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.

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

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Caroline 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.

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Instagram @borkaline

If 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 growth actually look like inside today’s liquor stores — and where is it no longer coming from?

In this episode of Business of Drinks, Jon Halper, CEO and owner of Top Ten Liquors, offers a rare operator-level view into how consumer behavior is evolving across wine, spirits, beer, non-alcoholic, and THC-adjacent categories — and what those shifts mean for brands trying to win at retail.

Top Ten Liquors operates 15 stores across Minnesota and generates more than $50 million in annual sales, giving Jon a front-row seat to category change at real scale. From that vantage point, he challenges a core industry assumption: That consumers shop by category. Instead, Jon sees shoppers choosing based on occasion, mood, and desired effect — and flexing between alcohol, lower-alcohol, non-alcoholic, or THC products depending on the moment.

For traditional alcohol brands, Jon explains why growth is no longer reliably driven by classic trade-up behavior. Premiumization still exists, but it’s uneven and episodic, while frequency and basket size are under pressure. He discusses how GLP-1 drugs are already influencing drinking behavior — particularly among higher-income, health-conscious consumers — reducing consumption occasions rather than eliminating them outright.

That shift toward intentional consumption is showing up across emerging categories as well. Jon shares how format and function are becoming critical growth levers, whether that’s single-serve spirits, lower-dose options, or non-alcoholic products that fit specific occasions rather than trying to replace alcohol entirely.

Within THC, he offers a concrete example of how this plays out at retail: Edibles now account for nearly 25% of Top Ten’s THC sales, while beverage remains the primary entry point. Importantly, he frames this not as category cannibalization, but as incremental behavior driven by use case — a pattern brands across all drinks categories should be paying attention to.

For brands, distributors, and investors, Jon outlines what retail partners now expect: Smarter assortments over more SKUs, depth in fewer markets, and execution that reflects how consumers actually shop today. He also frames alcohol as a cyclical category in a slower phase, arguing that the companies who adapt during this period will be best positioned when growth returns, potentially post-2026.

If you want a grounded, data-backed view of how adult beverage growth is actually being built — and constrained — at the point of sale, this episode delivers.

For the latest updates, follow us:

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

SPONSOR: SWIG Partners is exclusively offering $100 off their supplier-distributor matchmaking fee when you mention the Business of Drinks podcast, or inquire via this link: ⁠https://www.swigpartners.com/businessofdrinks

If you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Thank you!

Uncle Arnie’s is one of the most compelling growth stories in THC beverages right now — and this episode breaks down how it actually happened.

Since launching in 2020, the THC drinks brand has delivered roughly 100% growth each year, scaling from about $400K in Year 1 to more than $25M in revenue today. It’s now one of the largest THC beverage brands in California, with a rapidly expanding national footprint across both regulated cannabis and hemp markets.

In this episode, Theo Terris, co-founder and CEO of Uncle Arnie’s, walks through how the company built momentum in a fragmented, highly regulated category — despite having no background in beverage, cannabis, or CPG. That outsider perspective shows up everywhere: From approachable branding and packaging that educates consumers, to a relentless focus on partners and execution.

Theo explains why Uncle Arnie’s leaned into full-flavor, familiar formats like teas, lemonades, sodas, and functional shots instead of chasing seltzer trends — and how thoughtful dose architecture (2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg) unlocked both sessionability and compliance across myriad state-by-state regulations. He also details how consumer education, including clear onset-time cues on packaging, helped reduce friction for first-time buyers and retailers alike.

The conversation offers a rare, unvarnished look at what scaling actually looks like in THC beverages. Theo breaks down how Uncle Arnie’s approached distribution market by market, why merchandising remains one of the category’s biggest challenges, and how mature states like California and Minnesota provide a preview of where the space is headed.

