
BEVERAGE SCHOOL: LEARN THE ROPES OF THE INDUSTRY
Beverage School is a special half-day “Beverages 101″ session for early-stage entrepreneurs and industry newcomers. It is held the day prior to the full conference and is free for all BevNET Live Summer 2019 attendees. If you're a young beverage brand, these are the benefits of attending Beverage School:

Get Up to Speed
Take a look at the basics of operating and growing a company in the beverage market. Beverage School is an intensive, half-day program designed for beverage startups and industry newcomers.

Identify Keys for Growth
Gain access to expert insights, successful entrepreneur case studies, and a healthy dose of networking. Expect presentations on product development, sales and marketing, supply chain management, distribution and more.

Initiate Critical Conversations
Get a head start on the conversation during a special round table Q&A session. Connect with speakers and additional experts, the ones who know what works and how to make it happen.
If you're already registered to attend BevNET Live Summer 2019, Beverage School registration is included. Please visit your attendee portal to reserve your seat.
BEVERAGE SCHOOL SPEAKERS
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Nat Noone
Founder & CEO, Wave Soda
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Kelly Criswell
Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency
Kelly Criswell
Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency
Kelly Criswell is a visionary and creative leader, shepherding The GRO Agency as the Chief Creative Officer based in the Los Angeles office. With a fierce love of beverage branding and a 16+ year career in CPG brand development and packaging design, Kelly will relentlessly push brands to the next level for success on shelf. Over her career she has worked with such notable brands as Dunkin’ Donuts, Nestlé, Premier Nutrition, Diageo, and Red Bull. Her latest modus operandi is harnessing her extensive experience in CPG to help entrepreneurs and start-ups launch their brands. Her current passion project is Kabaki Kenyan Purple Tea- she has teamed up with the founder Martin and helped him position, brand, package, and develop go-to-market strategy for a 2018 launch. When she’s not obsessively taking photos in grocery stores (say hi if you see her!) she’s painting or hiking with her two kids.
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Bob Sipper
, Cascadia Managing Brands
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Betsy McGinn
Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting
Betsy McGinn
Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting
Betsy is the co-author of The Amazon Roadmap: How Innovative Brands are Reinventing the Path to Market, the quintessential start-to-finish guide for brands who want to launch, recalibrate, or optimize their business on Amazon and ensure continued growth on this powerful platform. As Seventh Generation’s first eCommerce channel director, Betsy pioneered the company’s innovative eComm strategy and created a thriving multimillion-dollar partnership with Amazon and other key online retailers. Since founding McGinn eComm in 2014, Betsy has worked with hundreds of natural and specialty brands to establish and strengthen their presence on Amazon. From product development and profitability analysis to guiding organizational change, McGinn eComm leads clients through every step of this complex channel, helping to ensure a successful and profitable online businesses. With more than a decade of eCommerce experience, Betsy is a thought-leader and regular speaker at workshops and conferences globally. Visit Betsy at mcginnecomm.com
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Justin Prochnow
Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Justin Prochnow
Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Justin is an attorney and shareholder in the Denver office of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig. His practice focuses on representing companies in the beverage, food, and dietary supplement and providing assistance on regulatory and legal issues. He reviews labels and packaging, websites and other promotional and advertising materials to ensure that the labels are technically compliant and appropriate claims are being made. He assists many companies with responses to FDA actions like warning letters, inspections and recalls, as well as FTC investigations. He also prepares and reviews industry contracts such as supplier and manufacturing agreements. And lately, he has been defending companies in class action lawsuits over labeling claims like "all natural" filed in California and other states.
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Danielle Muller
VP of Strategy, The GRO Agency
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Brad Barnhorn
Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors
Brad Barnhorn
Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors
Brad works closely with leading growth-stage food and beverage companies as a board member and strategic advisor. His work leverages 25 years of company-building experience as entrepreneur, CEO, board member and investor, cutting across all strategic and operational dimensions of successful company-building in the food and beverage space. He currently serves on the Board of Fishpeople, Health Warrior, Simple Mills, Rhythm Superfoods, Biena, Rib Rack, and Red’s All Natural. He previously served on the Board of Krave Jerky, Kevita and Chameleon Cold Brew from these companies early stages through their respective exits as category defining brands to Hershey’s, Pepsi and Nestle. Building upon a foundation in management consulting and investment banking, Mr. Barnhorn’s food and beverage journey began twenty years ago as Founder/CEO of the Fantasia Fresh Juice Company which he built into the leading superpremium fresh juice/smoothie company in the Midwestern United States culminating in a merger with Naked Juice to form the leading national brand in the category which was subsequently acquired by Pepsi. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
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Martín Caballero
Managing Editor, BevNET
THE DETAILS
When: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 11th
Where: The Green Room 42 at the YOTEL New York | 570 10th Ave New York, NY 10036
Registration: Registration is free for BevNET Live attendees and can be accessed through the attendee portal. Seating is limited to 60 attendees.
Topics: Product design, introduction to sales channels, legal keys for beverage startups, the importance of branding, funding, and best business practices.
Format: 3.5 hours of presentations, followed by round table discussions with speakers and additional experts.
BEVERAGE SCHOOL AGENDA
Please note: All times US Eastern Time
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11:30 AM
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12:30 PMBeverage School Registration & Networking
Beverage School is half-day introductory seminar covering the nuts and bolts of launching a beverage brand.
Location: The Green Room 42 within the Yotel Hotel, just 1/2 mile from the Metropolitan West. The meeting space is on the 4th floor.
