Earlier this year, the entrepreneurs behind Owl’s Brew – an upstart beverage company producing a variety of tea-based cocktail mixers and tea-and-beer Radlers – secured $4 million in Series A funding, in part, from Anheuser-Busch InBev’s “disruptive growth organization,” ZX Ventures.
The executives in charge of ZX Ventures are notoriously hesitant about discussing their approach to investments – which include multiple international brewery acquisitions, the purchase of two major U.S. homebrew ingredient and supply companies, and minority investments into PicoBrew Inc., a homebrewing appliance, as well as October, a beer website, among others.
On the latest edition of Taste Radio, a weekly podcast for beverage, food and beer professionals produced by BevNET.com, Owl’s Brew co-founder Jennie Ripps discussed how the ZX Ventures investment came to be and explained what it’s like to work alongside the world’s largest beer company.
“As an entrepreneur — as a founder — the idea of having more resources, a bigger platform, a partner that’s bigger to associate with is incredibly exciting,” she told BevNET founder and CEO John Craven, who hosted the interview alongside BevNET managing editor Ray Latif.
The Owl’s Brew Radler products — which clock in at 3.8 percent ABV and are a 60-40 blend of beer and tea — are currently available in 14 East Coast states and sold in roughly 1,500 off-premise retail stores, including Whole Foods, Wegman’s, Shaw’s, Shop-Rite, and Total Wine.
During the interview, Ripps also explains the differences between selling a non-alcoholic mixer to specialty and natural products retailers, and a ready-to-drink beer product via traditional beer wholesalers.
Also included in this episode: Project NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and BevNET senior brand specialist Jon Landis sat down with Pete Speranza, a New Business Development Principal with General Mills’ business development and venture capital arm 301INC, to discuss the group’s mission and its investments with emerging food and beverage brands. And in the latest edition of Elevator Talk, we chat with Jason Petrou, the founder of organic energy drink brand Clean Energy Organics.
Editor’s note: This interview was recorded during last month’s Brewbound Session in New York City. Interested in attending our next full-day business conference? Join us in Santa Monica, Calif., on Nov. 29!
Show Notes:
0:29: Intro to hosts — Ray Latif, John Craven, Jon Landis and Mike Schneider. The show begins with a chat about recent travels and what we’ve been munching and sipping on of late. John talks about his West Coast trip and his kombucha consumption; Jon talks about how a donut brand is taking advantage of opportunities at Phish shows. Mike talks about Sap!, a line of carbonated maple and birch waters, and Ray chats about Oral IV shots.
6:37: Interview — Ray and John sit down for a conversation with Jennie Ripps, the CEO and co-founder of Owl’s Brew, a maker of tea-based cocktail mixers and radlers. Jennie spoke about the launch and development of her company and its recent partnership with ZX Ventures, the global incubation arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev.
28:40: Interview — Jon and Project NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg speak with Pete Speranza, a New Business Development Principal with 301INC, which is the business development and venture capital arm of General Mills. Pete spoke about the mission of 301INC and some of its investments and work with emerging brands.
53:52: Elevator Talk — Meet Jason Petrou, Founder of CEO Beverages, a line of low-sugar, low-calorie, coconut water-based, organic energy drinks. We caught up with Jason at BevNET Live Summer 2017 to hear about CEO’s new flavors and what he is geeking out on within the beverage industry.
Brands in this episode: Revive Kombucha, Health-Ade Kombucha, Boochcraft, Kombucha Dog, Suja, Owl’s Brew, Sap!, Oral I.V., Ethan’s, Tio Gazpacho, CEO Beverages
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