For investors, Theo shares how Uncle Arnie’s raised capital opportunistically — recently closing a $7.5 million Series A with Mindset Capital, Delta Emerald Ventures, and strategic investor Harry Rubin of Boston Beer — and why mentorship and operational rigor mattered as much as funding. Even amid regulatory uncertainty, the brand continues to expand, landing in major retail chains and adding new points of distribution.

The bigger takeaway: This isn’t a hype-driven THC story. It’s a grounded, data-aware discussion about building a real beverage business in a nascent and rapidly changing category.

Whether you’re a drinks founder, retailer, distributor, or investor tracking where the next major beverage movement is forming, this episode delivers insight into what’s actually working — and what matters most when scaling in emerging categories.

Don’t miss our next episode, dropping on February 4.

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

SPONSOR: SWIG Partners is exclusively offering $100 off their supplier-distributor matchmaking fee when you mention the Business of Drinks podcast, or inquire via this link: ⁠https://www.swigpartners.com/businessofdrinks

If you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Thank you!

Episode 100 is a milestone moment for Business of Drinks — and instead of looking backward, we’re doing what this show has always done best: Looking ahead.

In this special episode, Erica Duecy, Scott Rosenbaum, and Caroline Lamb break down the biggest drinks trends shaping 2026, using a meta-analysis of 16 leading industry trend reports. The goal isn’t hype, it’s pattern recognition. We’re pressure-testing what’s structural, what’s actionable, and what actually matters for founders, operators, and drinks leaders navigating a complex market.

Across the first 100 episodes, one pattern has held true: Trends only matter if they translate into execution. This conversation applies that lens to what’s coming next.

Here’s a preview of what’s to come:

🔶 Third spaces are evolving.Bars, cafes, and beverage-led venues are becoming modern community hubs — earlier, lighter, and more intentional. Drinks aren’t the point; they’re the facilitator. As digital life accelerates, in-person connection is becoming a growth driver.

🔶 Zero-proof is moving to the center of the menu.The “mocktail section” is officially outdated. Non-alcoholic options are now core to menu design, driving inclusion, incremental occasions, and revenue. These drinks are not replacing alcohol, but expanding the total addressable audience.

🔶 Better-for-you becomes a growth engine.Lower sugar, lower alcohol, and functional benefits are no longer niche. From NA wine surpassing $100M in U.S. retail sales to better-for-you wines topping $250M, these products are pulling consumers into the category, not pushing them out.

🔶 Smart caffeination replaces energy extremes.Matcha, yerba mate, hojicha, and tea-forward formats are redefining caffeine as a tool for focus, calm, and ritual. They expand daytime drinking occasions with or without alcohol.

🔶 Premium faces a reality check.Consumers still want premium, but only when it delivers meaning. Emotional connection, storytelling, and experience now justify price, while “drinkflation” without value hits resistance.

🔶 Showmanship and sensory experience rise.Texture, garnish-as-snack, flavored ice, and immersive storytelling are redefining drinks as multi-sensory experiences. Great liquid alone is no longer enough.

This episode is both a thank you to the Business of Drinks community and a field guide for what’s next. One hundred episodes in, the mission remains the same: Cut through the noise, learn from what’s working, and help the drinks industry grow smarter, faster.

For the latest updates, follow us:

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

If 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!

Nihilo is a rare creative agency in beverage that treats branding as a business discipline, not a design exercise.

In this sponsored episode of Business of Drinks, co-founders Margaret Kerr-Jarrett and Emunah Winer join us to unpack their newly released 2026 New Rules Report and what it reveals about how the most effective drinks brands are actually being built right now.

The New Rules Report is the centerpiece of this conversation. Based on deep discussions with founders, operators, and investors across beverage alcohol and non-alc, it offers a practical framework for understanding how brand, distribution, fundraising, and operating choices intersect. This isn’t a list of trends or a lookbook. It’s an operating lens for founders navigating saturation, slower capital, and changing consumer behavior.

