Kyle Cooke, the founder of one of the hottest hard teas on the market, Loverboy, and COO Nick Califano join Harry and Jenn as we speak about their challenges and successes in launching Loverboy amidst Kyle's popular Bravo series, Summer House and Winter House.  

Show starts in earnest:  01:30

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties with slow internet after attempted burglary.

01:30 nick joins the call. 

02:00 kyle joins the call.

02:45 update on loverboy since last time on pod. 

03:00 getting into 2022 spring chain resets.

07:30 partnering with right distribs to build brand to go deep, plus omni-channel. 

09:00 servicing dtc/merch in the mix. 

09:45 400k cases last year with supply constraints.  The opportunity for this year in chains is great.

10:30 leveraging interest in indie accts before resets enacted, and wholesalers key in getting placements. 

11:00 leveraging six pack form factor as differentiator in Kroger.

12:00 driving summer house fans to retail via website. 

13:00 repeat buys — how velocity is affected by summer/winter house being on air nor not. 

15:00 driving sales, then repeats due to clean ingredients, taste, etc. 

16:00 six seasons on summer house, how it’s filmed.

17:30 grokking the consumer.  very incremental to beer.

18:00 premium liquor-type margins, at 4x the locations.

18:45 c-stores activation? 

20:30 brutal filming sked for summer and winter houses, but different.

22:00 dtc and merch big businesses.

23:00 bringing premium super-high margin products to market. 

24:15 what’s the goal for 2022:  1 mil ce’s?  more?

26:00 being early to the game has advantages. 

27:00 retailers “heads were spinning” with so many seltzer/rtd options.

28:20 consumers leading to premiumization:  new age media leading them there.

29:30 plans for spirit-based product?

31:00 maybe institutional round, grinding, tune into summer house on monday nights on bravo.

Jessica Lukas is the chief commercial officer of the leading data analytics firm for the cannabis industry, BDSA.  I've known Jessica for many years, since she was at Nielsen, and she has a proven and unique ability for distilling vast amounts of data-points into simple, real, actionable insights. 

Join Harry as he and Jessica speak about the growing, but challenging, cannabis market in the U.S. and how it affects beverages. 

Show starts in earnest: 01:30

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00:00 intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties.  jenn on "special assigment" in aspen.  

01:30 SHOW STARTS:  Jessica talks wacky cannabis market. 

02:30 chaotic: every state is operating like it's own country (even more than alc). production can't pass borders. 

03:00 but it is still growing.  $61B globally - 2026, bulk from u.s.  

04:00 u.s. driving global sales, cali driving that.  next 5 yrs, most growth coming from new adult use markets:  nj, ny. 

05:00 bdsa tracking over-all cannabis sales, including illicit.  very healthy black market in cali. 

07:00 do legal adult-use cannabis sales affect bev-alc sales? 

08:30 the overlapping use-cases with cannabis and alcohol.

09:30 unfair to peg against cannabis specifically; many other factors.  co percent of users increasing. 20% to 50% adult users.

11:30 many use occasions don't overlap with bev-alc. and just form factor of beverage. 

13:30 grokking thc/cbd/hemp beverages. 

14:00 in legal states: bdsa data show edibles 15% of totes dolla sales, bevs 5% of that (1-2% of total are bevs, growing). 

15:15 bevs are heavy.  diff dose for diff'rnt folks. 

17:30 price and potency still main purchase drivers. 

18:00 bevs are a premium way to consume cannabis. 

19:30 grokking distribution of canna-bevs, making friends is our biz?

20:45 callouts for future: new market growth, big getting huge. 

21:30 watchout for those newer but established middle markets coming up. az, mi, ill, mass, etc. --  snowball effect. 

22:15 slowdown in mature markets - single digit growth. 

23:00 acceptance of general market grows.  co, az, mi, nv, over 50% adults consuming cannabis. 

24:00 big are getting bigger. multi-state operators, retail and house-of-brands, m&a footprints getting bigger. they dominate. 

28:00 de-stigmatization of cannabis continues, even as it becomes legal. 

29:30 giving gen z rare props. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Today the gang speaks with Northeast hard seltzer sensation Willie's Superbrew co-founder and CEO Nico Enriquez about the brand's start, last year's challenges, their re-branding, and more. 

Show Starts in earnest:  13:15

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties. Baby watch 2022, jordan is having a baby. 

13:15 SHOW STARTS:  Nico joins the podcast. 

15:30 willie's origin story. 

17:45 challenges of 2021 with seltzer saturation - greg owsley and lee schill join team for re-branding.

20:00 getting hits in chains and elsewhere. filling out east coast. 

21:00 flavor and soul. 

22:30 taking a look at new packaging. 

24:45 current trends. 

