Business of Drinks

🚨 Is your drinks brand optimized for AI? If not, you’re becoming invisible. On the latest Business of Drinks episode, Shilah Salmon, SVP of Marketing at Jackson Family Wines, reveals how AI search, digital shelf presence, and online discovery are changing the game — and why most brands aren’t prepared. 📊 Key insights from our conversation: 🔹 SEO for AI is now essential for drinks brands. Consumers no longer search for “best Pinot Noir under $20” on Google. They ask AI — and AI pulls from digital reviews, articles, social media, and e-commerce rankings. If your brand isn’t optimized, it won’t show up. 🔹 Earned media is more critical than ever. Brands must ensure they have a presence across channels and platforms, from traditional media to influencer content to placement on digital shelves like Instacart and DoorDash. 🔹 Social media isn’t just about posting — it’s about searchability. A strong digital presence means being discoverable where consumers are actively looking. 🔹 A drinks brand’s digital presence must evolve. It’s no longer enough to have a product shot and tasting notes. Brands need engaging content, video storytelling, and influencer collaborations to make an impact. 🍷 Drinks brands, are you ready for the shift? AI isn’t the future — it’s already here. If your brand isn’t discoverable, you’re invisible. 🎧 Listen now on Business of Drinks for the full conversation with Shilah Salmon — one of the smartest marketers in the drinks industry. Link in the comments. #DigitalMarketing #AI #WineIndustry #SEO #WineMarketing #BusinessOfDrinks #MarketingStrategy Caroline Lamb Scott Rosenbaum

The wine industry has a perception problem... But Jackson Family Wines' Shilah Salmon is proving there's a better way forward! For 40+ years, La Crema Winery built trust through unwavering quality. But the real magic? They recognized early that wine doesn't have to be exclusive or intimidating. "We have to get out of our own way sometimes. We love our rules, but our drinkers don't. And sometimes the rules are off-putting to them," shares Salmon, who's spent 20+ years marketing wine. Here's what's fascinating: While many brands chase wine enthusiasts at traditional events, La Crema goes where wine isn't. They poured samples for 80,000 people last year - at Pride festivals, art shows, and sporting events. Meeting people where they are, not where wine traditionally lives. The results speak volumes: 69% of La Crema buyers last year were new to the brand. Even more striking? 14% were completely new to wine. The lesson is clear: Success doesn't come from doing what everyone else does. It comes from having the courage to break the rules, challenge assumptions, and create genuine connections with people who didn't know they were waiting for you. "Wine doesn't have to be just when you're sitting at a dining table," Salmon notes. "We need to shift that perspective that wine is a low-energy beverage into a high-energy beverage." Watch or listen to the latest Business of Drinks to hear how Shilah is advancing wine marketing. Link to the full episode in the comments. #WineMarketing #BrandStrategy #Innovation #ConsumerBehavior #Leadership #BusinessOfDrinks #Entrepreneurship #WineBusiness #Marketing Erica Duecy Caroline Lamb

The wine industry is facing a leaky bucket problem. Brands are losing more customers than they’re gaining. But La Crema Winery, the nearly 1.4 million-case brand from Jackson Family Wines, is bucking the trend — successfully recruiting new customers from outside the wine category. How? Data. Long-term strategy. Consistency. 🎙️ On the latest episode of Business of Drinks, Shilah Salmon, SVP of Marketing at Jackson Family Wines, shares how she’s leveraging consumer insights to find untapped audiences, track where new customers are coming from, and build long-term brand equity — rather than chasing short-term trends. Key takeaways:  ✅ Data tells a bigger story than doom and gloom headlines. La Crema’s consumer insights show who is buying and where they’re discovering wine. ✅ Marketing needs to be planned in years — not months. Brands that switch strategies every quarter lose consistency and consumer trust. ✅ Meet consumers where they are. La Crema’s mobile wine experiences at Pride events, art fairs, and sports venues are bringing new drinkers into the category. ✅ Forget the wine bubble. The industry has to stop marketing to itself and expand into new spaces where younger, diverse audiences are already engaging. If you’re in wine marketing, this episode is a must-listen. 🎧 Tune in now to hear how La Crema is navigating wine’s toughest challenges — and successfully growing its audience. #WineMarketing #BrandStrategy #ConsumerInsights #BusinessOfDrinks #MarketingStrategy #DataDriven Business of Drinks Caroline Lamb Scott Rosenbaum

“We Sort of Owe Stella Rosa for Bringing New Wine Consumers into the Category.” - Erica Duecy At this year’s WiVi conference, industry experts confirmed that younger consumers are still drinking wine - but they crave new experiences, lighter styles, and more approachable options. That’s where Stella Rosa continues to shine. Our Pineapple & Chili wine was the best-selling new wine SKU of 2023, and our portfolio of semi-sweet, semi-sparkling wines grew 5% last year to 4.1 million cases! Plus, 27% of our 2023 sales came from new drinkers entering the wine category. As Erica Duecy, founder and host of the Business of Drinks Podcast, pointed out, Stella Rosa plays a key role in introducing new consumers to wine, helping them feel comfortable and excited to explore the category. As the wine industry looks to expand drinking occasions, flavored wines, non-alcoholic options, and alternative packaging will continue to drive growth. Huge thanks to WiVi Central Coast and industry experts like Erica Duecy for recognizing Stella Rosa’s impact on the future of wine! 🍷 #StellaRosa #WineTrends #GenZDrinking #FlavoredWine #Innovation #WiVi2025

