Park Street Insider Podcast
Park Street Companies
The Park Street Insider Podcast is dedicated to understanding the business strategies of the most interesting and successful thought leaders in the alcohol beverage space. In each episode we discuss the moves that shaped their careers, how they built some of the brands we all know and love, and some of the tools they can’t live without.The podcast will also feature shorter episodes with commentary from industry leaders on time-sensitive topics.
- 20 minutes 45 secondsInside Spirits Innovation with Maurice Doyle & Morten Stengaard— Expert Talks
In today's spirits market, crowded with endless options, meaningful innovation has become essential for brands seeking to establish their identity amid evolving consumer tastes. Yet mere novelty rarely drives success in an industry where everyone claims to be doing something new. The most effective innovations—whether introducing distinctive flavor profiles, highlighting unique production methods, or unveiling striking packaging—connect authentically with drinkers' genuine interests and desires. The critical question remains: How can brands create innovations that genuinely resonate with consumers rather than simply adding to the noise?
The Park Street Insider Podcast welcomes two innovative experts to the show: former Compass Box Whisky CEO Maurice Doyle and Bemakers Co-founder Morten Stengaard. First, Doyle will draw on his decades of experience leading marketing efforts for global portfolios and developing brands for Bacardi to help redefine what innovation should actually look like in the modern market. Then, Stengaard will deliver a case study with his key criteria for innovation when launching a new product in any category.
Featured Guests:
Maurice Doyle, CEO, Compass BoxMorten Stengaard, Co-founder & CEO, Bemakers
Connect with the Experts:
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Follow us for more industry insights on2 April 2025, 9:00 am - 52 minutes 8 secondsSimon Ford on Growing Fords Gin from Startup to Brown-Forman Acquisition— What It Takes
Over the 2010s, Fords Gin transformed from a bartender-driven startup to a cocktail culture staple, securing a key position in Brown-Forman's prestigious portfolio. Co-founder Simon Ford built his career immersed in the cocktail scene that his brand would later come to represent.
In this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Simon Ford discusses his journey working alongside major spirits industry brands before founding Fords Gin—a company now synonymous with premium gin. He reveals how he combined marketing expertise with his extensive bar world relationships to create a brand that caught Brown-Forman's attention, leading to a successful acquisition by one of America's top spirits portfolios.
Featured Guests:
Simon Ford, Co-Founder, Fords GinConnect with Fords Gin:
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Follow us for more industry insights on19 March 2025, 9:00 am - 33 minutes 33 secondsBeverage Alcohol Tariffs in 2025: Where We Stand & What’s Ahead
This March, new U.S. tariffs targeting Canada, Mexico, and China are set to send shockwaves through the beverage alcohol industry. With wine, beer, and spirits brands bracing for major financial impact, how can businesses prepare?
The Park Street Insider Podcast welcomes Alison Leavitt, Managing Director of the Wine and Spirits Shippers Association (WSSA), for an essential insider briefing on the changing tariff landscape. In this critical episode, Leavitt provides a clear breakdown of the new administration's aggressive trade approach, analyzes potential implementation scenarios and their business implications, and shares actionable mitigation strategies brands can implement.
Featured Guests:
Alison Leavitt, Managing Director, Wine and Spirits Shippers Association (WSSA)Mentioned in this episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on3 March 2025, 10:00 am - 49 minutes 15 secondsWhat It Takes— Teremana Tequila CEO Richard Black
When Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and his team of co-founders (Dany Garcia, Ken Austin, and Jenna Fagnan) partnered with industry powerhouse Mast-Jägermeister, they didn't just launch another celebrity tequila – they broke records, becoming the fastest premium spirits brand in U.S. history to reach 1 million cases. In the process, they were able to sidestep the growing pains that new-to-market brands often undergo during periods of massive growth. In this episode, CEO Richard Black reveals how he leveraged years of industry expertise to transform Teremana from a startup into a global phenomenon in just five years.
