Headlines

Harsh Winds From Chi-Town: The Push To Nationalize Malört

If you’ve stumbled into a Chicago bar late at night, it’s likely you’ve been offered a shot of Jeppson’s Malört. Like Fernet to San Francisco, the Swedish-style liquor has become a bartender's handshake in the city and an unlikely regional icon. Now, hitting its 90th anniversary, the owners are building on its organic social media buzz, merchandise collection, and even its polarizing taste to push it into bars across the country.

Taste Radio: Creators Are Fading. That’s A Good Sign. And, How Investors Start & End Relationships.

The hosts discussed the rise of high-profile creator-led brands and their transcendence beyond celebrity ties. They also reflect on a PSL season that started way too soon and the strategy behind functional brands that market both energizing and calming products. We also feature the latest installment of The Goat Pen, our regular series with Carlton Fowler, the co-founder and managing partner of early-stage investment firm Goat Rodeo Capital.

Six Questions with Weller CEO John Simmons

We caught up with Weller CEO John Simmons to learn more about the brand’s experience in both Erewhon and Minnesota in order to learn more about how hemp-derived THC is breaking out into the mainstream and how the brand, which had previously established itself in the CBD category, is using the opportunity to reach new consumers.

Pernod Ricard: Sales Up 13%; U.S. Decline Expected

Pernod Ricard net sales grew +13% to $13.2 billion in FY 2023, but in its earnings report today the liquor company warned that sales would soon see a decline in China and the U.S.

Rabobank: M&A Slowdown Will Lead Buyers, Sellers to Rethink Deal Strategy

Although M&A activity may have slowed amid economic uncertainty over the past year, it’s hardly an anomaly. However, a new report from Rabobank, titled “The New Deal Environment,” says that slowdown means potential buyers and sellers may have to significantly rethink how they approach deals going forward.

Where Will Instacart Go After The IPO? Grocery Experts Weigh In

Instacart’s IPO filing last week signaled many things – a bit of upward momentum in the overall IPO market, inklings of the potential direction e-grocery is heading and an unexpected, developing relationship with PepsiCo. But questions still remain about the future direction of the grocery-tech giant’s growth.

Taste Radio: When The Sustainable Path Is A Billion-Dollar Opportunity

Shadi Bakour, the co-founder and CEO of PATH, a bottled water brand that uses refillable aluminum containers, spoke about how he convinced retailers and investors that there was an unmet need for the brand, the game changing impact of relationships with San Francisco Airport retailers and Natural Products Expo West, the value of licensing deals with Barbie and TMNT, and PATH’s $30 million Series A funding round.

Upscale, Multi-Serve & Global: Wolf Spirit Distillery Launches RTDs

With ready-to-drink UPC proliferation nearing 7,000 items, how does an independent spirits company find a niche on the shelf - especially when starting from scratch? For Wolf Spirit Distillery, an Oregon-based spirits producer, the opportunity lies in upscaling a version of a cocktail people already love, and possibly upping the size too.

Spirits: New Releases From Hemingway, Jack Daniel’s, Wolves, Brugal and More

In this roundup of notable new spirits, Colorado-based Root Shoot announces the launch of its first completely locally sourced spirit, Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new LTO and Jack Daniel’s introduces the latest addition to its Single Barrel Special Release Collection.