‬In our new Fresh Voices series, meet Taylor Foxman, founder and ceo of the Industry Collective. 

Taylor joins Harry, Jordan, and Millicent to discuss how emerging bev-alc brands can leverage the power of their story, personality of the founder, omnichannel strategy, social media, your audience, and more to win in an increasingly crowded marketplace. 

Taylor is founder and CEO of The Industry Collective; PR WEEK 40 UNDER 40; Rolling Stone Culture Committee Member; Entrepreneur Media Contributor, and just a general badass in grokking bev strategies. 

(Reminder:  We need your feedback on issues to tackle.  Call or text 262-345-2501).

---Time-Stamped Outline---

00:00 hilarious and valuable banter about jordan's gambling problem, the new beernet radio neon, harry's "new" old house, etc.

06:20 taylor foxman joins the show. 

07:10 grokking boston's truly crush. jim stories.

12:00 taylor's story.

14:00 reviving attitudes toward categories, and tackling nascent industries like cannabis.

16:00 e-commercec in bev-alc. 

18:00 the changing dist. landscape.

19:00 tackling dtc with e-commerce platforms: speakeasy.

22:00 still need to sample new-to-market products. 

23:40 trend of doing product drops and collabs. 

24:30 smaller startup cos can be nimble, crowdsource trends, create limited drops. 

26:20 new omnichannel models possible now for bev-alc.  new way to test new products in-market cheaply. 

26:50 hypothetical: harry's hard bubbles rtd.   how to differentiate in a sea of sameness. 

28:00 lead with your character, story rather than product. 

29:00 creating a persona around a founder and product. 

29:00 case study example: becoming a thought-leader. 

30:45 own your specialness.  find what's "ownable" to you.

31:40 view counts and follows vs. active engagement. 

32:00 audience-backed strategy.  crowdsource what the people want. if you have the audience - let them tell you what they want.

32:55 find your "so what?"

35:00 grokking beatbox's success.  doggface420 cran collab.

39:00 know your audience. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests weekly 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 HarrysPod.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Love ya' mean it.

-Harry

Harry is joined by industry veteran JB Shireman of bev M&A firm Arlington Capital Advisors. JB has been a friend to BBD since the very beginning and has seen it all.  Join Harry and JB as they attempt to divine just a few aspects of the exciting brave new world of beer and beyond. 

**Disclaimer: “Presentations and public appearances content are informational and should not be considered as personalized investment advice or recommendations.  The information discussed today represents my very own ganja-soaked opinions and it should not be regarded as a description of services provided by Arlington Capital Advisors or its affiliate, Arlington Capital Services, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.”

---Time-Stamped Contents ---

00:00 Intro - hilarious banter, driving mules to bars and back.

02:10 guv needs to give cdl relief

03:00 harry introduces jb shireman, finally, of Arlington Capital Advisors. 

04:40 going over the rundown of craft m&a deals arlington/jb have completed. 

05:30 it's all colliding -- m&a follows the consumer. 

06:30 the importance of distribution -- covid proved value of rapid-cold bottler/beer distrib dsd model. 

08:00 more convergence: grokking blue cloud - pepsi's bev-alc distribution arm.  coke and molson coors too.  consumer is already there. 

09:20 grokking craft brewer valuations across a wide spectrum:  value is eyes of the buyer -- it's complicated and nuanced. 

10:40 distribution network as it affects valuations/buyers.

11:40 grokking beatbox beverage tetra-pack wine-based rtd as example of innovation.

13:20 exciting new world of premium beverages. 

14:20 toto, we ain't in the beer biz anymore. 

17:00 bev industry today very entrepreneurial. 

18:00 everybody is label readers. 

18:20 what does "better for you" mean to each consumer? something different to each.  "influential and powerful thing".... "secret sauce". 

19:30 harry sees "california sober" becoming a big wave among lda gen z adults. cannabis. 

22:00 becoming bev sub-category agnostic. 

22:50 the coming reckoning over water and conservation.  rooting for nuclear fusion and water de-salination.  

24:45 let's not leave out powdered drinks.

26:35 m&a in craft beer: more vibrant than people think. 

27:45 a "big reshuffling" of the capital structures:  iron vs demand. 

