MAFFEO DRINKS: The Lab

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.This episode is a working session on how to build a non-alcoholic brand that does not announce its own absence. Steven Grasse, the brand-builder behind Hendrick’s, Sailor Jerry, and Quaker City Mercantile, breaks down Pathfinder: a hemp-and-root-distilled, amaro-style non-alcoholic spirit that entered every Total Wine and Whole Foods without a trial.The conversation covers why non-alcoholic brands must not be “stupid,” the comparison trap of positioning as a replacement, brand mysticism as a method that transcends category, the four pillars of brand creation, launching on-premise first, designing a liquid versatile enough to be a “bartender’s ketchup,” the discipline of owning a home turf before the hot cities, and the regulatory freedom that lets a non-alcoholic brand be weirder than any spirit.It is a masterclass in building a great brand that just happens to not have alcohol.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to the Pathfinder00:49 The Origin Story of Pathfinder02:14 Crafting the Unique Flavor Profile04:38 Marketing Strategy and Brand Positioning11:26 Launching Pathfinder in Seattle15:43 The Mystical and Historical Elements18:40 Pathfinder’s Market Success and Future25:11 Final Thoughts and Conclusion Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.Everyone is chasing growth. Everyone is chasing funding. Few are asking the harder question: what are we actually going to do with it?In this episode, Chris Maffeo talks to Maurice Doyle, senior drinks industry leader with decades of brand building across major global companies about why experience can become a trap, why strategy is about what you say no to, and why the leaders who build something lasting are the ones who never stop questioning themselves.Find all episodes featuring Maurice Doyle here.Bottom up. Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.Eric Franco, a former SABMiller colleague, recently Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Brewdog USA and entrepreneur who started as a bar owner, joins for a discussion validating core bottom-up principles through battlefield experience.Working long days running his own bar before selling for global brands, the conversation confirms what becomes clear through market observation: everyone agrees on bottom-up methodology in theory, but execution fails when immediate gratification culture, social media distortion, and funding pressure collide with foundational discipline.The discussion explores patterns visible across markets: brands hiring VPs before mastering founder-led selling, Target distribution forcing unsustainable multi-state expansion, and burning retail relationships in concentrated markets.Eric's owner-operator perspective adds depth to the systematic approach to channel selection, geographic expansion, and the three-year foundation period required before authentic scaling becomes possible. ​Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Catching Up01:11 Defining 'Bottom Up' in Brand Building04:36 Challenges in Brand Growth and Market Expectations09:41 The Importance of Local Market Mastery15:16 Balancing Big Opportunities with Realistic Growth32:02 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.Steve Perez reveals how he bootstrapped Global Brands (Owner of VK Vodka Kick and Franklin & Sons) from £200k to £65 million in four years without giving away equity. Starting with zero salary while working nights as a waiter, he funded growth by convincing suppliers to extend £100k monthly credit through radical transparency. His philosophy: "Your business is your soul, your heart. Don't give it away too easily."From his 400-acre farm supplying beef to his hotels, to using venues as R&D labs for drinks innovation, Steve's vertical integration proves you don't need London to build global brands. With 400 employees including three-generation families, he explains what rally driving taught him the about business:Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:47 Steve Perez: From Rally Driver to Businessman02:26 The Beginnings of a Business Empire05:40 Overcoming Early Business Challenges08:29 The Rise of VK Vodka Kick16:17 Bootstrapping and Supplier Relationships22:33 The Perks of the Drinks Business22:59 Building a Lasting Business Legacy24:27 Family Business Dynamics28:32 The Importance of Delegation32:29 Navigating Risks and Trends37:31 Vertical Integration and Local Impact41:20 The Benefits of Smaller Cities43:20 Conclusion and Contact Information Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

Welcome to MAFFEO DRINKS. For many years, I've been known as the "built bottom-up" guy. But many people misunderstand what bottom-up actually means. Bottom-up means building at a pace that doesn't jeopardize your future. Doing the right things on the ground while managing expectations from above.That's it. It doesn't matter if your brand is small or big. It's a mindset.I'm Chris Maffeo, Drinks Leadership Advisor. 20 years in drinks across 30+ markets. I've been in the boardroom but chose to stay connected to the field. That's where I founded MAFFEO DRINKS.We help drinks leadership bridge the gap between bottom-up reality and top-down expectations. Stakeholders want numbers. Your team wants direction. You are caught in the middle. And that's where we come in.This podcast is about honest conversations with drinks builders: founders, distributors, commercial directors, CEOs, F&B directors. But this isn't a show about biographies. Every guest is here to show their thinking, not their resume.We talk commercial strategy, route-to-market, distributor relationships, trade marketing, and all the plumbing of brand building that nobody discusses on stage. How the industry actually works, not the conference version. How to master the unscalable things while building scale.Beyond the podcast, we offer Bottom-Up Intel & Principles: episode deep dives that you can buy for a monthly subscription (Patterns from drinks builders for the leaders building with them).And for leadership teams who want a thought partner who has been in their chair and still walks the field, we offer advisory.Find out more at maffeodrinks.com.And remember that brands are built bottom-up.

