Today’s guest is Eugene Khabensky, Director of Business Development and Ventures at Diageo. Eugene specializes in finance, strategy, commercial insights, and business development, so I was excited to pick his brain on how he evaluates businesses for potential investment. In his tenure at Diageo, he has worked on many exciting projects and acquisitions including Diageo’s acquisition of Casamigos Tequila. In his current role, Eugene oversees the Diageo relationship with the Distill Ventures program in North America where he brings a comprehensive cross functional view to unlocking brand acceleration and building successful plans for growth. In this interview, Eugene gives some great insights on what Diageo is looking for in potential investments, what level of detail you should  present depending on the stage of your business, and which part of the pitch process is incredibly important, yet often overlooked. I’m appreciative for Eugene’s time, and hope this interview helps founders prepare for the competition in November. Without further ado, please enjoy my conversation with Eugene Khabensky.  Find Eugene on LinkedIn Find Distill Ventures www.distillventures.com/ Find Movers and Shakers: On Instagram as @moverssshakers www.moverssshakers.com Find April: On LinkedIn www.aprilwachtel.com

Movers and Shakers with April Wachtel

Eugene Khabensky from Diageo on what level of detail you should present when pitching to investors, and which part of the pitch process is incredibly important, yet often overlooked.

Movers and Shakers is back! In today's episode, I explain our absence, introduce my company Cheeky Cocktails, and my colleague Aaron Moses steps in as host. We discuss some of my background in the beverage and hospitality industry, how I became an entrepreneur, how I think about team and culture building, and much more.  A special thanks to Cheeky Aaron for doing a great job hosting! As always, if you have questions, comments, or feedback, it's always greatly appreciated, and please feel free to reach out anywhere below.   Find Cheeky: www.cheekycocktails.co @cheekycocktails across social media   Find Movers and Shakers: On Instagram as @moverssshakers www.moverssshakers.com   Find April: On LinkedIn www.aprilwachtel.com

April Wachtel from Cheeky (and host of the Movers and Shakers podcast) on the Cheeky founding story, evolving as an entrepreneur, and building culture as a startup

In today's special episode of Movers and Shakers, I speak to friends in industry icons, Chris Lowder and Micaela Piccolo about life in Shanghai during Coronavirus. They share what they're doing to stay positive and productive under quarantine, what you should expect if your market is not yet adapted for the virus, and what bars and restaurants are doing across China to persevere. Please note, this was also the first video interview for Movers and Shakers. The video is available here. --- Follow Chris and Micaela's updates on Instagram @getlowdernow @micaelapiccolo --- Connect with April on LinkedIn --- Shoot us questions, comments, or requests for specific content at hello@moverssshakers.com  

Chris Lowder and Micaela Piccolo on life in Shanghai under quarantine

Dearest listeners, In light of the impact Coronavirus is having on our industry, we will be adding coverage, interviews, and professional development opportunities to our regular programming, intended to help our community get through these next few months.   Please stay tuned for tomorrow's interview with Chris Lowder, the General Manager of Proof & Company in China, on how bars and restaurants have been coping during the quarantine.    Also, if you have more time on your hands than usual, and are looking for ways to build your professional online presence I created a video tutorial on building your personal brand through LinkedIn, creating a website, buying a url, and setting up a professional email account.    Please shoot us a note at hello@moverssshakers.com with any questions, comments, or requests for specific content, and stay safe out there.    

Special Announcement regarding Coronavirus

Today’s guest is Jen Batchelor. Jen is the co-founder and CEO of Kin Euphorics, an alternative beverage company intent on revolutionizing the future of social drinking. Launched in December of 2018, Kin has sold over 1 million servings of their three products- High Rhode, Dream Light, and Kin Spritz. Raised in Saudia Arabia, Jen built a decade long career in strategic innovation at the intersection of tech, wellness, and hospitality, and now brings her unique perspective to her work with Kin.   Find Jen On Instagram as @jenofkin Find Kin Euphorics On Instagram as @kineuphorics www.kineuphorics.com Find Movers and Shakers: On Instagram as @moverssshakers www.moverssshakers.com Find April: On LinkedIn www.aprilwachtel.com

Jen Batchelor from Kin Euphorics on the brand founding story, the evolution of wellness in hospitality, and the pros and cons of creating a new category

