and in the tap list. 

Doug's Beer Crunchers platform ties it all together, translating the mechanics of distributors, portfolios, and pricing into stories and tactics people at every level can use. 

And when the world flipped, Doug brought a finance brain to digital marketing—prioritizing audience, cadence, and measurable impact.

Looking forward, Doug sees moderation evolving beyond non-alcoholic beer into “small beers” and right-sized formats that meet the moment—2.8–3.8% ABV cores and 8.4-ounce packs that fit weekday occasions without losing the ritual. 

The catch is prioritization: make it a pillar or skip it. 

We close with BrightBev, where Doug helps emerging brands choose the right distributors, set expectations, and invest alongside partners to win velocity, not just placements. 

If you care about beer business finance, route-to-market strategy, and building brands that last, this conversation will sharpen your plan for the next four quarters. 

Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what will you prioritize next?

And don't forget to sign up for the Wholesaler Financial Newsletter - tips, tactics, and strategies to help you build a more profitable brewery business. 

In today's podcast you'll hear the audio version of our workshop on how to grow sales, increase gross profits and reduced finished product loss. 

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Increase gross profit using the powerful VxP tool
• Reduce finished product loss through more efficient inventory management
• Identify key opportunities to grow top-line sales

Key Takeaways

• Gain actionable insights for boosting gross profit
• Learn how VxP can transform your business operations
• Get practical, real-world strategies you can implement immediately

Do this next...

1. Watch the replay...Boosting Profit and Sales with VxP
2. Connect with Bud Dunn from VxP, [email protected]
3. Learn more about the network of beer wholesaler owners and managersworking together to improve cash flow and profitability

Health insurance costs are spiraling out of control for many beer wholesalers, with annual increases of 5-10% that seem impossible to escape. 

But what if there was a better way? 

What if you could not only stop these relentless increases but actually reduce costs while improving benefits?

Erin Butler from BevCap Management reveals how beer distributors across the country are doing exactly that through captive health insurance plans.

This isn't just a minor cost adjustment – it's a fundamental reimagining of how wholesalers approach healthcare coverage. 

The numbers speak volumes: traditional fully-funded plans average $1,590 per employee monthly, while BevCap's captive members pay just $861. 

For a 100-employee distribution business, that's annual savings approaching $900,000.

The captive model works particularly well for beer wholesalers because of their homogeneous workforce – predominantly younger males who typically require less healthcare. 

By pooling resources across multiple distributors (currently covering about 15,000 lives), the captive gains extraordinary leverage with providers while creating a protective buffer between individual businesses and catastrophic claims.

Beyond pure cost savings, distributors gain unprecedented transparency and control. 

Members receive detailed claims data that traditional insurers withhold, enabling informed decisions about plan design and cost containment.

 Innovative approaches like direct provider contracting and specialized pharmacy management have yielded remarkable results – pharmacy costs alone have dropped 40% for participating members.

The most successful wholesalers in the program take an active role, educating employees about benefits, implementing preventative health initiatives, and participating in the collaborative governance structure that guides the captive. 

This engagement transforms healthcare from an uncontrollable expense into a strategic advantage that strengthens both the bottom line and employee satisfaction.

Ready to explore whether a captive health insurance plan could benefit your beer distribution business? 

Contact Erin Butler at BevCap Management to receive a personalized analysis of your potential savings and learn how joining forces with other wholesalers could fundamentally change your approach to employee healthcare.

Connect with Erin Butler at BevCap to learn more: [email protected], c: 817-343-4651

In this financial workshop with with RJ Martucci from PKF O’Connor Davies, we explore powerful and practical ways for beer wholesalers to get more value from their financial statements.

Instead of just glancing at the P&L each month, RJ encourages a layered approach to financial analysis—using multiple tools and perspectives to uncover the full story behind the numbers.

From trend analysis to dashboards, it’s all about building a clear picture of performance and spotting opportunities to improve profitability.

RJ shared several specific techniques for sharpening your financial analysis.

These methods don’t require complex software—just a commitment to consistency, curiosity, and clarity.

By using these tools together, businesses can get a much deeper understanding of where they’re winning, where they’re falling short, and what levers to pull for better financial outcomes.

Key takeaways from the workshop:

• Financial trend analysis: Tactics to analyze sales, gross profit, and key expenses over time to spot patterns or warning signs.
• Budget vs. actual comparisons: Shortcuts to measure performance against targets to manage proactively, not reactively.
• Year-over-year or period-over-period comparisons: Tips to better understand where the business is growing or falling short.
• Per case financial metrics: How to normalize sales, costs, and profit data to understand unit economics.
• Dashboard development: How to build a custom, visual dashboard to track critical KPIs and monitor your real-time financial health.

Do this next:

1. Watch the video workshop: Beer Wholesaler Financial Analysis
2. Connect with RJ Martucci, [email protected], and learn more about how PKF O’Connor Davies can help your beer wholesaler identify profit opportunities
3. Learn more about the network of beer wholesaler owners and managers working together to drive profits and cash flow

In today's podcast you'll hear the audio version of our Wholesaler Financial Round Table meeting. 

This month's topic is on financial analysis techniques and wholesaler financial benchmarks. 

Summary of Key Points

• Financial analysis basics: How to focus on the most important numbers
• How to follow a financial month-end process to speed up production of the financial statements
• Standard set of reports and financial benchmarks 

Resources

• Connect with RJ Martucci at PKF O'Connor Davies, [email protected]
• Sign up for the FREE wholesaler financial newsletter