Beverage School Presentations + Networking

Beverage School: Entrepreneur Interview 1

• Dawn Patton

  , Founder & CEO, Try My T

  

  Dawn Patton

  Founder & CEO, Try My T

  Dawn Harris- Patton is a native of Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate from the University Southern California with a BA in Broadcast Journalism, and a graduate of the prestigious Management Development for Entrepreneurs program from the UCLA Anderson School of Business. Dawn spent 12 years early on as an on-air television and radio news reporter specializing in investigative reporting in top 50 markets around the United States before evolving into a career as a marketing consultant and entrepreneur. Dawn is currently the founder and CEO of Try MY T, LLC, ( TMT) a beverage manufacturer of premium ready to drink iced teas. "MY T" as customers affectionately call the brand, is known for being super refreshing, clean and smooth with no aftertaste, and low caffeine. Try MY T is currently sold in natural channels in retail, foodservice and club. Currently TMT is sold in over 500 independents and natural retail such as Sprouts Farmers Markets, Whole Foods and soon to be launching into Costco.

• Dawn Patton, Founder & CEO, Try My T

Beverage School: Route to Market - Getting Your Product on the Shelf

• Bill Sipper

  , Managing Partner, Cascadia Managing Brands

  

  Bill Sipper

  Managing Partner, Cascadia Managing Brands

  Bill Sipper is the Managing Partner of Cascadia Managing Brands, a leading brand management and consulting firm with over 30 years of expertise in the food and beverage industry. Bill has held pivotal executive roles—VP Sales, VP Marketing, VP Operations, and VP Production—at iconic brands like Evian, Nantucket Nectars, Fresh Samantha/Odwalla, and Naked Juice. Through Cascadia, he has driven the success of leading brands, including Lindt, Droste, Liquid Death, Hint Water, C2O Coconut Water, Zico Coconut Water, Dirty Potato Chips, Steaz, Bruce Cost, Franklin & Sons, Poshi, Too Good Gourmet, and 310 Nutrition. Bill’s consulting clients span major corporations, including Coca-Cola, Deloitte, InBev, Bain, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, along with foreign governments aiming to expand their product exports into the U.S. market. A recognized industry thought leader, Bill recently published Flavors and Fortunes: Navigating the Food and Beverage World, a comprehensive guide with essential insights for both emerging and established brands.

• Bill Sipper, Managing Partner, Cascadia Managing Brands

Beverage School: Design and Branding

• Kelly Criswell

  , Founder, Mudge

  

  Kelly Criswell

  Founder, Mudge

  Kelly Criswell is the founder of Mudge, a branding agency specializing in innovative food, beverage, and wellness brands. With over 20 years in CPG brand development and packaging design (we stopped counting after 20), Kelly has helped brands from global powerhouses like Nestlé and Red Bull to emerging challengers connect with their perfect consumer. She’s known for weaving compelling brand stories and creating disruptive packaging that stands out in crowded markets. In her free time, you can find her snapping pics in grocery aisles, obsessing over the latest trends in food and bev, and sampling every single new brand she finds–for science. Ask her husband about their “Erewhon budget."

• Kelly Criswell, Founder, Mudge

Beverage School: Don’t Lose Your IP

• Amanda Roach

  , Partner, UB Greensfelder, LLP

  

  Amanda Roach

  Partner, UB Greensfelder, LLP

  Amanda strategically advises clients in a variety of intellectual property matters including brand selection, portfolio strategy, trademark application prosecution, brand enforcement and defense, due diligence, anti-counterfeiting measures, and trademark maintenance. She has extensive experience in working on the trademark lifecycle with companies in more than 140 countries. Amanda has a reputation for building strong relationships with clients and using creative thinking to achieve their business goals. She recognizes how the needs of a Fortune 100 company are different from a start-up or non-profit and tailors her counsel to reflect appropriate strategies for each. During her career, Amanda has had the opportunity to work with clients in a variety of industries including food, beverage, dietary supplements, cosmetics, personal care, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, water reclamation, oil and gas, household goods and fixtures, employment, and entertainment. Amanda previously worked as an IP attorney at other Chicago-based law firms. In her most recent role before joining UB Greensfelder, she served as head of trademark prosecution.