Today's guest is Hugh Thomas. Hugh is the CEO and co-founder of Ugly Drinks, a flavored sparkling water brand founded in the U.K. Hugh and his co-founder, Joe met while working for Vita Coco coconut water before deciding to start their own business, disrupting the soft drinks industry. In the podcast today, we discuss: How Hugh and Joe went from Googling how to build a business in their apartment in London, to having distribution in nearly 10,000 stores across Europe and the United States What makes a truly sticky consumer brand How Hugh defines success as a founder, and so much more Hugh was such a wonderful guest and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did. If you do enjoy the interview, please share the podcast and we'd really appreciate if you can leave us a review in Apple podcasts. It really does help. Without further ado, please enjoy my interview with Hugh Thomas. Find Ugly Drinks On Instagram On Twitter On TikTok www.uglydrinks.com Find Hugh On Instagram On Twitter Find April: On LinkedIn www.aprilwachtel.com

Hugh Thomas from Ugly Drinks on the Ugly founding story, what makes a truly sticky consumer brand, and how he defines success as a founder

Image Credit Today’s guest is Paul Gabie. Paul is an investor, former lawyer, and co-founder and CEO of The Proof Collective, a portfolio of companies dedicated to spreading fine drinking around the globe. If you’re in the cocktail world and you don’t know their name, you definitely know their work. Their companies include: Proof & Company; a leading independent spirits distributor and consultancy with offices in five countries across Asia Pacific 28 HongKong Street, JERRY, EC Proof, True Believers, Junior, and ecoSPIRITS And last year alone, six of their projects were included on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, including Manhattan, ATLAS, 28 HongKong Street, Charles H, Bar Trigona, and The Pontiac. In the podcast today we discuss The forces shaping the industry in Asia Pacific The "Hendrick’s moment" as a sign of market maturity Cross-pollination as an accelerant The challenges of managing growth, and so much more Paul was such a wonderful guest, and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did. If you do enjoy the interview, please share the podcast- and we would really appreciate if you can leave us a review in apple podcasts- it really does help. Find Proof and Company: On Instagram www.proofandcompany.com Find April: On LinkedIn www.aprilwachtel.com

Paul Gabie from The Proof Collective on the forces shaping the beverage industry in Asia Pacific, the "Hendrick’s moment" as a sign of market maturity, and cross-pollination as an accelerant

Today’s guest is Mariena Mercer Boarini. Mariena is a second generation Las Vegan and a ten year veteran of the industry. Excelling in alchemy, and with a focus on experiential cocktails, Mariena oversees cocktail creation for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Mariena has been featured on The Food Network, Esquire Magazine, Saveur Magazine, Tastemade, and various other media outlets. She has been named “Top Bartender in Las Vegas” and one of the “Top 10 Female Bartenders in the World.” In the episode today we discuss: The power of yes Balancing creativity and business in a high volume setting Being a mother working in the bar world What Mariena looks for when hiring staff, …and so much more.  It was such a pleasure having Mariena on the podcast and hope you enjoy the conversation.  Find Mariena: On Facebook On Instagram Mariena.Boarini@cosmopolitanlasvegas.com Find the Cosmopolitan: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com Find Movers and Shakers: On Instagram  www.moverssshakers.com Find April: On LinkedIn www.aprilwachtel.com

Mariena Mercer Boarini from the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on the power of yes, balancing creativity and business in a high volume setting, and being a mother in the bar world

Today’s interview is with Hillary Hughes from Foster Garvey.  Hillary is a business, food, beverage and CPG, sports & entertainment, fashion & apparel and technology attorney. She represents sports & entertainment talent, entrepreneurs, start-up businesses and established brands as well as angel, venture capital and private equity investors. She's the Chair of the firm’s Sports, Arts & Entertainment practice and coleads the Food & Beverage practice. Given what we know about our audience, I think this episode could hold the most bang for your buck of any of our episodes, as Hillary gives great insights about a range of legal matters that took me years to understand as a first time entrepreneur.  We discuss a range of legal topics including  Entity formation How to split equity between founders How and when to think about raising capital Preparing your business for acquisition, and so much more. I absolutely loved this conversation with Hillary, and hope you do too. As always, if you did enjoy the interview please like, subscribe, and share the podcast and give us a review in apple podcasts. It really does help. Find Hillary on LinkedIn Find Foster Garvey at www.foster.com

Hillary Hughes from Foster Garvey on entity formation, raising capital, and preparing for acquisition

On this Christmas Eve, instead of a regular show, I wanted to do something a little different, and share a few things I'm personally grateful for from this year. 

