Publisher’s Toast: Special Days

In our lives there are a few truly special days. On March 5th, my second granddaughter came into our lives. My son David and his wife Michelle gave us the best gift one can ever ask for: Andie Nathanson. For those who are at that stage of life, having grandchildren tops anything. Being now twice blessed in this way is amazing.

Andie came along at just the right time. My fear was that she would arrive at the start of Expo West. If that had been the case, I would have had to drop the event, and New Hope would have been out of luck: no Barry, no Expo.

Luckily, the timing worked out: I arrived in Anaheim energized and ready to take on the world. Andie quickly paid dividends, her arrival my opening conversational salvo throughout my three days on the floor. It’s always great to share such good news.

Then I jumped into the world of beverages. Expo West is always the highlight of the year for trade shows. This year did not disappoint. On the first day in North Hall, it was nearly overwhelming, crowded, trash bins were overflowing, and you needed a machete to traverse the aisles, but the latest and greatest were on full display.

Luckily things went smoothly and we all got to see why this show is so dynamic. It’s great theatre, and it makes a terrific stage to introduce the brands that will grace our shelves in 2024 and beyond.

Beverages are back! Over the past few years, Covid diminished the volume of new launches, SKUs and packaging innovations. There was hesitancy to fully commit. That is now the past. Even with our strong team of BevNET attendees, we had a hard time covering all there was to offer. I was in awe of how many marketers grabbed me to show their wares. It’s always great to see old friends, to catch up, but they all had a story to tell of their launches and initiatives. We actually conducted business.

Expo West is a bellwether of the beverage marketplace. I was delighted to see such activity. Yet, it still pales in comparison to the launch of Andie. She’s got great branding for sure! Life is good.