The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In Episode 032, I enjoyed speaking to my friend and ex-colleague Julian Marsili. He is a Global Drinks Brand Director with many years of experience in the drinks business. He is behind the successful rejuvenation of the Carlsberg brand globally, the launch of Alcohol-Free brews and other Portfolio Innovations. He has previously managed Peroni Nastro Azzurro in Italy. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

This is a 2 part-episode so Don't forget to listen to episode 033 as well. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

Time Stamps

(1:38); Brand Saliency

(11:57); Maintaining Basics

(17:05); Disconnected From Product

(24:31); Demand Space Vs Target

About the Host

About the Guest

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In episode 031, Chris Maffeo had the honor of meeting in person with Joonas Mäkilä, a close friend and Co-founder of Mother's Milk Beverages, a Spirits Company based in Finland. He is a Finnish Commercial Advisor with two decades of experience in FMCG multinationals, private equity-backed hospitality groups, and other industries. We hope you will enjoy their chat.

This is a video episode if you watch it on Spotify.

About the Host: Chris Maffeo

About the Guest: Joonas Mäkilä

Time Stamps

(2:00); Lingoncello Launch

(9:10); Breaking Into Outlets

(11:50); Taking Advantage of The Back Bar

(13:50); A Outlet Owner's View of Attempted Sales

(18:38); Small & Big Brands

(28:45); Brand Stories

(38:00); Target Occasion > Target Consumer

(40:20); Expand Or Focus Distribution

(50:00) Win at Home

(57:00); Internal Competition

(1:02:35); Cash Efficiency

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In episode 030, I had the pleasure of talking to Paul Thomas. He is the Global Head of Shopper Insights at Beam Suntory. He has previously worked for Asahi International, Diageo, Ferrero, and Ipsos. He has an incredible global experience in Drinks Industry Insights. It was a pleasure to discuss it with such pragmatism and common sense. I hope you will enjoy our chat

(00:50); Insights in the Field
(13:43); Adapting to Market Conditions
(19:40); Chasing Trends; A Very Bad Idea
(23:30); Why Do We Have To Chase Gen Z?
(34:26); What A Bar Tender Needs To Know About Your Brand
(36:18); Penetration Vs Spread
(42:47); How Much Localization Is Good?
(51:25); Bridging Categories
(55:47); Insights At The Bar Level

About The Host: Chris Maffeo

About The Guest: Paul Thomas

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In Episode 029, I had the pleasure of chatting to Brian Rosen. He is the Chairman of Growth Beverage and Founder of InvestBev, Sprout Beverage, Bev Strat and Algoma Capital. He has decades of experience in building drinks brands in the US. He gave us incredible insights about the dynamics of the US market. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

Time Stamps

(5:08) How To Spend Money Effectively
(12:28) Building Demand Effectively
(15:04) Home Court Advantage
(18:39) Doing The Boring Stuff
(27:35) Running Out of Money
(31:25) Breaking Into The US
(40:00) Demand Generation

About the Guest: Brian Rosen

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In Episode 028, I had the pleasure of chatting with Duncan McRae, Co-founder of Woven Whisky and a Drinks industry veteran, having previously worked with William Grant's & Sons and Diageo. A living example of Building Brands Bottom Up. I hope you enjoy our chat.

Main Topics Discussed:

(00:00) Building Demand

(03:08) Brand Awareness

(08:58) Managing Relationships

(10:44) KPI's & Incentives

(13:46) "Blue Tick Moments": Becoming Known in the Ecosystem

(15:40) Bottle Shops vs. On-Trade Growth

(26:46) It starts with the liquid

(32:00) Adapting Your Sales Pitch

(37:52) Better Brand Training

(44:35) Taste Profile before categories

(52:00) Special Pours & Drawbacks

About the Host: Chris Maffeo

About the Guest: Duncan McRae

About the product: Woven

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In episode 027 I had the honor of interviewing Steven Grasse. He is the founder of the renowned agency Quaker City Mercantile and of Tamworth Distilling. He is a legend in the drinks industry, having created brands such as Hendrick's gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, and having crafted great rebirths such as Pilsner Urquell, Guinness, and Miller High Life. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

Main Topics Discussed:

0 to 1 Bottle:

- Differentiating Liquid

- Why Not to Chase Trends

- Bridging Categories through Taste Profile

1 Bottle to 1 Case:

- Building a Rich Brand World

- The Importance of Rituals

- Choosing Partners & Distributors

1 Case to 1 Pallet

- On, Off-Trade and State Monopolies

- Institutional Knowledge

- Award Show

About The Host: Chris Maffeo

About The Guest: Steven Grasse

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

This is the second part of the chat with Maurice Doyle, CEO of Compass Box Whisky. He is a business coach and brings 3 decades of industry experience, having held senior leadership roles at Bacardi, William Grant & Sons and Suntory. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

Main Topics Discussed:
0 to 1 Bottle

-Figuring out pricing

-Back bar analysis

-Targeting the right bars

1 Bottle to 1 Case

-Cocktail opportunities in bars

-Strengthening customer-brand relationships (Love & Money)

-Creating volume focused KPIs

1 Case to 1 Pallet

-Beyond the back bar

-Ironing out the value chain

-Incentivizing your value chain

About the Host: Chris Maffeo

About the Guest: Maurice Doyle

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

This is the first part of the chat with Maurice Doyle. He's the CEO of Compass Box Whisky. He's a coach and brings three decades of industry experience, having held senior leadership roles at Bacardi, William Grant and Sons and Suntory. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In Episode 024, I had the privilege of interviewing Alex Ouziel, Founder of 9diDANTE Vermouth and CEO of FIOL Prosecco. He's a veteran of our industry, with many years in the game. He has previously spent ten years in Bacardi, from VP and Managing Director of Eastern Europe to President of Asia, Middle East, and Africa. He possesses a truly international perspective on drinks. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Main Topics Discussed:

From 0 to 1 Bottle

From 1 Bottle to 1 Case

From 1 Case to 1 Pallet

About the Host: Chris Maffeo

About the Guest: Alex Ouziel

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

In this episode of the Maffeo Drinks Podcast, we continue interviewing Paul Hletko, Founder of FEW Spirits & Owner of Goza Tequila. FEW was part of the vanguard of the Craft Spirits Movement, with Paul leading the charge. They are a masterclass in building a drinks brand bottom up. I hope you enjoy our chat.

Main Topics Discussed:

Zero to One Bottle

• Finding your target occasion

•Bootstrapping Vs Investor Starts

One Bottle to One Case

• Is your target occasion scalable?

• Adapting your drinking occasion

• Winning distributors

One Case to One Pallet

•Advantages of a broad portfolio of drinks

• Importance of Founder Field Visits, even when big

•Transitioning to Indirect Sales

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠⁠⁠

About the Guest: Paul Hletko

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com