Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/541538
6 Beverage Dynamics • July/August 2015 www.beveragedynamics.com Editor's NOTE VP, Beverage Group Amy Collins Editor Jeremy Nedelka Tel: 203-855-8499 x213 email: jnedelka@specialtyim.com Associate Editor Kyle Swartz Tel: 203-855-8499 x225 email: kswartz@specialtyim.com Contributing Editors Julie Johnson Robert Plotkin Harriet Lembeck Jack Robertiello Steve McIntosh Brian D. Rosen Jonathan Newman Thomas Henry Strenk Senior Regional Sales Manager Bruce Kostic Tel: 203-855-8499, ext. 215 email: bkostic@specialtyim.com Senior Regional Sales Manager Mark Marcon Tel: 248-761-6231 email: mmarcon@specialtyim.com Senior Regional Sales Manager Debbie Rittenberg Tel: 215-431-8787 email: drittenberg@specialtyim.com Art Director Jean Blackmer Production Director Cherri Perschmann Tel: 763-383-4400, ext. 2425 email: cperschmann@epgmediallc.com Managing Art Director Dodi Vessels Senior Research Analyst Adam Rogers Tel: 203-855-8499 x212 email: arogers@specialtyim.com LIST RENTAL MeritDirect, Jim Scova email: jscova@MeritDirect.com Tel: 914-368-1012 REPRINTS Circulation and Audience Development Manager Robin Cooper email: rcooper@specialtyim.com Sr VP/Audience Development Joanne Juda-Prainito Sr VP/Finance & Operations Gerald Winkel CEO Marion Minor RETAILER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Charles Bailes III ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Orlando,FL Ralph Bondon Berbiglia's, Kansas City, MO David Breitstein Duke of Bourbon, Canoga Park, CA Jim Shpall Applejack Liquors, Wheat Ridge, CO Hal Gershman Happy Harry's Bottle Shop, Grand Forks, ND Ron Junge Brown Derby Stores, Springfi eld, MO Ted Farrell Haskell's, Minneapolis, MN Charles Sonnenberg Frugal MacDoogal's, Nashville, TN Beverage Dynamics is published by EPG Media & Specialty Information Editorial and executive offi ces at 17 High St., 2nd Fl., Norwalk, CT 06851 Telephone: 203-855-8499 Fax: 203-855-9446 FIND TIME TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED from my Trip Reports in the last few issues, I've spent much of the past four months on the road at industry events. Now that I'm back home and spending the summer in one place, I've had some time to refl ect on how important hands-on experiences are in this industry. There's nothing quite like seeing where a beverage comes from – its home- place, the ingredients, the machinery. Being there to see, smell, touch and taste a product as it's grown, brewed, distilled, bottled and aged can't be replicated in a sell sheet or promotional video. During my fi ve-year crash course in the beverage alcohol industry, I've felt the various soil types vines are grown in, watched as batches of corn and rye arrive at a distillery and smelled the fermentation tanks at a brewery. Each case, needless to say, also involved tasting great products. Aside from visiting local distilleries, breweries and wineries (businesses you should already have a relationship with), I'd highly recommend visiting Napa or the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. But if that's not possible, simply attending more industry events and taking some time to travel will be surprisingly benefi cial. UNEXPECTED RESULTS Getting into the fi eld doesn't just sharpen your industry knowledge and expand your network; it can lead to surprising benefi ts. Our cover story for this issue, a profi le of The Urban Grape in Boston (see page 26), only happened because I met retailer TJ Douglas during my trip to Spain in April (see page 18). Later this year, two writers will have their Beverage Dynamics debut, ex- panding our coverage of the wine industry – I met both of them on the same trip that introduced me to TJ. And my week in Spain touring with Ferrer Family Wines wasn't the only trip that yielded unexpected benefi ts. My time in New Orleans, Louisville, Orlando and Phoenix were all equally lucrative for content creation and networking. As retailers it's sometimes diffi cult to get out of the trenches and leave your store in employees' hands. But meeting the people, places and raw materials that create the products on your shelves is invaluable. You might be surprised by who you meet and what you learn – and the experience will make you a better retailer. Jeremy Nedelka Editor