Scott Hansen

The liquid is solid!

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The moderation trend is continuing to accelerate! The NA segment of on-premise beer sales in the U.S. jumped 33.7% over the last 52 weeks with broad-based gains in all 50 states! 💪 📈 🍻 At Partake Brewing we are seeing on-premise operators move from offering 1 NA beer option to now several with macros and craft represented in addition to house mocktails. 🍺 🍷 🍹 This is an exciting time for the non-drinker and moderator alike! Gone are the days of water, juice, milk, and soda as the non-alcoholic options. 🤩 https://lnkd.in/gibbdbPB

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In 2024, energy drink sales in convenience stores are expected to remain robust despite anticipated price hikes. Sales surged 10.8% in the past year, with smaller brands like CELSIUS Holdings, Inc. and GHOST leading growth. These brands are forecasted to continue expanding shelf space significantly. C-store operators are preparing for higher prices by focusing on variety, promotional deals, and flexible sizing to maintain customer interest. Brands emphasizing functional and low-sugar claims are particularly popular, catering to consumer demand for health-focused beverages. Overall, while inflation poses challenges, the energy drink market in c-stores is poised for continued growth through strategic marketing and product innovation. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/e84H9Bbn C-Store Dive Branded Hospitality Ventures Sally Lyons Wyatt #hospitality #beverage #foodandbeverage #technology #innovation Joe Sobolewski Paul Storey John Fieldly Giancarlo Morena Jarrod Langhans Toby David Mark Magnesen Ryan Hughes

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No Data, No Dollars Anyone who has heard me speak recently will have heard me say this. Retail Media is hugely profitable for retailers. Unsurprisingly they want more and more investment from manufacturers, often times in return for ads that are becoming less and less effective. As manufacturers we need to make sure we are making the maximum return possible on ever £,$,€,¥ (or any other currency invested). For me, that means knowing what we want in return and that starts with access to robust, accurate, complete and timely data for every campaign we invest in. Simply put, if you don’t get data in return you shouldn’t be investing. Recently I spoke with Lauren Livak Gilbert and Peter Crosby of The Digital Shelf Institute. Amazingly, they have chosen to refine my words and meanings and turn them into the amazing article attached. If you aren’t a member of the DSI I really can’t advocate it highly enough. They do excellent work and their podcast is the best in the industry. #digitalcommerce #ecommerce #cpg #fmcg #cpgindustry #fmcgindustry #digitalshelf #retailmedia #digitalretailmedia #omnichannel #digitalretail

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Great points below from MiO Marketplace partner Connectivity Media Strategy and the rapid pace at which consumer behavior has changed across multiple verticles. Through their partnership with YouConnex - A Digital Media Marketplace and their seat on The Trade Desk they’ve been helping brands all year to build hyper-targeted local campaigns at the on and off premise level. One of their more interesting campaigns was Geo fencing around specific retailers for smaller brands to drive mobile ads in-store and to split test that to potentially supliment an existing retail media network campaign. Strategic scalpel precision is often what’s needed to survive mixed in with potential new types of partnerships like Swish Brand Experiences. Sri Rajagopalan and Peter V.S. Bond what are you seeing from a The CPG Guys perspective? Eric Dopkins, Sean Eckhardt, Jamie Miller, Brandon Cason, Tim Carter what are you seeing? Diana Haussling, Vinny Rinaldi, Adam Stave what do you feel like consumer CPG brands figured out earlier in that consumer shift that other verticles could learn from?