29:00 more craft casualties.  "Three torpedoes to the side."

31:00 different from late 90's craft issues. 

31:35 getting excited about this wonderful new age of beverage convergence we are entering. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 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 HarrysPod.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Harry is joined by Eric Ottaway, longtime chief of Brooklyn Brewery as we grok the post-pan NYC beer market, wild swings in comps, pivoting, and the bifurcation of much of the beer consumer. We are joined by beer editors Jenn Litz-Kirk and Jordan Driggers.

---Time-Stamped Contents ---

00:00 intro - hilarious banter. 

00:55 grokking the ball minimum can order deal. 

01:20 talking about kelly meyer at nbbc's pod and experience. 

03:30 can situation is like double whiplash for brewers. 

04:20 eric ottaway joins the show. 

05:40 industry bifurcating between hyper local and big. 

06:20 efficiencies driving brewers to "platforms". 

09:10 meaningless anecdote alert: peter luger

10:25 grokking new york market.  v-shaped bounceback didn't happen. improving but slow going. 

14:20 europe locking down but not in brooklyn's main markets. 

15:00 for brooklyn, international is 60%, NYC 25% of biz. 

16:00 grokking covid comps and numbers.  brooklyn back in black for the year, particularly in nyc. 

17:00 pivoting to ipa segment. hazy biggest new brand launch in years.... variety pack. 

19:30 on vs off-premise. 

20:00 pivoting to cans. almost equal to bottles now. 

22:30 looking at beyond beer.  half of r&d work. 

25:00 grokking gen y consumer.  origin story/green/social vs just good product.  bifurcation, either or. 

28:00 more broad grokking of gen y. 

32:10 talking lion - kirin thing.  huge company. 

33:30 c-store focus:  4-5 new 19.2 can launches.

34:30 route-to-market:  dtc as incubator to reduce sku noise at distribs. and bring emerging brands.  win-win.  more bifurcation.

38:00 distribs benefit from brewery dtc to trim long tail, until proven. 

39:30 dtc of non-alc. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 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 HarrysPod.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

--- Panel ---

Harry is joined by industry consultants David Williams and BK Krueger of the BWC Company, along with editor Jenn Litz-Kirk, to discuss the rise of 19.2oz cans, canned cocktails, low and high alc, and more. 

---Liner Notes ---

00:00 Intro - hilarious banter, tech difficulties, winter is coming, jeff nowicki vs biscuit.

03:00 david williams of bump williams consulting joins,  more banter.

04:15 bk krueger finally decides to join.  more technical difficulties.

05:30 show starts in earnest, single-serve nation.

07:20 singles took a hit in share during pan even tho it grew. now 19.2 can back growing share.

08:00 innovation ramping up in 19.2's. more new brands.

08:20 abv's all over the place.

09:20 stovepipe can is the legacy of dale's and oskar blues. 

12:00 fight club reference.

12:40 marketing for occasions and lifestyle.

14:30 shopping for shorter time periods.  outside of pan, shoppers.

15:20 retailers sensitive to velocity of singles?

16:00 danger of singles trading people down in pkg size, or more incremental?

17:00 singles driving trial. 

17:30 seltzer 12pks still crushing it. 

18:40 higher abv seltzers pulling?  craft higher abv coming back.

19:30 capturing consumers by occasions. 

21:00 twisted tea vs mich ultra drinker: same people?  marketing for demographics vs lifestyle vs occasions.

21:30 still, not a huge amount of crossover from fmb's to seltzers/low cal.

22:00 wave on wave: low cal/abv/flavor moving to higher flavor/abv/cal. ?  

23:00 no-alc and imperial ipa's both doing well now.

24:00 hazy new england ipa's still rocking and rolling, steady flow of successful new brands -- getting into chains.

25:00 traditional ipa's are struggling compared to hazy and imperial.

25:30 price point access on high abv imperial ipa's.  2 for 5 dollars.  

26:00 grokking canned cocktails.  gallo's high noon slaying it. lots of new players getting share:  crown, cutwater, dfh, etc.  fits well with "in-hand" occasions.  something for everyone -- doubling share. 

30:40 multi-packs also en fuego.  craft most incremental variety packs are themed, flavors, beer styles (ipa, sour), abv's etc. 

