Grab a quick cup of coffee and a light bite before heading into session

What funding do you need to finance the growth of your company? As a producer who wants to grow, you need to understand the different sources of funding available to you and the advantages and disadvantages based on your unique situation. What will be the costs? What regulatory and reporting considerations do you need to consider? Join this discussion to better understand various sources of capital and how they compare and contrast each producer's particular needs.

This session offers a overview of current trends, challenges, and opportunities in M&A within this vibrant industry. We will explore the driving forces behind recent mergers and acquisitions in the craft beverage sector. Understand the motivations that lead craft beverage brands to merge with or acquire others, and learn about the strategic benefits and potential pitfalls of these business decisions. This talk will also provide insights into the process of M&A, from initial considerations and valuation to negotiation and integration. We'll discuss the financial, legal, and cultural aspects of merging with or acquiring a company, providing a comprehensive overview of what it takes to successfully navigate an M&A deal

This session offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from the leaders of craft beverage brands who have navigated the complex journey of selling their business. In this interactive Q&A format, our panel of successful entrepreneurs will share their firsthand experiences, insights, and lessons learned from selling their craft brands. Delve into the key strategies that led to their successful exits, and explore the challenges they faced during the process. Learn about the different exit options available. Our panelists will discuss how they prepared their businesses for sale, including enhancing brand value, understanding valuation metrics, and negotiating favorable terms. This session is not just about the endgame; it's about understanding the full lifecycle of a craft beverage brand and how to build with an exit in mind.

In this keynote session, Jackie Summers will explore how you can leverage your unique strengths and play by your own set of legal rules to create a competitive edge. Learn how to make the most of your agility, craft a unique brand story, and engage customers in ways that larger companies can't. This session will provide practical advice on navigating the industry smartly and sustainably, turning your size into an advantage in the battle against the big players.

We will discuss how to invest in your employees and community to grow your business. Creating a culture of taking care of the employee to take care of the customer to take care of profits. We talk about community engagement and how that can lead to revenue growth through strategic placement in the community. Panelists discuss the programs they run built to support employees that also impact the community.

Join us for an immersive exploration into the art of crafting successful awareness campaigns that seamlessly transition from media buzz to tangible on-site experiences. In this keynote, we'll bring together four expert perspectives to illuminate the journey from earned media to digital content, culminating in unforgettable on-site encounters. Join Sara Gorelick and Alisha Zaveri from Colangelo & Partners, alongside representatives from an acclaimed distillery and a prestigious winery, as we uncover the alchemy behind impactful communication strategies that foster genuine brand loyalty.

This session promises actionable insights on leveraging diverse communication channels to draw customers to your tasting room and cultivate devoted brand advocates. Whether you're seeking to bolster your digital presence or create unforgettable in-person experiences, our panel of experts will equip you with the tools and strategies needed to drive foot traffic, foster consumer engagement, and ultimately elevate your brand to new heights.

Wine Enthusiast is a Certified B Corporation with a mission to make wine approachable for all and welcome everyone to the wine lifestyle. In this closing session, Wine Enthusiast’s Chief Revenue and Education Officer will share key insights on how educating your tasting room team, understanding proper wine storage, and elevating customer service leads to success. Learn how educated tasting room operators deepen the curiosity of first-time visitors and boost the guest experience for return patrons.

The nuts & bolts of food and beverage design is an interactive presentation to allow owners, restaurateurs, and developers to analyze future endeavors with greater space planning awareness. The presentation will guide individuals through steps to analyze their space size, compare requirements with costs and develop a more comprehensive plan for their project(s). The main learning objective of this presentation is to have each person leave with an understanding of the size needs, space allocation guidelines, and building code impacts on their future builds/retrofits.

The presentation begins with a breakdown of sizes and estimates for different functions of a drinking establishment. The next objective and task is to analyze a space and break that into code requirements. This interactive portion allows participants to calculate required exit doors, required plumbing facilities and the impacts of accessibility requirements. The final objective is to educate participants on the unique elements of different venues and what those could be:
•Liquor storage and required locking needs
•Allocation of keg storage and what glycol systems can work
•Mechanical options for cooling wine rooms.
•How operations influence design
This course will prepare participants to better plan and prepare for their future venue.

What you need to know to start or expand your tasting room – from required permits, who you need to get in touch with, all the way through pitfalls and lessons learned. Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned professional, this session promises to equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate the tasting room landscape successfully.

The Booch News Worldwide Directory lists over 2,600 brands in 104 countries. This data is a valuable source of information for new start-ups or those seeking to expand as they author their business plans and gain insight into how others are positioning and marketing their products. Beyond the numbers, the Worldwide Directory is a resource for examining the various ways to market kombucha products in more detail regarding branding, label design, flavoring options, and other product information shown in the social media feeds and on the company websites in the lists. This presentation will highlight the most popular brands in different regions, explain where growth in the number of followers on social media has been most dramatic and where it has leveled off, and showcase some of the most innovative trends.

Discover the secret behind the natural carbonation of canned kombucha, a methodology that eliminates the use of large machinery and the addition of artificial carbon dioxide, yet maintains the drink for 12 months without the need for refrigeration. The Companhia dos Fermentados stands out in the Brazilian scene, producing more than 30,000 cans per month and has gained space in the national market for the quality of its beverages. This achievement not only sets new standards of quality and sustainability in the fermented beverage industry but also opens doors for a more efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly production of kombucha. Learn how technology and passion can transform fermentation into art, redefining the flavor and accessibility of kombucha.

 When we experienced the global pandemic our wheels at started turning on how to continue to get kombucha to all of our current customers. We stuck it out with the shut down still being able to operate our business fully from the farmers markets and by doing a door to door delivery service. When everything opened back up we had to start from the bottom with our wholesale accounts as most went out of business or changed their operations completely. In this presentation you’ll find ideas on how to get your products in other retailers, how to get started at the farmers markets and local holiday markets or fairs.

The key ingredients to build your brand's DNA 2) the keys to positioning your brand in the mind of your audience 3) How to differentiate your brand in the marketplace