Maybe you can relate to this…but as an introvert, I only have a limited amount of social energy, and my preference is to spend it in ways that really count. In fact, avoiding “small talk” at business events has become one of my superpowers…and not because I dislike socializing (or people), but due to instead enjoying deep dives into topics and exploring ideas on a meaningful level. And while some might misclassify this desire to talk about things that feel personally important and relevant as some form of selfishness…I’d push back and say that “small talk” is often what can create barriers that prevents strong genuine business connections. But maybe the “next level” of those strong genuine business connections is unlocked when conversation depth is mixed with randomness…like can we stick together from random interesting topic to random interesting topic. And you’ll quickly notice this was the type of conversation we had with the Co-Owner and President of PricePlow, Benjamin Kane. So yes, we obviously covered subject matter within the emerging and intersecting CPG categories of functional beverages and dietary supplements…but also covered general topics I’ve definitely never even remotely got close to mentioning publicly. Follow - Pour Decisions PodcastAlso, an extra special thanks to Cognizin, for not only being the Title Sponsor of The Beverage Forum 2025...but supporting this awesome piece of content!