32:00 expensive to pack (~extra buck a case?), but consumers demanding it and retailers allocating space. 

34:00 harry glad he's not a brewer.  sounds too hard. 

35:00 wrap up, and a...  Special Message of Hope from David Williams (tm).

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests a few times 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 BeerNetRadio.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

--- Panel ---

Harry is joined by Sean Mossman of COOP Aleworks based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma's largest craft brewer, and maker of the hot Sonic Drive-Inn's hard seltzer line.  

Editors Jenn Litz-Kirk and Jordan Driggers also join.

---Time-Stamped Contents ---

00:00 intro - technical difficulties and hilarious banter. 

00:20 sean mossman of coop aleworks, makers of sonic hard seltzer.

02:00 whirlwind year since idea for sonic hard seltzer took root. 

03:30 saw other co's doing collabs with non-alc, blurring lines.

04:00 the cold text that changed everything. 

05:30 license deal, works closely with sonic. 

05:40 sacred responsibility for brand's equity.

06:20 getting flavors right. 

07:30 tweaking flavor, package. walking through process of moving to contract production with city brewing.

09:20 sonic involved in every step: "joined at the hip and we're grateful."

11:00 remembering memorial day launch in ok city.  moving to sleek cans as more available now.

13:00 after rolling out new markets, what national share? sonic seltzer share bet with jenn.

14:00 surpassing coop craft colume.

14:30 memorial day blowout.  re-set at 12 share of sonic.

16:40 sonic brand awareness extends well beyond mason-dixon line.

19:00 choosing distributor networks in expansion markets.  agnostic to red or blue/silver, but.....

21:30 texas with red network, running on fire.

22:50 any confusion from consumers going to a sonic?

23:00 coop does the marketing.  good out-of-home boards.  10% of revs on marketing.

24:00 coop taking marketing to whole new level.

26:30 looking at topo chico model. 

27:00 like topo, sonic bringing in new incremental consumers. 

28:25 will there be innovations? how big? new pack sizes?

30:00 coop could become best-in-class operator of crossover brands with great network.  "house of brands"

31:50 chain acceptance.

32:35 national chains and regional chains supportive.

33:00 number one seltzer in central texas heb's for first ten days of launch.

35:00 chains getting behind brand early was crucial.

36:20 sprinting up the last part of the hill. finish the job.

37:15 plug of beer summit jan 30 hotel del.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 2 times 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 BeerNetRadio.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

--- Panel ---

Harry is joined by Dr. J Jackson-Beckham of Crafted for All and diversity and inclusion partner with the Brewers Association, along with editors Jenn Litz-Kirk and Jordan Driggers.

---Time-Stamped Contents ---

00:00 Intro - tech difficulties, hilarious banter.

00:30 grokking latest neilsen scan data.

04:20 harry recalls old adage from former mbco chief john bowlin:  never activate ads/rollers/tpi's/promos against empty shelves.

05:30 harry's theory on why co's still promoting without supply. 

07:30 Dr. J. Jackson-Beckham of crafted for all.

08:20 harry relieved dr. j didn't block him on twitter.

09:30 dr j on how she got into beer. 

11:00 in 2008: craft prices up, volume up in financial crisis. what? culture was happening.  

16:45 turning point. connecting with julia herz and the ba. 

18:30 change is slow, but that has advantages so it will stick. culture change.

19:00 building infrastructure with ba, create real data and benchmarking, events.

20:10 using structured mentoring as inclusion tool, build out networks. 

22:10 are we moving needle?  

23:00 misogyny callouts progress as we're not "hard shrugging" as much anymore in response to harassment and exclusion. 

23:30 helps to have broader perspective:  industry has vastly improved since 2000.

24:30 race vs gender an issue?

26:10 improving craft exposure to new demos. 

27:10 do breweries call dr. j in crisis mode, or to prevent crisis?

28:10 what is low-hanging fruit co's can work on? 

28:30 dr. j's four a's:  acknowledgment, apology, action, atonement.  don't skip the first two.

28:50 harm hurts whether intended or not.

30:45 comparing to quality issues industry had: maybe put a lab in there.

