The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast

By Chris MaffeoBusiness Marketing Management

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast episodes

June 09, 2023 011 | Brad Crompton | How to get on Cocktail Menus: thinking out of the box to achieve rotation
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

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.
We hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠
About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad Crompton

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

34 min
June 03, 2023 010 | Brad Crompton | Building demand for a new category: the journey from lower ABV to Session Spirit ™
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Brad Crompton, Director at Spirits of Bermondsey (Trinity 25)
In the hunting part of their chat, they discussed the importance of building demand before capturing it. How, by talking about the broader category, a brand can establish its relevance and make the pie bigger for others, by launching a magazine covering both alcohol-free and fully alcoholic drinks.

Brad explained how they've trademarked the "session spirit" category and shifted their focus to finding bars that understand and support their vision. Instead of competing with established brands for shelf space, they aim to create a new shelf altogether where their product can thrive in its own right.
We hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠
About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad Crompton

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

32 min
May 28, 2023 009 | Dom Bowcock | Bowimi | Tech and Geographic Strategies: how CRM tools can drive flawless execution
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Dom Bowcock, Co-founder of Bowimi.
They discussed the importance of executing their strategy in a focused way and understanding how to prioritize an area before moving on to the next one. They spoke about the difference between selling beer and spirits brands and how crucial it is to sustain sales velocity instead while expanding distribution. They closed the episode by discussing how founders can ensure they hire the right people in their team and set them up for success.
We hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠
About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dom Bowcock

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

33 min
May 21, 2023 008 | Dom Bowcock | Bowimi | Data Analysis in On-trade: how to systematize your approach to bars
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Dom Bowcock, Co-founder of Bowimi.
They spoke about the importance of having a simple system to capture and analyze data to identify which customers to focus on. They discussed the importance for brands to secure new accounts and nurture relationships with existing ones so that their products continue selling well. They chatted about how small-scale experiments are beneficial when trying out different strategies across various venues - but balance is key to gathering useful data points without causing paralysis by analysis.
We hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠
About the Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dom Bowcock

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

35 min
May 13, 2023 007 | Mike McGrail | Farming Sales: how to drive sales velocity in bars after you sold the first bottle
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Mike McGrail, host of ⁠⁠Drinks Noise Podcast⁠⁠ and Digital Marketing Controller at Whyte & Mackay.
They spoke about the importance of On-trade as a channel to build brands. They spoke about how to go from 1 bottle to 1 case by selling the first bottle with the second one in mind. They then dove into what tools to use to make that happen and discussed the mindset change that needs to happen to help bars "get rid of" bottles as fast as possible to make a new order.
We hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Mike McGrail
About the Interviewee: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

27 min
May 06, 2023 006 | Mike McGrail | Hunting Bars: how to start selling a new Drinks Brand in a city
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Mike McGrail, host of ⁠⁠Drinks Noise Podcast⁠⁠ and Digital Marketing Controller at Whyte & Mackay.
They spoke about the importance of On-trade as a channel to build brands. They focused on how you create demand for your new brand, how to select the right bars to sell to and what are the first steps to sell the first bottle. They closed by talking about building a relationship with all the links of the bar from the bar back up the owner in a bottom-up way as they all play a role in the decision-making process.
I hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Mike McGrail
About the Interviewee: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

23 min
April 30, 2023 005 | Ilias Mastrogiannis | Building demand: how to educate about the occasion and the category vs. only the brand
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Ilias Mastrogiannis, host of ⁠⁠Distillery Nation⁠⁠ and founder of the ⁠⁠Mastrogiannis Distillery and Winery⁠⁠.
They spoke about the importance for brands to build demand and trust by educating consumers about the category and drinking occasion rather than just talking about their brand. They also suggest that brands offer something unique to stand out without overcomplicating things by creating a product just for geeks. In the end, Ilias asked Chris questions to help listeners understand better who he is and what he does.
I hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠⁠Ilias Mastrogiannis⁠⁠
About the Interviewee: ⁠⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

24 min
April 23, 2023 004 | Ilias Mastrogiannis | Cracking the Drinks Value Chain: debunking the myth of bypassing the links of the chain
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Ilias Mastrogiannis, host of ⁠Distillery Nation⁠ and founder of the ⁠Mastrogiannis Distillery and Winery⁠.
They discussed how drinks brands should focus on winning in their backyard and build relationships with distributors, importers, and retailers instead of looking for shortcuts and hacks. They spoke about the importance of building Cost-of-Goods COGS from the glass to avoid becoming too expensive in the market. They discussed the hidden costs of direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, such as margins and marketing costs, and the danger of scaling too quickly while not being cash strong to satisfy large orders.
I hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.
About the Host: ⁠⁠Ilias Mastrogiannis⁠
About the Interviewee: ⁠⁠Chris Maffeo⁠⁠
All rights reserved: ⁠Distillery Nation

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

17 min
April 16, 2023 003 | Ilias Mastrogiannis | The Target Occasion: how to sell to bars focusing on occasions rather than categories
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Chris Maffeo spoke to Ilias Mastrogiannis, host of Distillery Nation and founder of the Mastrogiannis Distillery and Winery.
They discussed how the On-trade scene has changed by blending occasions and categories in recent years. They dived into why focusing on target occasions is important rather than categories. They discussed the importance of building demand for a brand before attempting to capture it and how On-trade sales have changed in the last few years. They discussed sales, building demand, targeting and filtering on-premise accounts, and the importance of focusing on the essentials, focusing on bottle-by-bottle sales.

I hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.

About the Host: ⁠Ilias Mastrogiannis
About the Interviewee: ⁠Chris Maffeo⁠

All rights reserved: Distillery Nation

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

25 min
April 06, 2023 002 | Jason Littrell | The Sell-out Ladder: how to increase drinks sales in bars
Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!

In this episode, Jason Littrell and I face the challenges of listing drinks brands in bars and restaurants. We deep dive into the steps from selling one bottle to one case. How do you start from being on the back bar to be on the menu? What are the triggers in the conversation between a salesperson and a bar manager? How do you start from the glass and build brand pull rather than brand push?
I hope you enjoy the conversation. Share it with friends, click follow and rate it if you liked it.

About the Host: ⁠Jason Littrell
About the Interviewee: ⁠Chris Maffeo⁠

All rights reserved: The Littrell Show

Chris Maffeo hosted this episode, brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.
MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar to the boardroom.
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.

28 min

About The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The Maffeo Drinks Podcast is a leading business podcast in the drinks industry. 135 episodes. Listened to in more than 120 countries. This podcast closes the gap between Bottom-up reality and Top-down expectations with conversations about how brands are actually built, from the field, not the boardroom. Chris Maffeo, founder of MAFFEO DRINKS, hosts the show with over 20 years of experience across 30+ markets.