The US spirits market presents unique opportunities & unique challenges.

I have spent my career helping innovative spirits, wine & beer brands navigate the American three-tier system for beverage alcohol. From cofounding and leading MHW for decades to my service on industry boards such as the Distilled Spirits Council and the National Association of Beverage Importers, my goal has been to level the playing field and help bring exciting products to the American beverage alcohol consumer. And I have had the honor of highlighting the opportunities the American market presents in seminars, speaking engagements, and client meetings to amazing brands from around the globe.

I am thrilled to begin to be able to share some more information on my latest project. Beaudette Beverage Group is my vision to tackle the challenges that innovative brands in spirits, wine, beer as well as new categories such as hemp-infused beverages face in 2022 and beyond.

Over the course of my career, I have identified certain types of services and expertise that are essential in this market, whether for new brands or those ready to take the next step. My goal was to assemble companies and teams that can solve those challenges, whether through consulting, turnkey solutions, or innovative sales models.

Beaudette Beverage Group is that collection of companies and talent, drawing on our decades at the forefront of the industry to create a bespoke strategy for each partner-client drawing on the strengths of these entities.

Some of these are already public. For example, for some great brands the challenge is finding an importer who can take you to the next level. So we are preparing to launch Palladium Brands, led by Craig Kodish with his decades of experience at the forefront of beverage alcohol sales, a supplier partner import program. For others, answering questions about the multitude of emerging new potential substitutes to beer, wine, and spirits are essential. That’s where MadisonJay Solutions, led by Michael Cooper a nationally recognized leader in developing brand strategies in highly regulated markets, can help.

Those are just a fraction of the solutions that entrepreneurs in this space need and they are a fraction of the companies we cannot wait to announce to the public. These address some of the other core challenges I have identified in recent years, from brand development and differentiation to sourcing high quality and consistent supply chains (whether dry goods, liquid across categories, or otherwise) to brand appraisal/valuation and merger/exit exploration.  So often, brands in this unique industry need credible, actionable advice, whether a celebrity seeking to launch a new spirits brand or an existing player needing an independent evaluation of existing operations to chart a winning path forward.  We will be that trusted resource.

In my decades in the industry, I’ve also learned the crucial importance of relationships and networks.  Indeed, the supply chain challenges facing the industry in recent years have only highlighted just how interdependent markets have become and how essential strong relationships across verticals can be to breaking a logjam.  Beaudette Beverage Group draws on decades of relationships with industry leaders who provide essential elements of success in the industry, from dry goods suppliers around the globe to freight forwarders to MHW itself.

Last, and most important, we will continue to work with the beverage alcohol industry in funding water pumps and water wells for people living in remote areas of Africa, Haiti, and other parts of the world. Clean water is a major challenge for so many in the world and the “Liquid for Life” programs, in cooperation with Cross Catholic Outreach Charity, have been very effective in improving the quality of life for others.

In short, there is much more to come in the next weeks and months.

While there’s much I cannot share today, I’m hopeful that you will sign up below to stay in touch. I could not be more excited about what we’re building. And this way, you will be among the first to hear.

   -John Beaudette