31:10 not about being nicer. standardizing it, writing policies down, professional. 

32:00 does alcohol over-consumption play a role?  dr. j increasingly connecting inclusion to health and mental wellness issues holistically in her work.

33:00 industry going through "crisis of wellness." 

34:45 industry has pivoted on quality, sustainability, safety.  having "thriving human beings" working in industry is next big challenge.

35:50 harry: existential crisis, must expand craft market beyond young white dudes. 

37:00 channeling garrett oliver of brooklyn brewery: don't chase the novelty dragon.

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 2 times 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 beernetradio.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

--- Panel ---

Harry is joined by John Lane of Ohio casual dining/bar chain Winking Lizard along with editors Jenn Litz and Jordan Driggers.

---Time-Stamped Contents ---

00:00 Intro - hilarious banter, send harry beer hats. 

01:00 john lane of winking lizard tavern. 

01:50 tough 18 months, but "we're coming out of it just fine", kinda -- 95-98% back to 2019 levels. 

02:15 but traffic is different, extended lunch, late night down.

04:00 on-premise traffic going to be "fundamentally different going forward" unless something big happens. 

04:30 closed downtown cleveland store because metro/office isn't coming back in near future.

05:15 challenges in getting labor. "we'd be kicking butt" if they were fully staffed. down ~175 employees from 2019 (!) still open 7 days a week tho. 

06:15 jenn: are suppliers keeping you in stock?  all over the board, even liquor cos having bottle shortages. 

08:20 pricing outlook for 2022:  wl is value chain, try to hold the line.  

09:20 supplier beer price increase timing is terrible (jan/sept).  wl going up dec 1 in anticipation.  dec and july are better for gpi. 

10:15 regional craft strong, great lakes turnaround, cans and ipa.

11:10 john still a "core guy" on brands, and it's worked out well.  sierra, nbb, reingest, still pouring strong. big domestic premiums down a little (lack of sports).

12:00 increase in seltzers as sports returns.

12:30 diageo's lone river ranch water launching, doing well.

12:50 maintaining 28-33 tap model, one or two taps left open, little less rotation, focus on core. 

14:00 draft or package seltzer?  seltzers rise as sports returned.

15:40 bev mix: beer slower to bounce back after pan, but getting there. wine and spirits holding their own and growing -- more dinner biz, less party biz.

16:30 harry goes on tangent about history of malt coolers.

17:30 prospects on-premise heading into winter.  challenges include vax mandates / labor shortage / cost inflation.

19:30 will we see more on-premise closings after holidays?

21:00 is bario concept easier to operate with labor shortage?

22:00 leaning more into liquor?

23:40 jenn remembers meeting john (via sam calagione).

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 2 times 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 BeerNetRadio.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

Harry is joined by Sam Caligione of Dogfish Head and editors Jenn Litz-Kirk and Jordan Driggers.  

---Time-Stamped Contents --- 

00:00 Intro - hilarious banter and the usual technical difficulties. 

00:25 a celebrity appears: sam calagione of dogfish head / boston beer.  

01:25 more banter, jenn joins the call. 02:25 sam has a new book: dogfish head after 25/26 years. 04:25 recounting recent eastcoast road trip with mariah: nature conservancy and meeting distribs.  

06:10 sam on getting over 2020-21 "friction points": cycling pantry loading, getting distrib footprints in place from maine to miami, pushing through logistics challenges during transition to BBC network.  

06:25 brand dogfish is healthy when including canned cocktails:  09:10 are distrib footprint issues mostly done?  goal to be 100% aligned in all 50 states.  

09:50 ongoing for 2022,  

10:20 jenn and sam start to geek out on the flavor profile of their gin canned cocktail before harry ruins their black panther pizza party.  

11:00 how are canned cocktails doing?  how big? ranking the dfh cc lineup.  

12:10 bar cart mixed 8 pack variety pack launching now, getting foundation for national presence.  "firing on the right cylinders" as far as which skus to lean into. 

12:40 ain't their first rodeo:  dfh been making james beard nominated spirits - cocktails for over 20 years.  

13:00 harry puts forth his theory that 8pk canned cocktail and 12pk malt seltzer pricing are equiv (due to tax differential).  sam not convinced it's quite there, plus dfh cc are 7% abv when most of competitors are 5%. 13.35 can craft cocktails scale to big boy status?  

