BevNET Live Winter 2022 - AGENDA

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2022
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM	Breakfast, Presented by Cometeer & Registration -- Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM PT and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 8:30 AM PT.
9:00 AM - 9:20 AM	The Gospel of Gross Margin -- Sharelle Klaus leads the BevNET Live audience on her journey to profitability via a relentless search for gross margin through cost controls, smart spending, and hard choices. with Sharelle Klaus, CEO, Dry Soda
9:20 AM - 9:40 AM	Turn Up the Volume -- Howitt, the founder of both Oregon Chai and Thaiwalla, shows how entrepreneurial beverage brands can use operations and volume expansion as a strategy to create long-term profitability. with Heather Howitt, CEO, Thaiwala
9:40 AM - 10:00 AM	Strategy Breakdown Q and A -- In this panel discussion, Davies joins our presenters to add ideas around their strategies, as well as other paths forward for beverage brands seeking a move toward profitable growth. with Sharelle Klaus, CEO, Dry Soda; Heather Howitt, CEO, Thaiwala; Claire Davies, Managing Director, LEK
10:00 AM - 10:20 AM	Self-Care Two Ways: Bolstering Brands, Bolstering Founders -- Self-Care might be a hot brand sector, but it's also a key to entrepreneurial survival. Quentin Vennie, an author, activist and the co-founder and CEO of Equitea and Gwyneth Paltrow, the Founder and CEO of goop, will join us for this one-time only discussion. (Note: There will be no rebroadcast of this session) with Gwyneth Paltrow, Founder & CEO, goop; Quentin Vennie, Co-Founder & CEO, Equitea
10:20 AM - 10:45 AM	Networking, Sampling & Taste Radio Studio --
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM	New Beverage Showdown Finals - Round I -- Our first three finalists have polished their pitches. What will the judges think?
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM	The Nearest Masterpiece -- Uncle Nearest founder and CEO Fawn Weaver will discuss the beverage business, entrepreneurship, investment and share her story as the founder of Uncle Nearest, Inc., the largest Black-owned distillery in the U.S. with Fawn Weaver, CEO & Founder, Uncle Nearest
11:40 AM - 12:05 PM	Retailer Deep Dive: Crushing It in Kroger -- Wins in Kroger and its huge family of banners can lead to exponential growth for beverage companies -- but what does it take to rack up those wins? And how are Kroger consumers changing? Finley and Trott share insights into succeeding in Kroger, and what its customer base is looking for. with Cassie Finley, Director of DSD Beverage Merchandising, Kroger; Alexandra Trott, Director, Insights, 84.51
12:05 PM - 12:30 PM	GHOST World: Community, Content Strategy, Constant Growth -- Since launching an energy drink in 2020, GHOST has quietly settled into the express lane of the energy/fitness nexus to reach more than 50,000 points of distribution. Lourenco will discuss the ways that Ghost maintains the brand’s deep focus on its community, how it cultivated its target consumer group and how it targets that group through content. with Dan Lourenco, CEO and Co-Founder, GHOST
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM	Lunch, Sampling & Taste Radio Studio --
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM	New Beverage Showdown Finals - Round II -- Better get your seat back after lunch, because the last three finalists are ready to pitch!
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM	Inside the Mind of the Beverage Investor -- We'll hear from a group of investors who are interested in the beverage business on the specifics of their partnership ambitions, with an eye toward the macro environment: How is uncertainty about global economic health affecting the ability of beverage brands to find investors? How are investors' expectations changing with regard to company growth?  with Nick Mindel, Founder & CEO, Amberstone; Alyssa Ferenz, CFO, Alliance Consumer Growth; Ara Abrahamian, Investment Director, ONCE Ventures
2:25 PM - 2:50 PM	Retailer Deep Dive: Succeeding in Sprouts -- With nearly 400 stores, a discerning customer base, and an interest in innovation, Sprouts has emerged as one of the most influential stores for entrepreneurial beverage brands. Brian Albert will discuss what it takes to get in and succeed as a partner with this prime retail customer. with Brian Albert, Sr. Category Manager, Grocery, Sprouts
2:50 PM - 3:15 PM	Bootstrapping Biolyte: The Entrepreneur’s Journey -- Jesslyn Rollins started selling a new kind of electrolyte drink from her trunk in 2016. Now it's in more than 20,000 stores, and that growth has brought with it some key lessons as Rollins has gone from founder to leader. She'll share what she's learned as a founder/CEO as Biolyte has expanded. with Jesslyn Rollins, CEO, Biolyte
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM	New Beverage Showdown: Judges’ Remarks and Winner Announcement -- The judges are ready to rule! Hear what they liked about the brands, where there's room for growth, and who is ultimately the winner of our latest New Beverage Showdown.

Please note that event agendas are subject to change.