Brands are often founded with the purpose of aligning with a given trend and exploiting a perceived white space in the market. In the mid-2000s, introducing a premium bourbon may have seen high growth, likewise for rolling out a specialty high-end tequila in the early to mid-2010s. But when founders really get it right, and their offering is able to align with multiple trends at once, it's possible to see uniquely explosive growth. Such was the case for Surfside, which saw over a million cases sold over the course of a year between 2022 and 2023.

Surfside is a Philadelphia-based ready-to-drink brand rolled out by the creators of Stateside Vodka. With RTDs taking center stage as the spirits industry's spotlight category, Surfside was able to build on this platform to leverage consumer interest in flavor variety, health consciousness, and convenience into the highest-growth brand in the United States.

On this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Emily Pennington is joined by Clement Pappas, CEO of Stateside Brands. The two discuss how Surfside went from concept to can to achieving astronomical sales in just a few years. They'll explore the brand's unique route-to-market strategy and how they dealt with demand and scaled the business.

Featured Guests:

• Clement Pappas, CEO, Stateside Brands

Mentioned in this episode:

Stateside Vodka
Surfside

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The landscape of on-premise spirits consumption has undergone significant shifts in the past few years, challenging the long-held view that primary drivers of growth for spirits brands take place on-premise. The aftermath of the pandemic has seen consumers engage differently with bars and restaurants, learn to be at-home bartenders, display increased health consciousness, and grapple with inflationary pressures that affect their spending habits. These macro-level changes have affected brands’ approaches to on-premise strategies.

Despite the challenges, on-premise continues to offer unique opportunities for brands to educate consumers, facilitate product sampling, and drive sales. The question now is how brands can best leverage the opportunities presented by bars, restaurants, and other venues in this evolving landscape. To explore this topic, Emmett Strack sat down with prominent players in the New York City on-premise scene at Bar Convent Brooklyn this past June. This in-depth conversation delves into strategies for fostering meaningful relationships between brands and bars in 2024 and beyond, addressing the changing dynamics of the industry and exploring approaches to on-premise engagement in a post-pandemic world.

Featured Guests:

• GN Chan, Co-Founder, Double Chicken Please
• Sebastien Derbomez, Manager of Brand Advocacy, William Grant & Sons
• Jason Hedges, Director of Beverage, Laurent Tourondel & Founder, Bar IQ

Mentioned in this episode:

Double Chicken Please
William Grant & Sons
Laurent Tourondel
Bar IQ

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At one point or another, every person in the spirits industry is almost certain to have their career altered, influenced, or shaped by personal relationships. On a business-to-business level, many brands the Park Street Insider Podcast has hosted over the years echo similar sentiments around the crucial role partnerships have played in their trajectory. No brand is constructed in a vacuum, and the long-term success of each is often tied to the quality of partnerships they form with the companies around them at every stage of development.

The value of strong brand partnerships is perhaps no more evident than through the brand-building journey of Chris Montana, co-founder of Du Nord Social Spirits. Hailing from Minnesota, Du Nord’s growth was boosted by its ability to carefully align with the right partners. Being the first business to graduate from the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, a partnership between Jack Daniel's and Uncle Nearest to increase diversity in the American whiskey industry, Chris was able to leverage this partnership into another: a deal with Delta Airlines.

So land a deal with the number one airline in the U.S. and you’ve made it, right? For Chris, Du Nord found itself in a scenario a bit like when the dog catches the car, having attained a major value-add and needing to learn on the fly how to navigate it. Chris is joined by Andres Correa to piece together how Du Nord was able to attract and navigate the challenges that came with a major partnership with Delta Airlines.

Featured Guests:

• Chris Montana, Co-Founder, Du Nord Social Spirits

Mentioned in this episode:

Du Nord Social Spirits
Delta Airlines
Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative

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