Such a tremendous honor to share the keynote stage at WiVi Central Coast with these data and insights icons. 🙌 First Karen Daenen of Jackson Family Wines presented on the demographics and psychographics of wine shoppers, discussing opportunities for wineries to target. Then I presented on what Millennials and Gen Zs are looking for in drinks, the products and categories gaining traction with younger audiences, what they’re looking for in wines specifically, and how they find and research wines to buy. Then, Jon Berg and Kaleigh Theriault of NIQ presented on wine shopper data showing channel preferences and purchase paths for wine shoppers, and growth opportunities across channels. And we rounded out the morning with a lively Q&A session. Such compelling conversation — and a really engaged audience of wine industry folks looking for data-driven insights. Thank you to Erin Kirschenmann and WineBusiness Monthly for understanding the value of data insights and putting on a world-class event. Truly impressive day of programming, and I was thrilled to take part 🙏

The THC beverage revolution is happening now, and Justin Tidwell, co-founder and CEO of NOWADAYS, is proving just how big this category can get. Founded in 2023, Nowadays has already hit $15M in revenue (per Forbes) and is on track to double that in 2025 — all while cracking the code on retail, distribution, and social growth. 🔥 What we discuss on the latest Business of Drinks episode: - From zero to $1M in 90 days: How a single TikTok post turned Nowadays into a viral success. - Cracking the THC spirits market: The genius behind their vodka/tequila-style THC spirits with tiered dosing (2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg THC). - Retail explosion: Expanding into 5,000 stores across 25 states — and why partnering with alcohol distributors is a game-changer. - No paid influencers? Why Nowadays relies on organic social media instead of big-name endorsements. - The future of THC drinks: How Justin sees THC beverages becoming as common as beer and wine in bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. 📈 If you’re in the drinks industry, listen up: THC beverages aren’t just a trend — they’re a new category that’s scaling fast. 🎧 Listen now — link in comments #THCDrinks #BeverageInnovation #CannabisIndustry #BusinessOfDrinks #THCSpirits Caroline Lamb Scott Rosenbaum

In the latest episode of Business of Drinks, Ryan Malkin breaks down one of the biggest compliance questions for beverage brands: FDA or TTB? When do you need to engage with the FDA (for non-alc and functional ingredients) versus the TTB (for alcohol formulations and labeling)? In this clip, Ryan explains the key differences and how to navigate both agencies to stay compliant in his coversation with Erica Duecy and Scott Rosenbaum. 🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/dKTfUuhK #LiquorLawyer #Entrepreneurship #LegalServices #Law #DrinksIndustry #Regulations #AlcoholCompliance #AlcoholIndustryAdvisor #BusinessOfDrinks #BeverageLaw #TTBRegulations #FDACompliance #AlcoholLaw #BeverageBusiness #CraftSpirits #IndustryInsights

This week on the Business of Drinks podcast, we ask: Are you even famous if you don’t have a non-alc drink line? As we all know, celebrities have been launching spirits brands for years — but now, they’re going all in on non-alcoholic drinks. We weigh in on a thought-provoking article from Punch writer Hannah Walhout that asks: Why are so many celebrities jumping into the non-alc space? And is it actually working? We discuss: - The Goopification of drinks – How non-alc brands align with the wellness and luxury positioning that celebrities crave. - The social media factor – Does an Instagram post of Bella Hadid in Target actually translate to long-term success for Kin Euphorics? - Do consumers care? – Sure, a celebrity name might get people to try a drink—but does it keep them coming back? - Authenticity vs. cash grab – Some celebrities have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands. Does that undercut their messaging? 🎧 Listen now to get the full discussion in our Last Call segment — link in comments #NonAlcoholicDrinks #CelebrityBrands #BusinessOfDrinks #BeverageMarketing #ConsumerTrends

How do you identify the best route to market? Follow the data! Pauline Idogho, founder and CEO of Mocktail Club, took a data-driven approach in identifying her route to market — and that strategy paid off big time. She targeted health-conscious, upscale shoppers at Whole Foods with her line of premium non-alcoholic cocktails, and found a community of eager early adopters. From there, she’s scaled up to 1,300 retail stores, including Sprouts, Kings, and Target. The company is on track to produce 2 million cans this year, and just getting going in alcohol distribution channels. In the latest Business of Drinks episode, we discuss: 🔸 How Pauline identified Whole Foods as her proving ground and why that was critical to success 🔸 The early adopter profile for non-alc brands and how Mocktail Club targeted them first 🔸 Why (and how) Mocktail Club is now expanding into on-premise and alcohol distribution 💡Key takeaway for drinks entrepreneurs? Instead of jumping into multiple distribution channels early on, identify your early adopters, build momentum in the best-fit accounts, and then expand intentionally. 🎧 Listen now and hear how a strategic retail roadmap can accelerate brand growth – link in comments! #MocktailClub #BeverageEntrepreneurship #NonAlcoholicCocktails #DrinksIndustry #RetailStrategy Scott Rosenbaum Caroline Lamb

🚀 "Go deeper, not wider." That's the distribution strategy that helped Quintaliza Tequila scale without getting lost in the crowd. Too many new brands chase fast expansion, jumping into multiple states before they've built a loyal base. Michael Winters took a different approach, which he discussed on the latest Business of Drinks episode. Key Lessons: ✅ Say NO to premature expansion. When a big distributor wanted to put Quintaliza into five states, he turned it down to focus on doing Florida right first. ✅ Invest in pull-through, not just placements. A high number of accounts means nothing if product sits on the shelf. ✅ Follow the data — not just relationships. The decision to enter New Jersey and Tennessee was based on seasonal migration patterns and test market insights. The Takeaway: 📢 Distribution isn’t a vanity metric. True success isn’t about how many states you’re in — it’s about how much product actually moves in each one. 🎧 Want to hear how he executed this playbook? Listen now — link in the comments. #TequilaIndustry #DistributionStrategy #BrandScaling #BeverageBusiness #BusinessOfDrinks Scott Rosenbaum Caroline Lamb