#246 - BevNET 101 with John Craven

#246 - BevNET 101 with John Craven

From The Startup CPG Podcast by Startup CPG

April 28, 2026 · 45 min · Season 4 · Episode 300

About this episode

John Craven discusses the evolution of BevNET and the CPG industry over the past 30 years.

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with John Craven, founder and CEO of BevNET, to trace the remarkable 30-year journey of one of CPG media's most essential platforms. From a college web project in 1996 to a full media empire spanning BevNET, Nosh, Brewbound, live events, and multiple podcasts, John shares the origin story, the industry inflection points, and the hard-won wisdom that comes from watching hundreds of brands rise, pivot, and exit. John opens with a vivid picture of the CPG world he entered — one where Snapple and Arizona Iced Tea were the disruptors, where beverage founders looked up co-packers in the Yellow Pages, and where getting press meant waiting six months for a magazine to maybe run your story. He explains how BevNET was born out of a simple college assignment to build a webpage, and how the speed and accessibility of the internet gave emerging brands something legacy trade media simply couldn't: real-time visibility. The conversation covers the major inflection points that shaped the emerging CPG ecosystem — from landmark acquisitions like Snapple and Vitamin Water that fueled the next generation of founders, to the…

People in this episode

Host: Daniel Scharff

Guest: John Craven

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BevNET, Nosh, Brewbound, Snapple, Arizona Iced Tea, Vitamin Water

Places: Expo West

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