570 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036** Separate Registration is Required & Accessed in the BevNET Live Attendee Portal **
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12:30 PM
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12:40 PMWelcome Remarks
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Martín Caballero, Managing Editor, BevNET
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Martín Caballero, Managing Editor, BevNET
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12:40 PM
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1:10 PMThe Entrepreneur’s Life
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Nat Noone, Founder & CEO, Wave Soda
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Nat Noone, Founder & CEO, Wave Soda
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1:10 PM
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1:40 PMBeverage Design - Best Practices
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Kelly Criswell, Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency
Kelly Criswell
Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency
Kelly Criswell is a visionary and creative leader, shepherding The GRO Agency as the Chief Creative Officer based in the Los Angeles office. With a fierce love of beverage branding and a 16+ year career in CPG brand development and packaging design, Kelly will relentlessly push brands to the next level for success on shelf. Over her career she has worked with such notable brands as Dunkin’ Donuts, Nestlé, Premier Nutrition, Diageo, and Red Bull. Her latest modus operandi is harnessing her extensive experience in CPG to help entrepreneurs and start-ups launch their brands. Her current passion project is Kabaki Kenyan Purple Tea- she has teamed up with the founder Martin and helped him position, brand, package, and develop go-to-market strategy for a 2018 launch. When she’s not obsessively taking photos in grocery stores (say hi if you see her!) she’s painting or hiking with her two kids.
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Danielle Muller, VP of Strategy, The GRO Agency
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Kelly Criswell, Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency
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Danielle Muller, VP of Strategy, The GRO Agency
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1:40 PM
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2:10 PMBrokers and the Natural Channel
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Bob Sipper, , Cascadia Managing Brands
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Bob Sipper, , Cascadia Managing Brands
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2:10 PM
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2:40 PMSelling Online
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Betsy McGinn, Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting
Betsy McGinn
Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting
Betsy is the co-author of The Amazon Roadmap: How Innovative Brands are Reinventing the Path to Market, the quintessential start-to-finish guide for brands who want to launch, recalibrate, or optimize their business on Amazon and ensure continued growth on this powerful platform. As Seventh Generation’s first eCommerce channel director, Betsy pioneered the company’s innovative eComm strategy and created a thriving multimillion-dollar partnership with Amazon and other key online retailers. Since founding McGinn eComm in 2014, Betsy has worked with hundreds of natural and specialty brands to establish and strengthen their presence on Amazon. From product development and profitability analysis to guiding organizational change, McGinn eComm leads clients through every step of this complex channel, helping to ensure a successful and profitable online businesses. With more than a decade of eCommerce experience, Betsy is a thought-leader and regular speaker at workshops and conferences globally. Visit Betsy at mcginnecomm.com
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Betsy McGinn, Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting
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2:40 PM
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3:00 PMNetworking Break
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3:00 PM
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3:30 PMLegal and Regulatory Issues to Watch
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Justin Prochnow, Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Justin Prochnow
Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Justin is an attorney and shareholder in the Denver office of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig. His practice focuses on representing companies in the beverage, food, and dietary supplement and providing assistance on regulatory and legal issues. He reviews labels and packaging, websites and other promotional and advertising materials to ensure that the labels are technically compliant and appropriate claims are being made. He assists many companies with responses to FDA actions like warning letters, inspections and recalls, as well as FTC investigations. He also prepares and reviews industry contracts such as supplier and manufacturing agreements. And lately, he has been defending companies in class action lawsuits over labeling claims like "all natural" filed in California and other states.
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Justin Prochnow, Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
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3:30 PM
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4:00 PMFundraising Basics
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Brad Barnhorn, Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors
Brad Barnhorn
Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors
Brad works closely with leading growth-stage food and beverage companies as a board member and strategic advisor. His work leverages 25 years of company-building experience as entrepreneur, CEO, board member and investor, cutting across all strategic and operational dimensions of successful company-building in the food and beverage space. He currently serves on the Board of Fishpeople, Health Warrior, Simple Mills, Rhythm Superfoods, Biena, Rib Rack, and Red’s All Natural. He previously served on the Board of Krave Jerky, Kevita and Chameleon Cold Brew from these companies early stages through their respective exits as category defining brands to Hershey’s, Pepsi and Nestle. Building upon a foundation in management consulting and investment banking, Mr. Barnhorn’s food and beverage journey began twenty years ago as Founder/CEO of the Fantasia Fresh Juice Company which he built into the leading superpremium fresh juice/smoothie company in the Midwestern United States culminating in a merger with Naked Juice to form the leading national brand in the category which was subsequently acquired by Pepsi. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
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Brad Barnhorn, Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors
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4:00 PM
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5:00 PMRound Table Networking