Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/581407
october 2015 / the tasting panel / 1 1 1 MARKETING V eteran beverage marketer Jeff Grindrod has gathered up a new team of industry pros to create BevBiz. The company is a Connecticut-based alcohol marketing and sales solutions company that focuses on traditional and new marketing. At the same time, he introduced BevHatch, its brand development arm that provides marketing solutions to brands at any and every stage of their lifecycle—from strategy development to concept creation and package design, to sales solutions and programming implementation. The company is also equipped to assist with distributor planning and management. "Our relationships with distributors in key markets allow for a realistic bottom-up plan- ning approach," Grindrod said. The extra sales strategy offered by BevHatch will help brands control their routes to market, he noted. Grindrod, whose dossier includes work at Heublein/Diageo (Smirnoff, Cuervo and Black Velvet), and the launch of Silk Vodka, says the company, now infused with new talent, will provide 360-degree support—either on its own or via partner companies—for emerging and established spirits and wine companies. "We have vast experience on the marketing side," Grindrod said. "With BevHatch, we are combining that expertise with new dedicated sales support muscle to offer our clients forward-thinking solutions for entering and thriving in the U.S." The company has new muscle in offering dedicated sales support for brands at the distributor, retail and consumer tiers. To shore up the new effort, Grindrod brought in Bob MacNevin, most recently from Liquid Proof Beverage, a beverage alcohol consulting practice he created and operated for the past four years. MacNevin brings national experience from stints at Palm Bay International and Pernod Ricard, and serves as vice president of sales and business development. BevBiz kept some of its legacy clients (Brockmans Gin and The Real McCoy Rum) and is working with a portfolio of eight regional clients positioned for growth (including Egan's Irish Whiskey and Mad March Hare). Grindrod will call in logistics experts like MHW Ltd., for back-office functions such as licensing, compliance and warehousing. While the BevBiz team can provide on-the-ground support from industry pros such as MacNevin, it also has a young team of digital-savvy account executives, designers, bloggers and strategists assessing the platforms best suited for trade and consumers demographics. The agency is equipped to help clients develop smartphone apps for trade and consumer, as well as gamification in general. "The beverage alcohol business continues to expand with new companies and brands looking to claim a stake of the dynamic U.S. marketplace," Grindrod added. "It's not easy but with our in-depth knowledge and experience, we are poised to help clients make that dream a reality." Jeff Grindrod (left) has created BevBiz to offer marketing and sales solutions, and has tapped into talent like Bob MacNevin to round out his team. Legacy brands in the BevBiz portfolio include Brockmans Gin and The Real McCoy Rum. Know-How at Its Finest INDUSTRY EXPERTIESE AND EXPEREINCE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME FOR BEVBIZ MARKETING by Lana Bortolot