25:45 why lemonade/tea flavor?

26:15 beach aid. 

29:45 how to test new flavors? 

31:15 challenge of northeast: crowded and indie-driven account base.

33:00 draft and on-premise. 

35:00 too much seltzer in NE. 

36:30 all about flavor. 

37:30 distributor network. 

37:45 ginger burns. 

40:30 more on expansion plans. 

40:45 c-stores?

42:45 postscript:  jenn and harry talk superbowl ads, flavortown and bl next. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Today Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione joins the gange to taste their two new innovations -- their canned cocktails variety pack, Bar Cart, and a new beer in partnership with Patagonia which makes use of the highly sustainable and earth-friendly Kernza grain:  Patagonia Kernza Pils. 

Show starts in earnest:  02:00

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 Intro- hilarious banter, technical difficulties. Jenn is going skiing. 

02:00 SHOW STARTS: sam calagione joins show. 

05:00 grokking and tasting patagonia kernza pils. 

19:00 grokking and tasting new barcart flavors from dfh distilling: vodka crush blood orange and gin crush lemon lime. 

33:30 grokking spirit-based rtd's in general.

47:00 wrapping up the year. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

The Nelk Boys and Full Send brands enjoy millions of engaged and

energized fans, especially among young men -- the perfect demo for a

hard seltzer.

Harry speaks with Happy Dad seltzer co-founders John and Sam Shahidi

in a hotel suite in Austin about how they got the idea for Happy Dad,

coming up with the product, getting started with distribs and

retailers, the secret to maintaining celebrity brands, and more.

(Note: Audio quality isn't great so we had subtitles added to the

video version of this pod on youtube, which you can find at https://www.youtube.com/beerwriter ).

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 intro - intro/ing john and steve shahidi of happy dad.  harry

gets the nelk-mania treatment in austin.

02:00 nelk boys background.  more than just pranks - authentic. full send.

05:00 nelk boys treat everybody the same.

07:00 all about the fans.

08:00 pitching happy dad idea to nelk.

09:30 creating the product itself.

10:00 ((usual technical difficulties))

10:15 formulation -- lower carbonation, electrolytes.

11:15 naming it.

12:45 managing a diverse team.

13:00 choosing flavors.

18:00 launched brand in cali, june 2021.

19:00 first day of launch: "absolutely destroyed".

20:00 adding initial retailers, then expanding. gopuff/bevmo.

21:15 promoting sustainable re-buys.

21:30 convert the beer drinker.

21:45 going with fat can.

23:30 secret to maintaining celerity brand:  brand has to become

bigger than celebrity. casamigos vs indoggo.

27:00 pre-sold 100k cases in tex. trying for a million.  in six months

368k equivs in 3 states.

28:15 gaining breweries.

29:00 overcoming supply chain issues.

29:30 4mm ce forecast 2022.

31:00 getting mobbed at heb.

34:00 telling stories.

35:00 being instagrammable (like @bevbizblonde)

38:00 grokking on-premise.  ufc watch parties.

39:15 distributor partners.  getting w&s distribs into c-stores "is

like lebron going to cleveland."

41:15 "i know how big we're gonna be."

42:00 believing in retailers and distribs who believed in them early

on.  (gopuff, rndc, etc.)

44:30 importance of being in the cold-box.

45:00 learning from rndc.

46:00 spec's first chain.  then heb.

47:30 talking beer summit, jan 8, '23 palm beach.

50:00 rollout plans rest of year.

50:00 hitting markets where celebrities don't go.

52:30 pos, and merch drops.

54:00 full send nft/metacard.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Zing Zang, the popular mixer most known for it's bloody mary and

margarita mixes, has now entered the canned cocktail space with a line

of spirit-based RTDs.

Today Harry and Sarah are joined by Brent Albertson, CEO of Zing Zang,

as we talk about the new launch, their innovation strategy, and more.

Show Starts in earnest: 02:30

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties.

02:30 SHOW STARTS: Brent Albertson of Zing Zang joins the call.

03:40 background on zing zang.

05:30 route-to-market for non-alc zang mixer.

06:30 rolling out rtd in a can.

06:45 behind decision to go spirit-based rtd.

08:20 introducing mango, with real puree.

08:40 behind decision to go it alone versus co-branding.

09:10 higher abv.

11:15 leveraging chain relationships, hiring team from within bev-alc.

13:00 on-premise plans?

14:00 can rtd price point.

14:30 distributor footprint.

15:00 sourcing the booze.

16:10 ownership/capital structure.

16:40 innovation strategy: start with the mix.

18:30 started with 2 skus, on-premise.

19:15 quality focus: marg mix took 17 tries to "get it right."

