Marketing & Distribution
The race to distribution, for many distillers, is an important one on the journey to sustainable growth. As a seasoned marketer, however, I have to ask: What does it matter if you have product on the shelf if no...
Turning Around the Social Media Time Suck
Whether you love it or hate it, I think we can all admit that social media is here to stay. Selfies, never-ending foodstagrams, motivational quotes, awkward personal shares, duck faces, yoga posing army figurines all around the world —...
Matching Whiskey Production with Sales
Sales need to grow, right? But first, whiskey needs to age. Those distillers that have been making whiskey for a while now have probably dealt with this firsthand. Those of you just entering this space may not have dealt...
The Power of Branding: A Strategic Approach to Design
An Excerpt from the book Branding:Distilled by Cynthia Sterling of Sterling Creativeworks
The craft spirits category is young, thriving and growing at a phenomenal pace. The diversity and style of craft spirits packaging is a delight for spirits lovers and...
What’s in a Name?
As craft distilleries proliferate to over 1,000 across the country, finding a branding path through an alcoholic beverage industry teeming with craft brewers and wineries has become increasingly hard. For a craft distillery intent on developing a distinctive brand,...
Direct Consumer Sales
State laws that govern whether or not distilleries can sell bottles directly to consumers have a dramatic affect on a distillery’s ability to stay in business. Nowhere is this more evident than in the state where the craft revolution...
Protecting Your Brands Through Trademark Law
Craft distillers are passionate about their spirits. But having the most innovative, flavorful, hand-crafted spirit in the country will not itself prompt a consumer to buy it. This requires branding: a memorable name and package design that piques a...
Branding:Distilled A Guide to Package Design for Craft Spirits
THE BRANDING AND PACKAGING DESIGN PROCESS
STEP BY STEP
A good design partner will help you clarify your brand vision, and then bring it into tangible form. Unfortunately, few startup distillers have experience finding a design partner and managing the design...
Exporting Craft Spirits to the United Kingdom
Allison Evanow had been eyeing Europe’s burgeoning market in organic goods when she sent her first load of spirits to the UK. It did not go well. The founder of Square One Organic Spirits explains that the problem wasn’t...
