Keeping up with industry news and trends is one of the most underrated disciplines in beverage alcohol. It’s a frightening habit, admittedly — slowing down long enough to read or at least skim several articles every day when the return on investment takes months or years to materialize.  When sales are down, it’s human nature to scrounge for the fastest wins available. In our desperation to keep the lights on, we abandon most eagerly the very practices that would lead to longevity and profitability for our business. The inconvenient timing of these insights — namely, that the best articles and industry reports tend to circulate precisely when everyone has checked out for the holidays —only intensifies the competitive advantage up for grabs by those who are paying attention. An up-to-date understanding of consumer preferences and behavior can inform our production, focus our messaging, and align sales & marketing so that everything from tasting ro

OAK FARM VINEYARDS AND STEELBOUND DISTILLERY TAKE TOP HONORS IN 2024 LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS CHALLENGE  MARCH 6, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the third annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A Barbera from Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, Calif., and a Bourbon from Steelbound Brewery & Distillery in Ellicotville, N.Y., topped their fields to be named Best of the Best.  The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States.  Judging took place February 26-28, 2024. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine & Spirits Competitions Management & Production, “The competition grew again this year to attract close to 1,100 entries, and our

Happy Women’s History Month! As a female CEO in both the technology space and beverage alcohol industry, I am incredibly proud of this company and its dedication to women in our industries. LibDib’s staff is made up of 45% women. So yay to LibDib and thank you to all the amazing women staffers that contribute to everything we do AND to the men that work with them and support us every step of the way.  It has been widely known (and reported) that the beverage alcohol business, especially at the wholesaler level, has been historically dominated by men. I remember my first WSWA event in 2017. Outside of female models pouring at booths on behalf of suppliers, there were maybe 25 women there. It was a sea of men on the wholesaler side. As a first-timer to the conference, it was very noticeable to me but not something I wasn’t familiar with based on my past experiences working at my family’s winery. As a Maker rep, I dealt with very few women in distrib

By Cheryl Durzy LibDib was recently named the liquor distributor for Kate Hudson’s new craft vodka brand King St. in two states. In the press release, Kate had an amazing quote regarding women supporting other women in this business. “I am very excited to appoint LibDib to distribute King St. in Colorado and Wisconsin and support another female entrepreneur. I love seeing women succeed in what has historically been a male dominated industry,” said King St. Founder, Kate Hudson. As a female in both the technology and beverage alcohol space, I feel strongly about supporting other amazing women in both industries. I’m part of the Women’s Leadership Council at WSWA. LibDib is also a proud sponsor of Women of the Vines and Spirits. On the LibDib platform, we have an entire stand-alone category dedicated to female Makers (aptly called ‘Women Owned/Operated). And, our team at LibDib is comprised of 50% women. The King St Vodka announcement and Kate’s quote really got me thinking about wom