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Here's a quarterly update video interview featuring Sean Black, CIO of Happy Belly Food Group (CSE:HBFG). I love companies that have highly-motivated, domain experienced management teams that have worked well before. Putting the band back together again can be powerful in terms of team chemistry and seeing a company hit the ground running. Happy Belly is a good example of this, back in 2013 they sold some of their franchised restaurant brands to MTY Food Group and then again, monetized restaurant brands in 2021, selling assets to Recipe Unlimited Corporation (now Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited). They provided speculative microcap investors with a groundfloor opportunity when they stepped in to refocus a struggling plant-based CSE stock back in 2022. Since then, they have been executing QoQ...8 record quarters in a row and seen the share price rise by more than 600%. This isn't a quick promote-type stock that enters a quickly becoming crowded buzzy sector, this is a management team that are doing what's in their DNA and they've grown up doing for most of their lives. This isn't financial advice at all but if you are a microcap investor, this recent interview might be worth your time to assist with your due diligence and at the very least you'll hear from someone who created a restaurant brand that you've likely eaten at. ✌ 🎤 💧

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This study sheds light on the evolving consumer drinking habits over the past four years post-COVID-19. The research highlights the profound influence of health and wellness concerns on altering drinking behaviors across all age groups. For more cohort-specific insights, check out the study here: https://lnkd.in/gJ5ED32f

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Some key takeaways: --Consumer spending makes up about two-thirds of the U.S. economy. --Signs of shaky consumers have ricocheted through recent corporate earnings reports.  A few companies commenting on this (including some mentioned in other sources) are The Walt Disney Company, monster beverage, McDonald's and The Hershey Company. For consumer-facing companies, what is the most appropriate reaction to these reports? Is it just a blip? See our recent article here: https://bit.ly/3LzuxSA #governance #strategy #turnarounds #consumer #layoffs

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Whiskey House of Kentucky continues to transform the contract whiskey industry. We’ve made massive, early investments in the way we capture and use data across our entire manufacturing process. With more than 1200 sensors and a system built entirely in house over more than two years, Whiskey House now collects more data than any other distillery in the world. Thanks to Roger Henley and our entire Engineering and Technology team, including James Oeswein, Patrick Mannion, Micheal Palliparambil, Reed Johnson, and Christopher Summers, we have the technological infrastructure in place to drive continual evolution and innovation.    Why do we collect so much data? First, we use it to fully automate our processes, create greater efficiencies, and drive innovation. Second, we provide it to our customers to enable them to tell deeper, richer stories about their products, improve their business processes, and ensure inventory security. Finally, we intend to help the industry conduct far-reaching experiments. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, we can now analyze thousands of variables in a way that was never before possible. There are many unanswered questions in distillation, and we intend to explore them. Just this past week, we launched our proprietary Customer Portal, which provides our exclusive customers secure access to information about their production and inventory. Customers now have immediate, real-time access to their production reports, which include recipes, mashbills, barrels, proof gallons, wine gallons, and lot numbers. In addition, they can view and download inventory reports that detail barrels, barrel type, and locations.    Gone are the days where inventory reports and highly-confidential information are sent via email. Our customers no longer have to worry that their inventory reports are wrong, contain inaccurate data, or that their most confidential information could accidentally be shared with their competitors or released to the world. It’s happened – and just earlier this year by one of the industry’s largest contract whiskey producers.    In the very near future, our Customer Portal will give our customers production chemistries, sensory data, and will ultimately provide full traceability on every aspect of production just by scanning the QR code printed on every barrel. They will also be able to see their barrel inventory in 3D, seamlessly order samples, and transfer inventory.   We could not be more excited about the future. Whiskey House is leading the way and will continue to make major investments year-over-year into our technological infrastructure.

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🍾 NEW WEBINAR for non-alcoholic beverage + #CPG brands: Breaking into Retail: A Roadmap for Emerging Brands w/ SPINS and the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA). For a growing brand, succeeding in physical retail stores is the key to scale. In the USA, there are over 2,500 natural grocery stores, 110,000 conventional grocery, mass, drug and club outlets, and over 100,000 convenience stores. In this webinar, Benji Fitts from SPINS will teach you strategies on how to pick the perfect retail partner that aligns with your needs and mission, and divulge tips and tricks to craft a smartly tailored pitch to curious category managers. If your goal in 2025 is succeeding in the retail marketplace, don't miss this important webinar. RSVP & REGISTER AT: https://lnkd.in/eekgh59s ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ♻️ #Repost if you like this content and follow me, Marcos Salazar 🍺🍷🥃 , for more content like this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The chicken segment is one of the most dynamic and competitive among the large restaurant chains in the U.S. And while Chick-fil-A continues to dominate and Popeyes is taking over the 2nd in the rank, there has been significant movement in the rank among other mid-size leading chains over the last ten years. It goes to show that in the restaurant industry, you can never rest. Leaders are waking up to the realization that if they’re not growing fast they’re dying slowly.  Outgrowing and outsmarting your competitors requires using the power of long-term thinking. #restaurants #chicken #strategy #leadership

