Editor’s Note

LET’S TALK BEVERAGES

SEPT. 29 MARKS THE NEXT STORE BRANDS INDUSTRY FORUM ON COFFEE, TEA, DAIRY, NONALCOHOLIC AND ALCOHOLIC TRENDS

If you’re getting the newsletter and our

online communications, you might’ve noticed that we’re getting hot and heavy into virtual events here at Store Brands. In June, I moderated our first Store Brands Industry Summit, featuring a keynote from IRI and leaders of industry from Albertsons, FMI, Raley’s, Sprouts, Tops, Wakefern, Walgreens, VMLY&R and more. We chatted about innovation, the state of the industry, the pandemic, among other topics. Then a month later I moderated a day of education dedicated to sustainability and private brands. Again, I was joined by the brightest minds like Denise Osterhues, president of Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation; Kendrick Repko, director of sustainable products, Ahold Delhaize USA; Christie Zimmerman, a products standards manager at Natural Grocers; Derrek Reitz, the sustainability specialist for Weis Markets; Bill Patton, manager of store optimization at The Giant Company; and Bill Wollrab, founder of AllPeople.

And guess what, on Sept. 29, we’re at it again. We’ll be hosting a Store Brands Industry Forum on the beverage category. I will, once again, moderate four panels with supplier, retailer and expert panelists to open up about trends in drinks.

At all of the events, I have to say the content and chats have been inspiring, and virtual or in-person, our goal is always about connecting readers, attendees and partners with engaging content and solutions. But, I’m also here to listen, so let me know how we can do better.

The beverage panels will be structured by categories within the category, and the unique issues facing each. The event will touch on coffee and tea, no doubt leaders within the ethical sourcing space; dairy, an area that faced considerable challenges during the pandemic and has been innovating around non-dairy; nonalcoholic beverages like sparkling waters and functional juices; and alcoholic beverages, an area where wine, for example, has been the toast of the category.

The style of these 30-minute fireside panels make for quick and insightful conversations — it’ll be easy drinking and go down smooth (I promise no more play on words).

The beverage forum, like the other events, will include the four panels, a keynote address, and there are networking breaks to mingle in between sessions. During our last event, we limited the attendance, focusing on a retailer audience. For this beverage forum, we’re opening up ways for manufacturers to join the event, beyond sponsorship opportunities.

I invite you to reach out to me and I’ll direct you to learn more.

To register for the forum on beverages, head to storebrandsindustryforums.com/beverages.

I’m excited to quench your thirst for store brand success in beverages! And I look forward to brewing up questions and milk everything out of my 30-minute sessions. So let’s tip a few back on Sept. 29, come join me! (OK, I lied about the play on words thing.)

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