How to negotiate a better distribution agreement
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
Release Date: 01/27/2025
New dietary guidelines, endless CEO turnover, wholesale upheaval, and the growing threat of GLP-1 usage
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
In this episode, we're joined by analyst Francois Sonneville and relationship manager Jonathan Magel to discuss the biggest news stories from the past 30 days, including: The US issues new dietary guidelines for alcohol consumption. Will it impact consumption or regulatory pressure? The CEO of Heineken will be stepping down later this year. Virtually every major alcohol business has seen executive turnover in the last 18 months. Does this signal a shift in our expectations for a quick return to growth or a resignation that the problems are more structural? Recent reports suggest...
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The biggest beverage stories of the last decade
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
The end of 2025 marks the end of an era. Our dear friend and cohost Jim Watson returns for one last episode. We celebrate 10 years of ingenious, unparalleled drinks industry coverage with a very special episode, discussing the biggest story from each year of the past decade. And if you’ve appreciated Jim’s work over 125+ episodes of this show, you should thank him directly at: JCWatson334@gmail.com. Tune in to learn something and remember some pivotal beverage industry moments as we break down: 2016: The Anheuser-Busch acquisition of SABMiller 2017: Marijuana legalization in...
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Public spirits companies hope the worst is over
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
Special guest Richard Withagen (Equity Analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux) joins us as we review the latest earnings results from the spirits industry (Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Brown-Forman, Campari, Rémy Cointreau, and Becle). Alongside individual company results, we discuss the broader impact of regulation on spirits sales, how long a transitory/cyclical downturn can be before it is considered structural, the sharp shift in fortunes between geographies, and the difficulty of off-loading unwanted brands when literally everyone else is doing the same thing. Want to sign up for our written...
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The five things that will make or break the craft spirits industry
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
Craft spirits companies have seen an abrupt shift in fortune. Loaded with debt, rising cost of goods sold, and declining demand, many are struggling to survive. With help from our expert panel, we explore the greatest challenges craft distillers are facing and some of the financial and strategic decisions that could prove the difference between closure and living to sell another year. Guests on today’s episode: Maria Pearman – Advisory Partner / fractional CFO, GHJ Margie Lehrman – CEO, American Craft Spirits Association Becky Harris – President & Chief Distiller,...
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Outgunned and outspent: How independent RTD brands are gaining a foothold in the US
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
The odds are stacked against them. They have less money, less influence with distributors, and fewer R&D resources to alchemize the perfect drink, yet smaller RTD brands are going toe-to-toe and often winning the race to capture the fastest-growing space in the beverage alcohol business. In this episode, Evan Burns, CEO at The Finnish Long Drink, and Clement Pappas, cofounder and CEO of Stateside Brands – the company that owns Surfside – explain how, against all odds, they built successful brands in the face of powerful competition. They share some of the hidden advantages that...
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Global beer results prove why diversification is so important
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
We look back at the results from the first half of 2025 and check in on the performances of the world’s largest global beer companies (Heineken, Carlsberg, AB InBev, Molson Coors, Constellation Brands, and Royal Unibrew). We also look at three major themes affecting the beer business in 2025: the dramatic impact of harsh immigration policies on American Latinos, the struggles of European brewers to push costs onto consumers, and the urgency and surprising success of global beer businesses betting big on non-alcoholic beverages. Want to sign up for our written research? Have a...
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Southern Glazer‘s on competition from beer distributors, national contracts, and pricing strategy
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the largest alcohol wholesaler in the United States. We caught up with Mark Chaplin, John Wittig, and David Chaplin, three of Sourthern’s senior executives, to discuss the toughest issues facing alcohol distribution in 2025 and increasing pressure to become a total beverage distributor. Note: This episode was recorded only a few days prior to Southern’s acquisition of AB InBev’s wholly owned New York City distribution operations. In the coming weeks, we will have the Southern team back on the show to discuss that transaction. Catch up...
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How are importers managing tariffs and declining demand?
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
With tariffs, falling demand, and an unfavorable exchange rate, it can feel as though the cosmos are conspiring to make life hard for US importers. However, many import brands and bulk products remain very competitive in the US market. In this episode, we discuss how importers are adjusting to survive and if not thrive in the current operating environment. This is episode two from our discussion with Ryan O’Hara, CEO of MHW, and Serena Campell, Operations Director for USA Wine West. Check out episode one here: Want to sign up for our written research? Have a question, qualm, or...
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How to import wine and spirits into the US
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
Winning in the US market is the holy grail for many brands around the world, but how do you get started? What type of importer should you use, what should you expect from them, and what should you be prepared to bring to the table? What gets an importer excited to support your brand? In this episode we speak with Ryan O’Hara, CEO of MHW, and Serena Campbell, Operations Director for USA Wine West, for a crash course on how to maximize your chance of succeeding in the competitive, confusing, and tremendously large US wine and spirits market. This is part 1 of a two-part episode. ...
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Everything you need to know about hemp
Liquid Assets: A Beverage Industry Podcast
It seems unthinkable that a simple legal loophole for hemp would lead to the de facto legalization of marijuana edibles in the United States, but here we are. Intoxicating hemp products are everywhere, and everyone seems to be excited about them. But the story of hemp-derived THC's rise and the greatest threat to its future are inexorably linked to its legal status. In this episode, we speak to two legal experts, Marc Hauser and Rebecca Stamey-White, about how the intoxicating hemp business came to life, how long it could last, and how the sector's tenuous legal status is influencing every...
info_outlineOver the last 25 years, distribution contracts in the US have shifted from handshake agreements to carefully negotiated legal documents. What do these contracts contain? As a brand, what is negotiable, what can you leverage to get a better deal, and what aspects of your business should never be compromised? Ed LeMay and Dale Stratton of Azur Associates join us to help answer these questions, sharing insights from decades of experience pioneering distribution strategy and sitting across the negotiating table with wholesalers.
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Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services