Splash Beverage Group Names Allred Senior VP of Sales
Splash Beverage Group, a portfolio company of leading beverage brands, has named James Michael Allred as senior vice president of sales. Reporting to Splash Beverage Group president Bill Meissner, Allred will become a key member of the leadership team and be responsible for leading the sales organization, driving sales initiatives through Splash’s growing distribution network and building the size of its national retail-chain customer base.
Prior to joining Splash Beverage Group, Allred was employed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, where he held several senior-level sales roles since beginning his career there more than 20 years ago. Most recently, Allred was senior sales director of AB InBev with oversight of InBev’s largest convenience store customer, 7-Eleven, and the team of 30 that serviced this customer.
“The rapid pace of new distribution partners and chain retail customers created the need for a senior level sales position with oversight of our growing team and ever-expanding network of wholesalers,” Meissner said. “He has a proven track record of growing brands within a beer-wholesaler network comprised of the same participants as ours and a history of driving volume through the nation’s largest chain retailers. James saw the enormous opportunity Splash presents and enthusiastically joined the team.”
“As we build out distribution across the U.S.,” said CEO Robert Nistico, “it is imperative that we execute on all current and future opportunities. James is the perfect person for this job, his experience and track record are exactly what we need as the company grows. Every minute of every day, 100 percent of his focus is on distributor and retail execution … which equals more sales and revenue. James will accelerate our traction in the chains and assist our distributors with execution in the street.”
Splash Beverage Group, an innovator in the beverage industry, owns a growing portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage brands including Copa di Vino wine by the glass, SALT flavored tequilas, Pulpoloco sangria, and TapouT performance hydration and recovery drink. Splash’s strategy is to rapidly develop early-stage brands already in its portfolio as well as acquire and then accelerate brands that have high visibility or are innovators in their categories. Led by a management team that has built and managed some of the top brands in the beverage industry and led sales from product launch into the billions, Splash is rapidly expanding its brand portfolio and global distribution.
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Southern Glazer’s Debuts the Served Up Book Club
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, has launched a new online book club at www.southernglazers.com/serveduppodcast. The Served Up podcast features interviews with the hospitality industry’s most respected and celebrated leaders.
Just in time for the busy holiday shopping season, book worms in the beverage industry can check out the Served Up Book Club for recommendations on some of the latest books to buy and read exclusive interviews with the authors who are sharing their knowledge, experiences and stories.
Authors featured include:
- Derek Brown, author of Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails
- Camper English, author of Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits and Cocktails
- Kim Haasarud, author of the “101” Cocktail Book Series
- Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue
- Natalie Maclean, author ofWine Witch On Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much
- Shannon Mustipher, author of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails
- Jessica Pettit, author of Good Enough Now
- Julie Reiner, author of The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious for Every Occasion
Served Up, with hosts Bridget Albert and Julie Milroy, is available on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music and is a source for beverage professionals to hear conversations on topics such as advocacy, entrepreneurship, and belonging with food and beverage industry and social justice thought leaders representing the diverse hospitality community.
Albert is the senior director, external communications for Southern Glazer’s, a published author of Market-Fresh Mixology and award-winning mixologist with more than 25 years of hospitality industry experience. Milroy is a vice president, supplier development & marketing for Southern Glazer’s with more than 17 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry including roles in Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, and Commercial Strategy.
To pitch a guest for the show, to submit your book for the Book Club, or to schedule the Served Up team for on-site beverage industry event coverage, contact servedup@sgws.com. For more information about the podcast visit www.southernglazers.com/serveduppodcast.
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FDA Supports Innovation of Cell Culture Technology in Foods
The Food and Drug Administration put its support behind cell culture technology for foods intended for human consumption. FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf and the director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition issued this statement:
“The world is experiencing a food revolution and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply. As an example of that commitment, today we are announcing that we have completed our first pre-market consultation of a human food made from cultured animal cells.
“The agency evaluated the information submitted by UPSIDE Foods as part of a pre-market consultation for their food made from cultured chicken cells and has no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion.
“Before this food can enter the market, the facility in which it is made also needs to meet applicable U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA requirements. In addition to the FDA’s requirements, including facility registration for the cell culture portion, the manufacturing establishment needs a grant of inspection from USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for the harvest and post-harvest portions and the product itself requires a USDA mark of inspection.
“The regulation of cell culture technology is being done collaboratively and in close partnership with USDA-FSIS for food made from cultured livestock or poultry cells. Under the March 2019 formal agreement, both agencies agreed to a joint regulatory framework wherein the FDA oversees cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation. The FDA’s approach to regulating products derived from cultured animal cells involves a thorough pre-market consultation process. While this is not considered an approval process, it concludes when all questions relevant to the consultation are resolved. A transition from the FDA to USDA-FSIS oversight will take place during the cell harvest stage. USDA-FSIS will oversee the post-harvest processing and labeling of human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry. This closely coordinated regulatory approach will ensure that cell-cultured products derived from the cell lines of livestock and poultry meet federal regulations and are accurately labeled. Both agencies are working with manufacturers to ensure these products meet all applicable FDA and USDA-FSIS requirements.
“Advancements in cell culture technology are enabling food developers to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry, and seafood in the production of food, with these products expected to be ready for the U.S. market in the near future. The FDA’s goal is to support innovation in food technologies while always maintaining as our first priority the safety of the foods available to U.S. consumers. The FDA has extensive experience in food safety assessment across a wide range of food production technologies, including the use of biological systems and biotechnology. The agency is evaluating new substances all the time as industry practices evolve to meet consumer demands and preferences. Food made with cultured animal cells must meet the same stringent requirements, including safety requirements, as all other food regulated by the FDA.
“The FDA is ready to work with additional firms developing cultured animal cell food and production processes to ensure their products are safe and lawful under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. We also plan to issue guidance to assist firms that intend to produce human foods from cultured animal cells to prepare for pre-market consultations. The published draft of this guidance will provide a formal opportunity to the public for comment. We are already engaged in discussion with multiple firms about various types of products made from cultured animal cells, including those made from seafood cells, which will be overseen solely by the FDA. We continue to encourage firms to enter into dialogue with us often and early in their product development phase, well ahead of making any submission to us.”
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