• Amanda Roach, Partner, UB Greensfelder, LLP

Networking Break

Beverage School: Entrepreneur Interview 2

• Kayla Castaneda

  , Founder & CEO, Agua Bonita

• Kayla Castaneda, Founder & CEO, Agua Bonita

Beverage School: Angel and Venture Financing for CPG Companies

• Jeremy Halpern

  , Partner; Co-Lead, Food and Beverage Group, Nutter

  

  Jeremy Halpern

  Partner; Co-Lead, Food and Beverage Group, Nutter

  Jeremy Halpern is a Partner at Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP and the Co-Chair of its Emerging Companies Group and its Food and Beverage Practice Group. Jeremy’s practice focuses on emerging and mature operating companies, private equity, venture capital and angel financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, executive and team compensation matters, and general support for high growth and privately held companies in technology, life sciences, and consumer products.

• Jeremy Halpern, Partner; Co-Lead, Food and Beverage Group, Nutter

Beverage School: Debt Financing 101

• Zach Martin

  , Managing Director, Head of Originations and Capital Markets, Assembled Brands

  

  Zach Martin

  Managing Director, Head of Originations and Capital Markets, Assembled Brands

  Zach has been a CPG lender for the last 20 years, focusing on emerging brands in within the CPG ecosystem. He has been on both sides, as a lender and investor, as well as operations. Throughout his career, Zach has helped finance some of the top beverage brands in the US.

• Zach Martin, Managing Director, Head of Originations and Capital Markets, Assembled Brands

Beverage School: Expert Round Tables

RTD Spirits Track

Challenges for RTD Startups

• Gustavo Aguirre

  , VP of Brand Innovation, InvestBev

  

  Gustavo Aguirre

  VP of Brand Innovation, InvestBev

  Gustavo Aguirre oversees the InvestBev brand acceleration program and consulting services. As a VP of Brand Innovation, he partners with early-stage founders to help them refine their marketing, product, and commercialization strategies. Gustavo has over 15 years of experience developing global advertising campaigns and go-to-market strategies for leading brands including Molson Coors, Anheuser Busch, Heineken, Pepsi, and Keurig. He spearheaded the product innovation program at Molson Coors and played a pivotal role in connecting Coors Light with the US Hispanic market, driving 8-figure incremental growth for the business. ? Gustavo’s work has been recognized by leading marketing organizations who awarded his work Most Effective Multicultural Campaign and the Top Sport Marketer Campaign. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

• Maria Pearman

  , Advisory Partner, GHJ

  

  Maria Pearman

  Advisory Partner, GHJ

  Maria Pearman, CPA, CGMA, is GHJ’s Food and Beverage Practice Leader. She has more than 15 years of public accounting experience providing accounting and advisory services to clients. Maria is an expert in the beverage and alcohol industry specializing in internal accounting processes, financial reviews, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, financial strategy and succession planning. Prior to joining GHJ in 2021, Maria built a national practice focused on beverage alcohol clients. She helped clients to improve financial results and maximize efficiency of operations and guided them through ownership transitions. Published by the Brewers Association in 2019, Maria wrote a top-rated book, Small Brewery Finance, to help small businesses run more successful breweries. In 2021, the American Distillers Institute released her second book, Distillery Finance. Maria is also a featured speaker and author on topics in the beverage space, specifically related to craft breweries. She has taught courses at the Business of Craft Beer program at the University of Vermont and Portland State University, as well as the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Academy.

• Dale LaFlam

  , Founder, 5:30 Somewhere

  

  Dale LaFlam

  Founder, 5:30 Somewhere

  Dale LaFlam is a seasoned consultant with over 30 years of experience in the retail and CPG industries. He has held key operational roles with top-tier retailers like The Gap, Limited Corp, Armani Exchange, and Quiksilver Retail Inc., where he was instrumental in expanding Quiksilver’s North American presence from six to over 140 locations. Transitioning into consulting, Dale has worked with some of the largest companies in the world, including Walmart, where he trained their merchants on developing effective category strategies. Now primarily focused on startup brands, Dale provides expert guidance in crafting comprehensive business plans, executing growth strategies, and navigating fundraising efforts. He also serves as a board advisor to several emerging beverage brands, offering strategic direction and industry insights to drive their success. As the co-founder of Curation Bev Co, a successful RTD alcohol brand that ranks as the 3rd best-selling in its accounts within Colorado, Dale leverages his extensive experience and passion for the beverage industry to help new brands scale and secure investment.