Join Emmett Strack for a conversation with Black as they explore The Rock's hands-on role in the brand's evolution, the untapped potential of the global tequila market, and Teremana's ambitious vision for 2025 and beyond. This isn't just another celebrity spirits story – it's a masterclass in scaling a premium brand while maintaining its soul.
Featured Guests:
Richard Black, CEO, Teremana TequilaMentioned in this episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on19 February 2025, 10:00 am - 37 minutes 59 secondsThe Top Beverage Alcohol M&A Deals of 2024: Unpacking Investors Strategic Playbook
From billion-dollar buyouts to strategic portfolio plays, beverage alcohol's dealmaking landscape tells a fascinating story of power, strategy, and evolution. While the post-pandemic M&A frenzy may have cooled, 2024's high-stakes transactions revealed how the industry's biggest players are placing their bets on the future of drinks.
Join host Emmett Strack as he sits down with Ryan Lake, Managing Director of Arlington Capital Advisors, to decode the year's most consequential deals. Together, they'll unpack how industry heavyweights are repositioning for growth, why certain categories are attracting premium valuations, and what these moves signal about where the spirits business is headed. This conversation offers insights into the forces reshaping the beverage alcohol landscape in 2025 and beyond.
Featured Guests:
Ryan Lake, Managing Director, Arlington Capital AdvisorsMentioned in this episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on5 February 2025, 10:00 am - 40 minutes 10 secondsWhat It Takes— Building a Category-Leading Brand with Seedlip’s Emma Wykes
Launching an unproven concept into an untapped market segment requires exceptional courage. For Emma Wykes and Seedlip, the vast potential they saw in the non-alcoholic spirits category transformed this calculated risk into a pioneering opportunity.
Join host Andres Correa as he sits down with Emma Wykes, the former COO of Seedlip Drinks. As a figure who played a pivotal role in building the world's first non-alcoholic spirits brand that caught the attention of industry giant Diageo, Wykes's entrepreneurial journey serves as a prime case study of how founders can successfully build disruptive brands that last.
Now a founding partner at Pollen Projects and CEO of Seasn Cocktail bitters, Emma brings her wealth of experience in the beverage industry to share invaluable insights on what it takes to launch and scale innovative drink concepts in today's competitive market.
Featured Guests:
Emma Wykes, Founding Partner of Pollen Projects & CEO of SeasnMentioned in this episode:
Seedlip
Diageo
Pollen Projects
Seasn
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Follow us for more industry insights on22 January 2025, 10:00 am - 35 minutes 44 secondsWhat's Trending— Additive-Free Tequila
The battle over "additive-free" tequila labeling has exposed a deep rift between tradition and transparency in Mexico's most iconic spirit. When Tequila Matchmaker's data revealed widespread additive use despite contrary claims, it didn't just challenge the CRT's regulatory authority – it forced a reckoning with consumer trust in an industry built on artisanal heritage.
For many independent brands, an "additive-free" certification from The Additive Free Alliance became a cornerstone of marketing, symbolizing transparency and authenticity. But when Mexico's tequila regulator, the CRT, cracked down on these claims last September, it left brands and consumers questioning the future of transparency in tequila production. The Park Street Insider Podcast explores this controversy with industry journalist Clay Dillow, who joins Emmett Strack to examine the rise of additive-free tequila and the impact of the CRT's recently imposed restrictions on the category.
Featured Guests:
Clay Dillow, Contributing Writer at Fortune MagazineMentioned in this episode:
Consejo Regulador del Tequila
Tequila Matchmaker
The Additive Free Alliance
VinePair
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Follow us for more industry insights on8 January 2025, 10:00 am - 37 minutes 55 secondsWhat's Trending— Inside the EU and UK Spirits Markets
The Park Street Insider Podcast is ending the year with an exploration of the EU & UK alcohol markets. Europe leads the world in alcohol consumption, with eight of the top ten biggest alcohol-consuming countries being European. Despite its distribution makeup taking a different form than in the U.S. market, EU and UK distributors remain at the center of the spirits industry landscape.
This episode offers a window into the current dynamics driving the EU and UK spirits markets through the eyes of key distributors. Emily Pennington sits down with a panel of experts at Bar Convent Berlin to cover the best paths for brands to succeed in this region. They'll start by providing listeners with a framework for understanding the EU market and move into breaking down the key categories and economic factors currently shaping the market landscape. Finally, they'll deliver best practices for brands looking to work with distributors in the EU and UK.Featured Guests:
- Chris Maffeo, Founder, Maffeo Drinks
- Michael Vachon, Co-Founder, Maverick Drinks
- Søren Hansen, Sales Director, BeMakers
Mentioned in this episode:
Maffeo Drinks
BeMakers
Maverick Drinks
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Follow us for more industry insights on11 December 2024, 10:00 am - 48 minutes 29 secondsWhat's Trending— The Potential of Low & No Alcohol
Low & No is one of beverage-alcohol's spotlight categories in 2024. Many projections indicate that the segment will continue to expand its influence in terms of shelf presence, case volumes, and overall consumer awareness. But while the category's forecast is bright, low & no represents only a marginal share of total beverage alcohol.
In this episode, Emmett Strack sits down with industry veterans and low-and-no leaders to unpack the category's rise and trajectory in 2024 and beyond. The group will consider how the category became relevant, what the rise of low-and-no says about the modern consumer, and what major suppliers are doing to align with this trend.
Featured Guests:- Spiros Malandrakis, Global Head of Research - Alcoholic Drinks, Euromonitor International
- Camille Vidal, Founder, La Maison Wellness
- Raphael Vollmar, CEO & CO Founder, Rheinland Distillers GmbH
Mentioned in this episode:
Euromonitor International
La Maison Wellness
Rheinland Distillers GmbH
Diageo
Seedlip
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Follow us for more industry insights on13 November 2024, 10:00 am - 15 minutes 58 secondsEssential Talks— The Financial Basics for Brand Building
Establishing a sound financial model in a business's early days is crucial for spirits brands to set a foundation for sustainable growth. A well-crafted financial plan helps brands minimize surprises and accurately forecast the capital-intensive aspects of the spirits business.
In this episode, you'll hear two presentations on financial modeling. First, former Pernod Ricard executive Guillaume Thomas will share his best practices for financial success during the brand-building process. Then, Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon discusses the costs associated with competing in the beverage alcohol business.
Featured Guests:- Guillaume Thomas, Founder and CEO, Martingale Cognac
- Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon, COO & Partner, Colangelo & Partners
Mentioned in this episode:
Martingale Cognac
Colangelo & Partners
Watch the full videos on YouTube:
4 Focus Areas for Financial Success in the Alcohol Business
The Costs of Competing in the Beverage Alcohol Business
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Follow us for more industry insights on16 October 2024, 9:00 am - 43 minutes 56 secondsWhat It Takes— Surfside CEO Clement Pappas
Brands are often founded with the purpose of aligning with a given trend and exploiting a perceived white space in the market. In the mid-2000s, introducing a premium bourbon may have seen high growth, likewise for rolling out a specialty high-end tequila in the early to mid-2010s. But when founders really get it right, and their offering is able to align with multiple trends at once, it's possible to see uniquely explosive growth. Such was the case for Surfside, which saw over a million cases sold over the course of a year between 2022 and 2023.
Surfside is a Philadelphia-based ready-to-drink brand rolled out by the creators of Stateside Vodka. With RTDs taking center stage as the spirits industry's spotlight category, Surfside was able to build on this platform to leverage consumer interest in flavor variety, health consciousness, and convenience into the highest-growth brand in the United States.
On this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Emily Pennington is joined by Clement Pappas, CEO of Stateside Brands. The two discuss how Surfside went from concept to can to achieving astronomical sales in just a few years. They'll explore the brand's unique route-to-market strategy and how they dealt with demand and scaled the business.
Featured Guests:- Clement Pappas, CEO, Stateside Brands
Mentioned in this episode:
Stateside Vodka
Surfside
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Follow us for more industry insights on2 October 2024, 9:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App