Episodes

Greg Steltenpohl, the CEO of Califia Farms and a beverage entrepreneur for nearly four decades, is constantly thinking about innovation.

The career of Danny Stepper, a co-founder of beverage incubator L.A. Libations, is one that comes with lot of stories -- and he's happy to tell them.

As part of our discussion, Health-Ade’s founding trio ruminated on the rapid evolution of the company, which launched in 2012 and is now one of the leading kombucha makers in the U.S.

In this edition of the podcast, we sit down with Mark Rampolla, the founder of Zico and the co-founder and managing partner Powerplant Ventures. As part of a broad-ranging discussion, Rampolla explains why food and beverage investors are embracing ideas that meld idealism and technology and what’s driving systematic changes in the food industry.

As part of a wide-ranging discussion, Scott Uzzell, the president of Coca-Cola's Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit, discusses the three pillars of VEB's investment strategy and why he views modern marketing and integrated technology as critical to the future of the beverage industry.

After a few weeks on the road, the podcast team finally made it back in the conference room at BevNET HQ, where we recently chatted about our travels. The discussion leads to one about BevNET’s product review process and the elements that make for a top-rated beverage.

For this week’s episode of the BevNET podcast, we’ve crossed the Atlantic to explore a beverage market that’s outside of our usual coverage area: London. Joining the podcast are Hugh Thomas and Joe Benn of Ugly Drinks, which is a U.K.-based startup that produces unsweetened flavored sparkling water.

In this edition of the BevNET podcast, we’re joined by Gerry Khermouch, a longtime beverage reporter and the editor of email newsletter Beverage Business Insights. Khermouch shares insights from over two decades as a beverage journalist, including what he calls the “dirty secret” about successful beverage brands.

Trevor Nelson, the co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm Alliance Consumer Growth shares some details about the firm’s approach to evaluating investment opportunities. In particular, Nelson explains why ACG, which closed on a new $210 million fund in February, doesn’t “make bets” when it comes to funding decisions.

BevNET’s podcast team met with Rovell at his home in New Jersey for a broad discussion on the current state of the sports beverage category, one that offers an insider’s take on the segment’s gatekeepers, from boardrooms to locker rooms.