MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This is the first part of the chat I had the honor of having with Alex Frezza. He is the Owner and Founder of L' Antiquario in Napoli, currently number 46 on the Global list of 50 Best Bars. He is a bar legend in Italy and internationally. I hope you will enjoy our chat.

Main topics discussed:

From 0 to 1 bottle

• Understanding the thought process of a bar owner being pitched to

• The Wholesaler Paradox (Why bars have an aversion to brands without a wholesaler)

• The Importance of the Target Occasion

From 1 bottle to 1 case

• What attracts bar owners to a product

• Communicating your brand identity to consumers through bartenders

• Being approachable to consumers for bars and brands

From 1 case to 1 pallet

• Big brands vs. Small brands approaches

• Localization Failures

• Building Distribution Networks

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠⁠ 

About the Guest: Alex Frezza

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

In this single episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Krista Schubert from Overproof, an AI-powered market intelligence platform & field execution software for the beverage alcohol industry. She has extensive industry experience and brings incredible insights and data to our chat.

If you are interested in using OverProof, you can do it ⁠here⁠ and get $250 discount.

Main topics discussed:

From 0 to 1 bottle

• The importance of the Target Occasion

• How occasions change by City and State

• How to choose the correct city to start building your brand

From 1 bottle to 1 case

• Brand Owners' vs. Distributors' approaches to city strategies

• Analyzing cocktail menus to decide where to focus on

• Avoid brands vs. following brands: different strategies

From 1 case to 1 pallet

• Big brands vs. Small brands approaches

• How to move from one City / State to the next

• How Independent Bottle Shops can complement your On-trade strategy

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠⁠ 

About the Guest: Krista Schubert

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This is the second part of the chat between Chris Maffeo and Adrián Michalčík. He is the Global Winner of the Diageo WorldClass 2022 and Global Top 6 in 2016. He is the Director of Mixology at Pier 42 in Oslo.

Main topics discussed:

• What happens after selling the first bottle to a bar

• How to drive rotation in bars

• Visibility: Back bars, beverage menus, and cocktail menus

• Support bars with physical and development tools

• Being specific vs. versatile on a target occasion

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠⁠ 

About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Adrián Michalčík⁠

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This is the first episode of the chat between Chris Maffeo and Adrián Michalčík. He is the Global Winner of the Diageo WorldClass 2022 and Global Top 6 in 2016. He is the Director of Mixology at Pier 42 in Oslo.

They discussed:

• The importance of On-trade in brand building, especially in dark markets.

• What can small brands learn from Global Brands' Advocacy Programs.

• How Salespeople can prepare themselves before approaching a bar.

• Latest developments in the Czechoslovak and Nordic bar scenes.

• The Italian and Czechoslovak connection in the Global bar scene.

• How top bars decide which brands to list on their offering

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠ 

About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Adrián Michalčík

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

In this episode, Chris Maffeo talks with Filiberto Amati.

They spoke about Brand Ambassadors from how to define the role, set up KPIs and enable them to build demand from the bottom-up.

They continue by talking about how big brands have shaped their success by focusing on a core occasion. How did they master with perfect market execution that did not happen overnight.

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

In this episode, Chris Maffeo talks with Filiberto Amati.

They speak about how to choose the right city to start from in a market, as they are not all the same. They dive into how to win there before moving to the next city and how to ensure you get the right distribution set-up based on your brand lifestage.

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

In this episode, Chris Maffeo talks with his ex-colleague Marcus Pedersen.

They use Aquavit, a typical Nordic distillate, to discuss how niche categories can create demand and appeal beyond their borders. They talk about traditional and modern target occasions, how to approach bars, get on the back bar, cocktail menus, and ultimately drive rotation.

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate it and share it with your friends and colleagues.

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠

About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Marcus Pedersen

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

This episode is the second part of the selection of Chris Maffeo's chat with Philip Duff.

They started speaking about how to avoid spreading yourself too thin by entering numerous markets you cannot control effectively; having one person handle to trade at the street level while avoiding bureaucratic processes that may hinder your progress is better.

They closed the episode by discussing how brands should avoid relying too much on past success when looking toward future growth opportunities. What works today might not work tomorrow due to changing market dynamics or consumer preferences.

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate it and share it with your friends and colleagues. Listen to the Philip Duff Show (podcast) to find out more.

About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠

About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Philip Duff

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. 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.

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Brad Crompton, Director at Spirits of Bermondsey (Trinity 25)

In the farming part of their chat, we dive into practical strategies for increasing sales in bars. We explore the importance of targeting independent outlets and overcoming skepticism from bar managers/owners. To drive awareness and generate interest, offering free samples and designing special promotions/events prove beneficial.

We also discuss the power of relatable cocktail names and segmenting drinks based on their approximate alcohol content (ABV) to attract customers. Tracking bar menu changes and creating a pipeline for future opportunities is emphasized.

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

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

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.