20:15 consumer expectations, market research findings.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Spa Girl Cocktails was originally conceived by Karen Haines in her

kitchen in Palm Springs.  Later, serial entrepreneur Alisa Marie Beyer

was brought in to re-capitalize and re-vitalize the brand, pivoting

through covid along the way.

Today, Harry and Jenn are joined by Alisa (and pr professional Elena Sheridan) as we talk about how she

got here, and where Spa Girl Cocktails is going.

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties, grokking stz's results.

05:00 SHOW STARTS:  Alisa Beyer joins the call.

06:00 alisa gives her story.

09:00 covid pivot.

12:00 expansion plans.

14:20 looking for strategic partner/buyer.

15:20 focusing on the spa/resort channel.  massive press coverage

doesn't move boxes.

17:50 dtc strategy.

19:40 social media strategy. pinterest.

22:00 diversity and inclusion.

25:00 pivot to small cans, less/better liquid, better buzz.

26:00 clean ingredients.

26:20 flavors, sparkling and still.

28:20 new drinking occasion: getting ready to go out.

30:00 connecting with 40k customers.

31:00 golf occasion - spas - resorts.

39:15 new innovations coming.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Today the gang catches up with Julious Grant, CCO at Canopy Growth, as

we talk about their beverage products including Biosteel and more.

Show starts in earnest: 04:00

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 Intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties. Jordan taking pat leave.

04:00 SHOW STARTS:  Julious Grant, CCO, Canopy Growth joins the show.

04:40 non-thc growth.

06:50 grokking biosteel.

08:45 biosteel channels and dtc.

09:30 regions where it shines.

10:20 sports marketing.

12:25 sharing with stz.

13:35 bev-alc line extension?

15:00 future thc?

16:20 changes in route to market.

18:00 grokking cbd products.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Today the gang speaks with Dan Baum, the founder and CEO of digital agency MULTIPLY, which represents national consumer brands ranging from bourbon to national food brands and disruptive startups, as we speak about bev-alc digital social strategies and how the marketing times, they have changed.

Show starts in earnest: 01:00

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 Intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties.

01:00 SHOW STARTS - Dam Baum of Multiply joins the show.

02:00 dan's background - speed of culture for bev. 

03:40 bev-alc social strategies.

06:00 beer stuck on tv ads still. 

07:00 grokking xdashboard.

08:20 tracking efficacy of campaigns.

11:20 metaverse, nft's. 

13:00 brewery planning issues: a new paradigm.

16:20 making social posts count. 

17:00 grokking liquid death.

19:20 spirits kicking beer's butt in digital.

20:40 driving folks to purchase: in-store versus digital.

23:50 nft's: bs or cool or both?

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Today Harry and Jordan (and briefly Jenn) are joined by top hard kombucha maker JuneShine co-founders Greg Serrao and Forrest Dein to talk about how they found a gap to fill in bev-alc, scaling up, their new lined of higher abv spirit-based canned cocktails, and more. 

Show starts in earnest: 04:15

---time-stamped contents---

00:00 intro - hilarious banter, technical difficulties.

04:15 SHOW STARTS: Forrest and Greg join the call from JuneShine. 

05:20 backstory. 

07:20 hit upon hard kombucha, better for you was new in 2017.

09:30 brewpub opened june 2018.

10:30 bought old ballast point location, bp the giving tree to new ideas. 

11:20 after good start, then what?  going in cans, early days.

12:10 getting distribution. building category outside southern cali. getting good people. 

13:35 investing in brand, lifestyle platform, ambassador team. 

14:20 mentoring with rxbar founder peter rahal. 

15:00 what's in a name?  why juneshine?

16:45 top hard kombucha:  how?  reason for being: easy drinking, refreshing. branding and better-for-you, sustainable.

19:00 behind decision to go in cans.  benny of having partners. 

21:00 new news: canned cocktails. 

22:00 looking at occasions to fit into. hitting shelves as we speak.  (3/1/22).

23:00 classic cocktail flavors, two shots high abv, zero sugar.  8-10% abv.

24:15 pkg config and price point. 

24:45 launch regions:  initially socal, nm. then summer scale more.

26:16 feedback with current consumers. addressing dayparts. 

28:10 first tv ad in socal, outdoor. 

29:00 how big is big?

30:00 getting resources: funding rounds.

32:10 aspiration: to be trusted household bev-alc products for younger generation. 

32:50 social media and dtc. 

33:50 diminishing returns on socials, ig fatigue.  in-person experiences back in vogue. 

35:30 production of canned cocktails. partnering for ingredients. 

37:10 monday morning arm-chairing.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests once or twice a week as they grok the industry issues of the day.  

-Podcast Hotline: Text or call Harry in confidence at:‪ (262) 345-2501‬

-Audio/Video feeds at https://linktr.ee/beernet

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily