- 14 minutes 32 secondsHow Emerging Spirits Brands Can Use AI to Compete With Industry Giants— Expert Talks
Most founders assume that competing with the industry giants comes down to budget: bigger sales teams, bigger marketing spends, and bigger data departments. Joey Angelo and Wyatt Carder would tell you that a lot of that gap can now be closed for about a hundred dollars a month. Joey is the founder and CEO of Su Casa Mezcal, which in just a few years has grown into hundreds of on-premise and retail locations and surpassed several established brands to become a top-three-selling on-premise mezcal in multiple markets across the country. He's joined by his co-founder, Wyatt, who built the AI system behind their sales operation with no formal tech training.
In this conversation, Joey and Wyatt break down how a lean team can now run the kind of account-monitoring infrastructure that used to require a full operations department. They get specific about the exact tools in their stack, what it all costs to run, and how the system flags accounts drifting from their usual ordering patterns before a placement quietly disappears. Joey also explains how being able to text his sales data from the road changed the way he works the field, and why, for a traditional salesperson, AI turned out to be the opposite of the threat he expected.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Joey Angelo, Founder & CEO, Su Casa Mezcal & sipMARGS
Wyatt Carder, Co-Founder, Su Casa MezcalMentioned in the Episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on7 October 2026, 9:00 am - 57 minutes 11 secondsMom Water's Bryce Morrison: Building a Top 5 Independent RTD Brand— What It Takes
When Bryce and Jill Morrison started diluting flavored vodka into an old Dasani bottle so Jill could stop feeling bloated and hungover after a day in the sun, they weren't trying to build a brand; they just wanted her friends to stop asking for the recipe. Neither of them had ever worked in alcohol: Bryce came from hospice sales, Jill from occupational therapy. What started as a homemade fix for their pool days in southern Indiana became Mom Water, the first non-carbonated, unsweetened vodka water on the market, and today one of the top 5 independent RTD brands in the country, still family-owned and funded off a line of credit rather than outside investment, sold in tens of thousands of retail locations nationwide.
In this episode, co-founder Bryce Morrison joins the Park Street Insider to talk about building a national alcohol brand with zero industry experience — learning distribution, co-packing, and federal excise tax as he went. He shares why leaning into an unapologetically mom-centric identity, rather than chasing a broader audience, became Mom Water's biggest growth engine; how the brand scaled almost entirely on word-of-mouth and organic social content instead of paid marketing; and what it took to hand the CEO role to his sister, Kara, while staying independent and keeping the family-run culture that built the company intact.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Bryce Morrison, Co-Founder, Mom Water
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Follow us for more industry insights on23 September 2026, 9:00 am - 26 minutes 16 secondsHow to Build a Spirits Brand in an Unfamiliar Category
Most founders assume the hardest part of building a spirits brand is making something people want to drink. Claudia Romo Edelman would tell you that's the easy part when your category doesn't have a name yet. Claudia is the founder of Sotol Romo, bringing a Mexican spirit with an 800-year history, and a denomination of origin that's only two decades old, to U.S. drinkers for the first time. She's joined by two people who've spent their careers deciding what does and doesn't earn shelf space and menu space: Dea Sims, co-founder of Pronghorn, and Jeff Bell, managing partner at PDT in New York City, who directs the spirits buying across eight bars.
In this conversation, Claudia, Dea, and Jeff break down what it takes to build a brand while building the category around it at the same time. They get specific about what actually creates value in a spirits brand beyond the liquid itself, and the exact number of cases per month an account needs to be pulling before a founder should even think about scaling. Jeff also names the single biggest mistake he sees founders make when chasing premium positioning, and it isn't the one most founders expect.Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Claudia Romo Edelman, Founder of Sotol Romo
Dia Simms, Co-Founder of Pronghorn
Jeff Bell, Managing Partner at PDT NYCMentioned in the Episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on9 September 2026, 9:00 am - 11 minutes 1 secondSoho House on How Spirits Brands Can Sell to Bars— Expert Talks
Most brands walk into a pitch leading with their product: the liquid, the story, the label. Mark Murphy says that's almost the last thing a buyer actually wants to hear. Mark oversees bar and beverage programs across North and South America for Soho House, and spent the prior fifteen years with STARR Restaurants, the last five as Bar Operations Director running beverage programs for more than forty restaurants across five markets. Few people have sat on both sides of the on-premise relationship, buying and building, longer than he has.
In this episode, recorded live at Bar Convent Brooklyn, Mark breaks down what actually gets a spirits brand into a bar, and why so much of what founders assume matters doesn't. What is a buyer really listening for in the first five minutes of a pitch? Why is the time of day most reps choose to walk in exactly the wrong one to learn anything useful? And what quietly separates the brands a buyer goes out of their way to protect from the ones forgotten the moment the rep walks out the door?
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.Featured Guests:
Mark Murphy, Director of Bars & Beverage - The Americas, SoHo House
Mentioned in the Episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on26 August 2026, 9:00 am - 21 minutes 36 secondsGen X & Boomers: Inside the Modern Spirits Consumer— Part 2
The industry has spent a decade optimizing for two generations that drink less than the ones before them, and in the process has mostly stopped talking to the two that hold the money. Gen X and Boomers control the majority of American household wealth, drink more often than any younger cohort, and moderate the least. Few people make that case more directly than Antonia Fattizzi and Brian Choi. Antonia, founder of the consultancy Cork and Tin, spent a decade as a rep on the street before launching her firm in 2012, and has built her practice around the generation the industry keeps forgetting. Brian, Managing Partner and CEO of The Food Institute, oversees what he calls the Bloomberg of the food and beverage industry, tracking real-time data across retail, food service, and manufacturing.
In this episode, recorded live at Bar Convent Brooklyn as Part 2 of our "Cracking the Generational Code" series, Antonia and Brian ask what the industry gives up by aiming nearly every sales and marketing dollar at younger drinkers. What does it cost a brand when the generation most likely to stay loyal for a decade is the one its marketing plan never mentions? Why are the consumers with the most disposable income in the country not buying the bottle you built for them, and where are they spending instead? What does authenticity mean to a cohort that has been marketed at for forty years and can identify a gimmick on sight? And which channels is the industry walking past entirely because it already decided who its customer is supposed to be?
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Antonia Fattizzi, Founder, Cork and Tin
Brian Choi, Managing Partner & CEO, The Food Institute
Mentioned in the Episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on12 August 2026, 9:00 am - 27 minutes 49 secondsGen Z & Millennials: Inside the Modern Spirits Consumer— Part 1
Every spirits brand today is chasing the same elusive prize: two generations who don't drink the way the ones before them did, and who are quietly rewriting the rules of when, why, and what they reach for. Few people are tracking that shift more closely than Dave Williams and Erica Duecy. Dave, President of BUMP Williams Consulting, has spent a decade turning beverage-alcohol data into strategy for suppliers, distributors, and retailers navigating a changing consumer base. Erica, founder of Business of Drinks and host of the podcast of the same name, has built her career translating consumer behavior into brand strategy for some of the best-known names in wine and spirits.
In this episode, recorded live at Bar Convent Brooklyn as Part 1 of our two-part series "Cracking the Generational Code," Dave and Erica break down what's actually driving Gen Z and Millennial spirits consumption, from why nearly half of Gen Z abstains entirely yet still drinks spirits as often as Millennials do, to why Millennials, now the industry's highest-value buyer, are still being marketed as "young drinkers." We explore how moderation is reshaping loyalty rather than ending it, why wellness has become a purchase filter even for alcohol, how RTDs are winning by removing friction from the decision, and why the sale is often won or lost long before a shopper ever reaches the shelf.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Dave Williams, President, BUMP Williams Consulting
Erica Duecy, Founder, Business of Drinks
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Follow us for more industry insights on5 August 2026, 9:00 am - 19 minutes 44 secondsJack Daniel's Master Distiller: How Do You Innovate in a Changing Market?
In 2026, American whiskey isn't riding the wave it was five years ago, and every major producer knows it. For a brand the size of Jack Daniel's, that shift raises a harder question: how do you keep innovating when the whole world already thinks it knows you? Success at that scale can actually work against you; when everyone's already tried the whiskey, it's easy to get stuck on mute.
In this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller at Jack Daniel's, takes the stage for a talk recorded live at the Park Street University stage in Brooklyn. He breaks down how Jack Daniel's has built its innovation strategy around protecting Old No. 7 while still carving out new space, from small-batch distillery-only experiments, to the record-setting proof of the Coy Hill single barrel releases, to reviving age-stated whiskeys Jack Daniel himself sold over a century ago. From the double-edged sword of brand recognition to what real transparency looks like on the production floor, this one is packed with insight into how an American icon stays ahead of a changing market.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller, Jack Daniel's
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Follow us for more industry insights on15 July 2026, 9:00 am - 43 minutes 50 secondsHow Spirits Brands Win Distributor Attention in 2026
In 2026, the spirits distribution tier is in the middle of one of its most dramatic realignments in decades. RNDC, once the nation's second largest distributor, has shed or transformed more than 35 markets nationally. Reyes is rising. Beer distributors are claiming more share. And for independent brands trying to secure distribution in the middle of all of it, the rules of engagement have changed. The brands breaking through are earning it before they ever walk in the door.
In this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Emmett Strack sits down with representatives from Skurnik Wine and Spirits, T. Edward Wine and Spirits, Allied Beverage Group, and Revival Spirits for a live roundtable recorded at BCB Brooklyn. Together, they break down what's driving the consolidation, where the real opportunities are hiding inside of it, and what brands need to do differently to earn and keep distributor attention in 2026. From pitching for the first time to setting goals that don't blow up a partnership, this one is packed with straight talk and practical advice.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Adam Schuman, Spirits Portfolio Director & Head of Innovation, Skurnik Wines & Spirits
Sara Harmelin, VP, Portfolio Development, Allied Beverage Group
Emily Wynbrandt, Spirits Portfolio Manager, T. Edward Wines and Spirits
Lloyd Sobel, Managing Partner, Revival Spirits
Mentioned in the Episode:
T. Edward Wines & Spirits
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Follow us for more industry insights on1 July 2026, 9:00 am - 33 minutes 23 secondsJoey Angelo, Co-Founder of SipsMARGS, on Building a Brand That Caught Sazerac's Eye — What It Takes
Not every RTD brand gets acquired by one of the world's biggest spirits companies. Fewer still land Alix Earle as an investor along the way. Joey Angelo, co-founder of SipsMARGS and Su Casa Mezcal, did both, and the path there ran through 15 years inside the distribution tier, watching thousands of brands succeed and fail before building one himself.
In this episode, Joey walks us through what it actually took to launch a premium canned margarita during a pandemic, earn distributor buy-in when the RTD category was still unproven, and build a brand compelling enough to attract Alix Earle organically and close a deal with Sazerac. We get into the white space he identified in the RTD market, why celebrity partnerships live or die on the product underneath them, the route-to-market discipline that kept SipsMARGS focused, and what he learned about timing and patience when a major acquirer comes calling.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market
Featured Guests:
Joey Angelo, Founder & CEO, Su Casa Mezcal & sipMARGS
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Follow us for more industry insights on24 June 2026, 2:00 pm - 19 minutes 34 secondsDiageo's Essential Bar & Consumer Trends Every Brand Needs to Know in 2026— Expert Talks
Bar trends don't wait for brands to catch up, and in 2026, the gap between brands that understand what's driving consumer behavior and those that don't is only widening. In this episode, Tom Cavanagh, Advocacy Manager at Diageo, breaks down the flavor trends, category shifts, and on-premise dynamics set to define bars this year. From the martini's striking resurgence and tequila's continued climb against a down market, to the texture-forward and bitter-led flavor profiles gaining serious traction with today's drinkers, Tom covers the shifts that should be on every brand's radar.
But Tom's talk goes beyond trend-spotting. He makes a direct, data-backed case for why brand advocacy is the most powerful lever brands have for driving sales, and the numbers behind a single bartender's influence on consumer choice might surprise you. If you want to understand which trends are reshaping bars right now, and why the brands investing in real human relationships are the ones winning at the register, this is the episode to hear.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. marketFeatured Guests:
Tom Cavanagh, Advocacy Manager, Diageo
Mentioned in this episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on3 June 2026, 9:00 am - 45 minutes 59 secondsWhat the World's Top Bartenders Want: How Brands Can Land Placements and Win the On-Premise in 2026
Landing a placement at a top bar program doesn't happen by chance. It's the result of trust, timing, and understanding what the people behind the bar actually need from a brand partner. Recorded live at Bar Convent London, this fireside chat brings together Nidal Ramini, Advocacy Director for the EAA Division at Brown-Forman, Emanuele Mensah, Director of Liquid Nation, Giulia Cuccurullo, Head Bartender at Artesian at the Langham London, and Pietro Collina, Group Beverage Director at the Thesleff Group. A panel with deep roots in some of the world's most celebrated bar programs.
Together, they unpack what brands consistently get wrong when approaching bars, why one-off activations rarely move the needle, and what a relationship worth investing in actually looks like from the operator's side of the table. From navigating the realities of an increasingly selective consumer to understanding how beverage directors and head bartenders think about menu building and brand partnerships, this conversation offers a candid, practical playbook for any founder or brand team looking to build real traction in the on-premise channel.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Nidal Ramini, Advocacy Director - EAA Division, Brown Forman
Emanuele Mensah, Director, LiquidNation
Giulia Cuccurullo, Head Bartender, Artesian, the Langham London
Pietro Collina, Group Beverage Director, Thesleff GroupMentioned in this episode:
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Follow us for more industry insights on20 May 2026, 11:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App