In the episode, Margaret and Emunah explain why “looking good” is now table stakes, not a growth strategy — and why clarity of perspective matters more than polish. They share why many brands are intentionally simplifying their stories instead of over-educating consumers, how packaging and distribution choices function as brand strategy, and why real-world, IRL activation is once again becoming a primary growth lever.

They also break down several of the core “rules” from the 2026 report, including why one strong idea beats a complicated narrative, how contrarian positioning can unlock whitespace when categories crowd, and why profitability, production decisions, and funding paths quietly shape brand meaning just as much as marketing does.

If you’re a drinks founder, operator, or investor trying to understand how brands are winning in a noisy, capital-constrained environment — and how to apply those lessons to your own business — this episode offers a grounded, strategic playbook.

To access the 2026 New Rules Report, visit www.newrulesbev.com.

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

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Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

If 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!

Wölffer Estate Vineyard is an example of a legacy winery that has managed to stay culturally relevant and financially healthy through one of the most challenging periods in wine.

The Hamptons-based, family-owned winery now produces roughly 250,000 cases annually and finished 2025 up single digits in both dollar sales and volume, outperforming much of the broader category. In this episode, CEO Max Rohn explains how Wölffer evolved from a local estate into a nationally recognized lifestyle brand — without outside capital, without chasing volume, and without abandoning quality.

Key takeaways for drinks founders:

🔶 Build around how people actually live and drinkWölffer anchored its growth to occasion and lifestyle, not demographics. That strategy helped Summer in a Bottle become the #3 luxury rosé in the U.S., alongside Whispering Angel and Miraval, even as the rosé category cooled overall.

🔶 Scarcity and discipline can be strategic advantagesRather than scaling as fast as demand allowed, Wölffer grew slowly and organically, constrained by vineyard supply and intentional distribution. That restraint protected brand equity and supported strong velocity at shelf.

🔶 Expansion works when it fits real occasionsWölffer’s portfolio now spans traditional wine, cider, low-ABV, and non-alcoholic — but every extension connects back to the same brand DNA. Its non-alcoholic Spring in a Bottle is now the #1 luxury NA wine in the U.S., growing roughly 100% year over year with category-leading dollars per store.

🔶 Profitability first, alwaysWith no outside investors, Wölffer focused on margin discipline, conservative production, and testing new ideas in small runs — sometimes just a few hundred cases — before scaling.

🔶 Experiences drive the brand flywheelWölffer’s Hamptons estate draws about 150,000 visitors annually, turning direct-to-consumer traffic into long-term brand loyalty that fuels off-premise and national growth.

This episode offers a playbook for wine and beverage alcohol leaders navigating today’s market: Stay focused on velocity over volume, build brands that mean something beyond the bottle, and grow in ways that reinforce — rather than dilute — what made you relevant in the first place. Listen in for more insights.

Don’t miss our next episode, dropping on January 21.

For the latest updates, follow us:

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

If 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!

Raising capital for a drinks brand has fundamentally changed — and Mike Solow is on the front lines of that shift.

In this episode of Business of Drinks, we sit down with Mike Solow, Co-Founder & Partner at 99 Proof Partners and Cask Strength, to unpack what founders actually need to know about fundraising right now — from equity vs. debt, to diligence, to investor expectations that most founders underestimate.

99 Proof is a boutique investment firm making early- and mid-stage investments in beverage alcohol, typically writing $500K–$1M checks across equity, debt, and real-estate-backed structures. Cask Strength, their venture-debt arm, focuses on flexible capital solutions — from barrel-backed lending to expansion and production financing — designed to fuel growth without choking a business’s runway.

Mike breaks down why equity capital has become harder to raise, why venture debt is gaining traction, and how valuation resets and shorter hold periods are reshaping the market. He explains what 99 Proof looks for in founders — experience, clarity, grit, and creativity — and why most founders still aren’t prepared for today’s diligence environment.

We also get highly tactical: What makes a deck an automatic “yes” or “no,” why messy storytelling and lack of polish kill opportunities instantly, and how 99 Proof’s publicly shared 40-plus-item diligence checklist is meant to help founders raise smarter capital — even if they never work with 99 Proof.

Mike shares real examples from the portfolio, including why brands like Archer Roose stood out early, how category overlap actually works in portfolio construction, and why “five-year exits” are increasingly unrealistic for most brands today.

The big takeaway: This is a tougher moment — but a healthier one. The correction is rewarding disciplined operators, clear communicators, and founders who understand how capital really works.

If you’re raising money, restructuring capital, or planning your next growth phase, this episode is required listening.

Don’t miss our next episode, dropping on January 14.

For the latest updates, follow us:

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

If 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!

This was a year of contradictions in drinks. Structural headwinds collided with real momentum — and the brands that grew weren’t following old rules. They were aligning with how people actually drink, shop, and spend today.

In this special year-end episode, Erica Duecy, Scott Rosenbaum, and Caroline Lamb break down the biggest forces reshaping the drinks industry — across alcohol, non-alc, functional, and THC — and what they signal for growth heading into 2026.

🔶 Functional is now foundational Functional beverages — from prebiotic sodas and adaptogenic spirits to THC drinks — moved firmly into the mainstream. It’s now a $9B+ category growing at double-digit rates. Brands winning here aren’t just selling benefits; they’re anchoring products to rituals, occasions, and repeatable habits.

🔶 THC beverages hit an inflection point Low-dose THC drinks crossed a legitimacy threshold, with major retailers and alcohol distributors testing the category. Regulatory uncertainty remains, but consumer demand is clear — and early movers are scaling at real volume.

🔶 Wine isn’t broken — demand is shifting While total wine declined, several segments outperformed: White blends, alternative whites, premium rosé, non-alcoholic wine, and innovative formats like cans. The common thread is accessibility, clarity, and occasion-fit — not prestige or tradition.

🔶 Gen Z is drinking — just differently Roughly 70% of legal-age Gen Z consumers in the U.S. drank alcohol in the past six months, bringing them in line with older generations. What’s changed is how they drink: Flavor-first, value-driven, and highly occasion-specific — with easy switching between alcohol and non-alc.

🔶 Economic pressure is the biggest headwind Trade-downs, format shifts, and tighter budgets shaped every category. Premium still works, but only when tied to intentional consumption: fewer drinks, better quality.

🔶 Culture matters again Savory and umami flavors gained traction in cocktails, while nostalgia-driven branding resonated across categories. Comfort, familiarity, and emotional connection beat novelty.

Why listen? Because the brands winning in 2025 didn’t chase hype — they aligned with real consumer behavior. This episode delivers a clear, data-driven look at where growth is actually happening, and what drinks brands need to rethink going into 2026.

Don’t miss our next episode, dropping on January 7.

For the latest updates, follow us:

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @borkaline

SPONSOR: SWIG Partners is exclusively offering $100 off their supplier-distributor matchmaking fee when you mention the Business of Drinks podcast, or inquire via this link: ⁠https://www.swigpartners.com/businessofdrinks

If 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!

This holiday re-broadcast brings back one of our most downloaded episodes — and one of the clearest real-world playbooks for how a traditional winery can modernize its marketing without spending more money.

In this episode, Aly Wente, fifth-generation vintner and SVP of Marketing and Customer Experience at Wente Family Vineyards, breaks down how America’s oldest continuously operated family-owned winery (founded in 1883) successfully reoriented its marketing toward Millennials and Gen Z — while keeping its legacy consumers and staying true to its heritage.

The headline insight for winery leaders: Wente didn’t increase its marketing budget. It reallocated it — away from low-ROI tactics and toward channels, content, and messages that could be measured and optimized.

🔶 Stop marketing to the trade when you think you’re marketing to consumers Wente made a clean distinction between what distributors and gatekeepers need versus what actual buyers care about. For consumers, technical language like clones, appellations, and scores created friction — not confidence.

