Episode 105: Challenger brands, changing rules - The race to real scale in beverage with Danny Stepper

Episode 105: Challenger brands, changing rules - The race to real scale in beverage with Danny Stepper

June 26, 2026 · 1h 3m

About this episode

Danny Stepper discusses the challenges and strategies for scaling beverage brands in a competitive market.

The next billion-dollar brands won't be invented by legacy CPG; they'll be acquired from founders. On the latest episode of Retail Sound Bites , Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton sit down with Danny Stepper, CEO and co-founder of L.A. Libations, to unpack the realities behind scaling a beverage brand. This conversation dives into what separates brands that break through from those that stall, including the role of retail environments like Costco in elevating challenger brands, and why access to networks, capital, and visibility is becoming just as important as shelf space. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast . Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

People in this episode

Hosts: Barry Thomas, Rachel Dalton

Guest: Danny Stepper

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: L.A. Libations, CPG, Costco

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