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Thank you to The Wall Street Journal for highlighting the significant costs incurred by brands to get products to shelf! In today's highly competitive retail landscape, the journey from production to shelf is fraught with significant costs for suppliers. From new item setup and slotting fees to processing and distribution, these expenses can quickly add up. It's crucial for brands to build these factors into their Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) model and negotiate whenever possible. By understanding and managing these costs, businesses can better navigate the complexities of the supply chain and protect their bottom line. IntelliCucina Here are a few tips to help you manage these fees: -Negotiate Setup and Slotting Fees -Optimize Distribution Channels -Reduce Introductory Allowances -Improve Inventory Planning -Leverage Long Term Relationships -Streamline Production SKUs -Review Contracts Regularly -Pursue Alternative Distribution Channels (DTC, Regional Distributors) -Factor Distributor Costs into Pricing Reach out if you want more tips or guidance! https://lnkd.in/ePZX5SYY #SupplyChain #Retail #COGS #SupplierCosts #Negotiation #BusinessSuccess

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Big thanks to Joe and RTD Magazine for highlighting the massive opportunity that’s opening up in Pennsylvania's RTD market. The upcoming changes in legislation are a game-changer, and this is the moment for brands to act quickly and strategically. At Five Star Beverage Group, we're ready to help your brand seize this moment and unlock your full potential in this rapidly growing market. Check out the article below to learn more about how we can help you stay ahead of the competition. Let’s get to work! 💪 #RTD #RTDCocktails #ReadyToDrink #Cocktails #AlcoholIndustry #SpiritsIndustry #FiveStarBeverage #ConsultingSuccess

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This week’s update on Toucan Cocktails from your favorite Dallas-based chief marketing officer. 😉 Guys, we’re moving FAST! 😎😎 Getting ready for our launch and to share with the world our amazing cocktails and drinking technology. So what’s new? Well, quite a lot but to summarize it: ✅ We’ve been working on finding amazing influencers to collaborate with and send them our product. We even have THE COOLEST premium influencer boxes just for them. So, if you know an influencer that you think would want one, tag them here! 👀 ✅ OUR NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE! And it looks a-m-a-z-I-n-g! Check it out, let me know what you think but most importantly sing up for $15 off your first order + free shipping. ✅ We’re getting our hands dirty. Whoever thought launching a start-up in the CPG industry was a walk by the park had never launched a start in the CPG industry. We’ve assembled over 1,500 cans and yes, our hands hurt but our hearts are so excited 🤩 If you want to see more on how I am helping start & grow a start-up in #Dallas, follow my journey. You’ll get all the behind the scenes of me and my partners (John Dallager Steven McCarthy Jody Turnbow John Terry) as we launch this exciting new product into market.

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#RTDs are all the rage in the #Beverage industry these days. Rightfully so. New spirited concoctions hitting the market seemingly every week, attracting young consumers at college campuses, night clubs and beach parties all across the country. But for beverage companies, just getting in the mix won't cut it. In this article, our AlixPartners beverage experts explore the foundational drivers behind the RTD revolution and provide valuable advice for those who want to cash in. Enjoy the read... #CPG #Growth #Strategy #WhenItReallyMatters

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Offering a unique blend of convenience and premium appeal, these top-rated RTDs present a lucrative opportunity for businesses looking to capitalize on consumer preferences.

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