14:00 sam: "reason to believe" in dfh canned cocktail line, and best ranked salesforce in country. 

14:35 working with bevy team. 

15:00 90 minute in a 19.2 oz can: will it open up c-stores for dfh?  uh yes. 

16:25 taking singles into venues. 18:00 harry has standard rant about jordan's headphones as he never lets a joke sit idle for long, (even if it's old). harry gets no respect like rodney dangerfield. 18:40 pan vs post-pan differences since last pod.  what's different? 19:30 sea quench first national sour of consequence, but covid slowed down its momentum. draft coming back. 21:00 how does the trade look compared to 2019?  Singles are hot. 22:15 harry things fruit sours will cut into hard seltzers in 2022. sam is taking notes. 22:30 what's going to happen to seltzer?  blurring of lines. 25:00 boston fast follower, bevy. long drink origin. 28:20 the flavors that weren't a hit. 29:30 jenn brings up the book again, how to find the time? 31:00 harry recalls sam standing him up at eately.  32:25 jordan: more about canned cocktails, focus away from spirits.  "I have a lot of non-oak wood projects I'm working on," whatever that means.  stretch cc to national, spirits east coast.  35:20 so important to be differentiated, for dfh: james beard nominated, 2 shots per can, quality.  36:30 how to maximize distribution in markets with restrictions on channels being spirit-based and 7% abv?  be yourself.  38:05 harry explains why he's so rude to sam. 39:20  39:30 what would sam be doing if not in the beer biz?  all of us. 43:35 sam and jenn may brew with crickets. 45:35 jenn compares harry to shiv on succession. 50:00 pod goes off rails i'm out.   ---About--- Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 2 times 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 HarrysPod.com -Articles referenced at beernet.com -Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily

--- Panel ---

Harry is joined by Bill Shufelt of non-alc brewer Athletic Brewing Co. on their meteoric growth over the past four years, along with editors Jenn Litz-Kirk and Jordan Driggers.

---Time-Stamped Contents ---

00:00 Intro - hilarious and interesting banter. 

02:40 origin story of founders bill shufelt/john walker and athletic brewing. 

05:20 addressing "pain point" of not having good non-alc alternative to drinking. 

06:00 going from pain point to intellectual curiosity to passion. 

10:00 people are watching inputs into their lives compared to outputs. 

11:10 bws companies fighting over the same 2-3 days a week.  non-alc beer first incremental occasion driver. 

13:20 giving heiney 0.0 props. 

14:00 how big is big for non-alc brew? 

15:25 the marketing has to be there too. 

15:40 craft brewers have hit a wall as they haven't added new drinkers/occasions. 

16:10 athletic as lifestyle marketer. 

16:30 non-alc beer has to be actively marketed, often face-to-face

17:50 bill welcomes new entrants to raise category awareness. 

18:20 how much interaction with cannabis?

20:00 going from 'cans in hands' marketing to real marketing -- multimillion-dollar marketing budget, addition of andrew katz from heineken. 

20:40 athletic under-distributed at top 25 brand at only 7% acv distribution. 

21:20 hop sparkling water and other innovations coming, something mysterious in march. 

22:00 growing big manufacturing capabilities in short time challenge. 

23:05 where is shelf space coming from?  (whole foods non-alc space up 100%).

24:35 on-premise small but growing, 4 to 8% of business. 

25:50 grokking dtc vs dsd. 

27:30 ecomm side directs them where demand is. 

29:20 leveraging dry january and sober october to trial and retain new customers.

31:30 why not call out the low calorie count?

33:10 regulations, cleaning, making non-alc harder than alc. 

34:10 like energy drinks or seltzers, non-alc will have 2-3 main players, shakeout of the rest. 

34:25 losta barriers to entry  - hard to make. 

35:15 how bill picks distributors.

37:00 no franchise, but utilizes strong contracts. 

38:00 looking ahead and a message of hope. 

---About---

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher joins his editors and other guests 2 times 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 HarrysPod.com

-Articles referenced at beernet.com

-Twitter / IG / TikTok:  @beerbizdaily