• Gustavo Aguirre, VP of Brand Innovation, InvestBev
• Maria Pearman, Advisory Partner, GHJ
• Dale LaFlam, Founder, 5:30 Somewhere

RTD at Scale - Strategy and Tactics

• Adam Kost

  , Founder & CEO, Dirty Shirley

  

  Adam Kost

  Founder & CEO, Dirty Shirley

  Adam Kost is a visionary marketing and sales executive with a strong track record of building and scaling brands across the beverage industry. As the Founder and CEO of Goodwell Brands and Dirty Shirley, Adam has demonstrated his ability to drive growth and innovation, particularly in the startup and Fortune 500 space. His expertise spans from spearheading marketing strategies to boosting revenues through consumer insights, cross-functional leadership, and operational efficiency. Adam’s career includes leadership roles across several prominent companies in the beverage industry. He was Vice President of Marketing at Waterloo Sparkling Water, leading to a successful exit and Milestone Brands, guiding brand strategy and growth initiatives. At ZX Ventures, a division of AB InBev, he led global eCommerce sourcing and operations across multiple markets. Earlier in his career, Adam held various marketing and sales positions with Heineken and Pernod Ricard, managing brand and trade marketing efforts for iconic beverage portfolios. Adam’s educational background includes an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin with a focus on Finance and Marketing, and a Bachelor’s and Associate’s degree from Johnson & Wales University in Hospitality and Restaurant Management. With a passion for both marketing strategy and product innovation, Adam has consistently driven brands to new heights, leveraging his skills in digital marketing, team leadership, and consumer trend analysis to create lasting impact in the beverage industry.

• Cassie Finley

  , VP of Customer Development, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits

  

  Cassie Finley

  VP of Customer Development, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits

  With over 15 years of experience in the beverage industry, Cassie Finley currently serves as the Vice President of Customer Development at Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits. Cassie's extensive background in category management includes the last two years with the largest ocean-to-ocean distributor in the world, as well as significant buying experience at leading retailers, including 4 years with the largest grocer, Kroger, and two years in natural channel with Whole Foods Market. Her career began with a 15-year tenure at Walmart, where she honed her skills in buying, category management and vendor relationships. Cassie is passionate about connecting people with products that enhance their experiences, and she thrives on developing innovative strategies that drive growth and customer satisfaction. Her commitment to excellence and her deep understanding of the beverage market from both the retailer and distributor lens gives her unique perspective on how to win with the customer.

• Forrest Dein

  , Co-Founder & CMO, Juneshine

  

  Forrest Dein

  Co-Founder & CMO, Juneshine

  Forrest is an entrepreneur, professional marketer and content creator with a background in cinematography in the action sports and music industries. Before co-founding JuneShine, Forrest grew up on Maui, Hawaii and was a contributing cinematographer on a Best Documentary Film at the annual Surfer Awards, and a content creator for Top Dog Entertainment’s Isaiah Rashad. In 2020 he was named to the Forbes 30 under 30: Food & Drink list just 2 years after he started brewing hard kombucha in his garage in San Diego. Today, Forrest is the CMO at JuneShine Brands, a next generation beverage brand platform with over 90,000 points of distribution across its portfolio spanning hard kombucha, domestic premium lager, FMBs, and RTDs.

• Adam Kost, Founder & CEO, Dirty Shirley
• Cassie Finley, VP of Customer Development, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits
• Forrest Dein, Co-Founder & CMO, Juneshine

Sampling of Cocktail Showdown Products & Networking

BevNET Live Cocktail Showdown

Investor Profile: Goat Rodeo

• Carlton Fowler

  , Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Goat Rodeo Capital

• Carlton Fowler, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Goat Rodeo Capital

BevNET Cocktail Showdown Winner Announcement

BevNET Live Welcome Reception