Happy Holidays

Effie Panagopoulos is a 15 year veteran of the alcoholic beverage industry, and is founder of Kleos, the super premium Mastiha spirit. Effie earned her stripes as a bartender and brand ambassador in Boston, later working for major spirits suppliers like Bacardi and Remy Cointreau, most notably as the US National Brand Ambassador for Metaxa, and as the first dedicated marketing manager for Disaronno in the US. In the podcast today we discuss: Effie’s path to Kleos Selecting a name for your brand Why you should trademark everything How to turn off the internal gremlins And so much more. Although we didn’t get to discuss it in the interview, I also wanted to mention that I witnessed Effie totally crush- and win- the Enthuse Foundation Pitch competition last month in New York City.  If you’re interested in seeing a flawless pitch performance, check out the video here. As always, if you enjoyed the interview please like, subscribe, and share the podcast and give us a review in apple podcasts. It really does help. Without further ado, please enjoy my interview with Effie Panagopoulos. Find Kleos: www.drinkkleos.com IG: @drinkkleos FB: https://www.facebook.com/drinkkleos/ Find Effie: IG: @greekspiritmuse

Effie Panagopoulos from Kleos Mastiha on naming and trademarking your brand, raising capital, and turning off the internal gremlins

Shilen Patel is co-founder and non-alch lead for Distill Ventures, the world’s first accelerator for the spirits industry.  Shilen started in drinks by leading a team at Guinness that turned around over 20 years of brand decline. He then started his own business and has helped dozens of founders realize their potential. He loves asking provocative questions, helping develop brilliant propositions and compelling strategies and coaching high performing teams to deliver great results.  In the podcast today we discuss- What DV is looking for in potential investments The evolution and future of the Non-alch trend The importance of stoicism in entrepreneurship  The biggest challenges facing food and beverage entrepreneurs today ...And so much more. Find Distill Ventures https://www.distillventures.com

Shilen Patel from Distill Ventures on what DV is looking for in potential investments, the future of the non-alch movement, and challenges facing food & beverage entrepreneurs

Jeffrey Morgenthaler is an award-winning bartender working since 1996 in everything from neighborhood taverns and college nightclubs to fine restaurants and upscale lounges. Jeffrey has been writing about bartending and mixology for years at his website, jeffreymorgenthaler.com- which is still one of the most respected blogs in the cocktail world. He is a regular columnist at Playboy.com, and his recipes and wisdom have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wine Enthusiast and Wired, among many others. He is the best-selling author of “The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique,” and Drinking Distilled. As always, Jeffrey tells it like it is, and we cover a range of topics including: Why the craft cocktail movement is due for change Why everyone should strive to contribute Why bartenders should stay behind the bar What drinking Manhattans at breakfast signals to others ...And so much more.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler from Clyde Common and Pepe Le Moko on why the craft cocktail movement is due for change, why everyone should strive to contribute, and why bartenders should stay behind the bar

Nick Papanicolaou is a former investment banker and MBA graduate turned entrepreneur, who launched his own spirits brand which eventually brought him to Pernod Ricard. He led the M&A and Strategy team for the USA and helped build the New Brand Ventures unit as Head of Business Development. He was also CFO of New Brand Ventures and CFO of Smooth Ambler Spirits. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Del Maguey Mezcal, Smooth Ambler Spirits and Our Vodka as well as on the Investment Committee for a venture capital fund. In the podcast today we discuss: Why large companies struggle with innovation Relationship building with investors What Pernod is looking for in potential entrepreneur partners The importance of timing in growing your business And so much more. Nick was such a generous and insightful guest, and I hope you get as much value from this conversation as I did. Without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Nick Papanicolaou Find Nick on Instagram and LinkedIn

Nick Papanicolaou from Pernod Ricard on why large companies struggle with innovation, relationship building with investors, the importance of timing in growing your business, and so much more

Robert Simonson writes about bars, bartenders, cocktails, spirits and travel for The New York Times. His work has also appeared in Imbibe, Food & Wine, Saveur, Bon Appetit, Punch and many other publications. His books include “The Old-Fashioned” “A Proper Drink”,  and “3-Ingredient Cocktails,” and his newest book, “The Martini Cocktail,” was released earlier this fall. His writings have been nominated for a total of eleven Spirited Awards; and two IACP Awards. He is the recipient of the 2019 Spirited Award for Best Cocktail and Spirits Writer, and he is the co-author, with Martin Doudoroff, of two apps, “Modern Classics of the Cocktail Renaissance” and “The Martini Cocktail,”  In the podcast today we discuss: Robert’s early writing career The role of instinct in creative work The evolution of the celebrity bartender The book someone should write on hospitality And so much more.  Robert was such a thoughtful and entertaining guest, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.  Find Robert online at Robertsimonson.net Or on Instagram at @robertosimonson Find Robert’s latest book, “The Martini Cocktail,” at fine booksellers everywhere, or on Amazon 

Robert Simonson from the New York Times on the role of instinct in creative work, the evolution of the celebrity bartender, and the book someone should write on hospitality

Movers and Shakers is the podcast about people and ideas that are changing the beverage landscape. Hosted by mixologist and Swig + Swallow Founder, April Wachtel, this podcast examines stories from innovators and thought leaders throughout the beverage ecosystem.

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Movers and Shakers with April Wachtel

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