Brodie Meah, co-founder of Top Cuvée, reveals how one neighborhood restaurant in Highbury became the foundation for a "wine for everyone" movement that achieved national distribution.Starting in 2019 with 40 covers nightly, Top Cuvée's journey from restaurant to retail to wholesale exemplifies bottom-up brand building.Having witnessed fine dining's intimidation tactics firsthand in Melbourne, Brodie flipped the industry's most exclusive phrase:"top cuvée" (wines deemed too good for regular guests) into a symbol of accessibility.The COVID pivot unlocked game-changing insights: wine labels matter enormously in retail but not restaurants, £8 glasses translate to £22 retail bottles, and wine's aversion to "openly commercial" marketing creates opportunity.By building trust glass by glass, turning regulars into brand ambassadors, and proving neighborhood hospitality can scale, Top Cuvée transformed from one Highbury restaurant to shops to national wholesale—keeping "wine for everyone" real.Timestamps:00:00 From Fine Dining to "Wine for Everyone" Philosophy03:00 One Restaurant to National Distribution Journey06:00 Wine Intimidation and the Leather Entrance Story09:30 Flipping "Top Cuvée" from Exclusive to Inclusive12:00 Why Wine Bars Shouldn't Feel Educational15:00 Building Community - The T-Shirt Customer Story18:00 Labels Matter in Shops, Not Restaurant Lists21:00 The £8 Glass = £22 Bottle Sweet Spot24:00 Wine's "Dirty Word" Marketing Problem27:00 Trust Engines and Part Two Preview

In this episode of MAFFEO DRINKS, host Chris Maffeo speaks with Matilda Andersson, Managing Director at Truth Consulting, about transforming how drinks brands approach consumer insights and market research.The conversation explores why traditional focus group research fails to capture authentic consumer behavior, and how ethnographic research (observing people in bars, homes, festivals, and unexpected locations) reveals the cultural truths that drive brand success.Matilda introduces "the trend of ignoring trends," explaining the critical difference between fast-moving fads (TikTok dances, viral flavors) and slow-changing cultural fundamentals (rituals, occasions, social connections) that brands should actually focus on.We examine the premium positioning trap where every brand claims to be premium, creating bland homogenization rather than differentiation.The discussion challenges conventional wisdom about Gen Z drinking habits, revealing they're drinking differently rather than abstaining, and explores why generational commonalities matter more than manufactured differences.Why occasions and rituals as more valuable strategic frameworks than demographic targeting, showing how brands must earn relevance in existing consumer moments rather than creating artificial ones.Key topics include participant observation methodology, brand self-awareness, cultural rituals in modern context, qualitative research integration with quantitative analysis, and how brands can actively shape culture rather than passively follow trends.Timestamps :00:00 - Introduction: Insights, Rituals & Cultural Role of Drinks02:15 - Matilda Andersson Background: Career in Consumer Insights & Drinks Industry05:30 - Cultural Role of Drinks: Historical Context & Modern Rituals08:45 - The Trend of Ignoring Trends: Fast vs Slow Cultural Change12:20 - How Brands Can Differentiate What's Worth Pursuing15:40 - Brand Self-Awareness & The Premium Positioning Trap19:10 - Understanding Your Brand's Core vs Chasing Competition22:35 - Probable Futures: Active Cultural Participation vs Passive Reception25:50 - The Spritz Example: When Trend-Chasing Goes Wrong28:20 - What is Ethnographic Research? Definition & Methodology31:15 - Real Insights Happen at the Bar (and McDonald's)34:25 - The Laziness Problem: Why Brands Don't Observe Enough36:50 - Gen Z Drinking Myths: They're Drinking Differently, Not Less39:20 - Generational Commonalities & Occasions Over Demographics42:10 - Wrap-up: Key Takeaways on Cultural Insights & Ethnographic Research

In this episode of MAFFEO DRINKS, Guillaume Lambrecht explains his approach to creating market demand for Supasawa, a shelf-stable sour mixer, focusing primarily on his category creation methodology.We go through how he developed the product through 60-70 recipe iterations and managed customer validation through direct bar visits rather than traditional market research approaches.This episode details his methods for educating customers about operational problems they may not recognize, including face-to-face conversations, hands-on demonstrations, and using customer discovery as cost-effective alternative to extensive market analysis.Guillaume outlines how he leverages direct customer feedback to establish new product categories and build market awareness from zero recognition.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction: Market Validation for Unknown Categories and Invisible Problems05:37 Product Development Process: 60-70 Recipe Iterations and Customer Feedback Loops11:35 Customer Discovery: Face-to-Face Bar Visits and Problem Identification Techniques19:31 Market Segmentation: Skill-Based Bar Typologies and Operational Complexity Analysis32:45 Workflow Innovation: Pre-Batching Systems and Extended Shelf-Life Benefits38:04 Customer Education: Problem-Awareness Creation and Solution Positioning45:12 Market Creation Strategy: Category Establishment and Demand Generation Tactics