🔶 Three-second shelf ruleIf a message can’t be understood in three seconds at retail, it doesn’t belong on shelf or POS. Wente shifted from insider language to cues centered on flavor, lifestyle, and trust.

🔶 Reallocate, don’t inflate, the budgetWhen Aly arrived, roughly $500K a year was going into printed POS — much of it sitting unused in distributor warehouses. That spend was redirected into digital, where performance could be tracked and optimized in real time.

🔶 Authenticity beats polish Wente replaced stock photography with real people, real places, and real moments — family members, winemakers, vineyard teams, tasting room life.

🔶 Lifestyle is not fluff — it’s strategyWine was repositioned as part of everyday life: recipes, casual occasions, behind-the-scenes videos, and even imperfect, playful content. Engagement surged — including thousands of views on zero-budget Instagram Lives during COVID.

🔶 Consumer voices outperform criticsA simple paid ad using a real Vivino review delivered a ~10% purchase intent rate, compared to ~2% on typical awareness campaigns — a powerful signal that peer validation now drives trial.

🔶 The results were measurableIn just a few years, Wente flipped its consumer base. Today, roughly 60% of its buyers are ages 21–45, compared to a majority 55+ audience in 2020 — without abandoning its core brand identity.

This episode is essential listening for any traditional winery asking:How do we modernize our marketing, speak to new consumers, and prove ROI — without losing who we are?

For the latest updates, follow us:

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Erica 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.

LinkedIn

Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott 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.

LinkedIn

Caroline 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.

Instagram @borkaline

SPONSOR: SWIG Partners is exclusively offering $100 off their supplier-distributor matchmaking fee when you mention the Business of Drinks podcast, or inquire via this link: ⁠https://www.swigpartners.com/businessofdrinks

If you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening. Thank you!

This episode of Business of Drinks is supported by MHW, Ltd., a company that has quietly shaped the beverage alcohol industry for more than 30 years — often behind the scenes of brands that went on to become category leaders or major acquisitions.

MHW is a nationally licensed importer, distributor, and service provider with licenses across all 50 U.S. states and the EU. In this conversation, CEO Ryan O’Hara, EVP Scott Saul, and Senior Advisor (and former CRO) MaryAnn Pisani break down how MHW’s service-provider model helps brands navigate one of the most complex operating environments in consumer goods — without giving up control of their brand or strategy.

Key takeaways for drinks founders and operators:

🔶 Why the service-provider model matters more than everWith an estimated 75% fewer distributors than the early 2000s, consolidation has created a bottleneck that makes market access harder — even for proven brands. MHW was built to solve that structural problem, giving brands a compliant, scalable path to market while maintaining control.

🔶 Control vs. convenience in importingUnlike traditional importers, MHW doesn’t run sales or marketing. Instead, it handles compliance, logistics, fulfillment, accounting, and reporting — allowing founders to focus on brand, demand, and customer relationships without building costly infrastructure too early.

🔶 Compliance as a growth unlock, not a taxFrom helping establish categories like absinthe and cachaça to navigating FDA and TTB approvals for unconventional ingredients, MHW has repeatedly enabled innovation that otherwise wouldn’t reach market. Lesson: Getting compliance right early creates speed later.

🔶 Why MHW shows up in acquisition storiesBrands like Casamigos, Avión Tequila, Hypnotiq, and Blue Chair Bay Rum all relied on MHW during critical growth or transition phases. For acquirers, MHW’s platform allows brands to scale quickly — and decide later what to bring in-house.

🔶 What’s changed for foundersLiquid still has to get to lips — but data, digital engagement, and modern supply chains now allow brands to scale smarter. MHW’s newer offerings, including BrandArc, outsourced compliance services, and EU/UK market access, reflect how infrastructure itself has become a strategic lever.

The hidden lesson: Many of the most successful brands didn’t win by doing everything themselves — they won by knowing what to own, and what to outsource, at each stage of growth.

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Erica 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.

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Scott 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.

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Caroline 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.

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Instagram @borkaline

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