We’re excited to brief you on what to expect at Beverage Digest’s 2023 Future Smarts conference. The main event will take place on Dec. 11 in New York City, with a reception the evening of Dec. 10. The program features accomplished and knowledgeable experts in the world's most profitable beverage market.

Through a series of fast-paced interviews, panels, and presentations in a single productive day, Future Smarts illuminates coming opportunities and challenges for our dynamic industry. Our speakers identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – and in some cases longer. 

Here’s a look at what to expect:

The day will begin with Jennifer Mann, who took the helm as president of Coca-Cola North America this past January. I’ll ask her how she will accelerate total beverage growth at Coke’s largest global operating unit at a time when rapidly fragmenting product categories, competitive sets, and market conditions demand both precision and agility.

Then we’ll shift to Karen Jordan. As Chief Supply Chain Officer for PepsiCo Beverage North America, she’ll discuss the evolving set of lessons learned from one of the worst global supply chain disruptions of the past century.

Rounding out the big three US beverage firms, Keurig Dr Pepper Chief Strategy Officer Justin Whitmore will shed light on how recent partnerships with brands including Electrolit, Nutrabolt, and Athletic Brewing will help maximize growth and value.  

Next, I’ll dive deep with our always popular Wall Street analyst panel featuring Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog, Barclays Managing Director, CHPC & Beverages Analyst, Lauren Lieberman, and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi. I’ll look forward to their views on how consumer sentiment in these volatile times will affect beverage company pricing and volume strategies.

Adams Berzins, senior manager for global stevia application and technical service at PureCircle by Ingredion, will join me for a discussion of the future of sugar reduction at a time when clean labels are an important driver for consumers. (FS23 Headline Sponsor)

Melody Richard, senior vice president for U.S. Pantry at Walmart, will illuminate both sides of the supplier-customer partnership in a discussion covering key consumer, retail, and beverage category trends. Her expertise includes two decades at Coca-Cola.

Then I’ll ask Coca-Cola Consolidated President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Katz about the critical role innovation plays for a major beverage bottler when it comes to products, customer relationships, and manufacturing efficiency.

Next, I’ll lead a discussion with Mobi by MFMsoft founder Nick Karapetian about the importance of using AI-driven technology to capture real-time product sales data in channels that traditionally haven’t had the kind of visibility and interactivity brands need. (FS23 Platinum Sponsor)

Then we’ll ask Buffalo Rock President & Chief Executive Officer Matthew Dent about the independent Pepsi bottler’s diversification strategy on its path to growth. We’ll also talk about the importance of efficiency in a modern manufacturing and distribution environment.

Paul Pisano, the senior vice president of industry affairs and general counsel for the National Beer Wholesalers Association, help make sense of the emerging crossover between two massive beverage sectors – alcohol and non-alcohol. We’ll explore questions of risk and opportunity through his independent beer distributor lens.

That’s not all. Look for more speaker announcements to come.

The day also will include an announcement of winners in our 2023 Beverage Digest Awards. This is a fast way to catch up on the breadth of innovation in our industry.

Future Smarts will be a great way for you to close 2023 with a strong finish and to begin 2024 with a head start.

If you haven’t registered, secure your seat now.

We can’t wait to see you.

Duane Stanford
Editor & Publisher

I’m beyond pleased to announce our first confirmed speaker for Future Smarts 2023: Coca-Cola Consolidated President and COO Dave Katz.

Dave will bring to December’s Future Smarts audience a deep expertise and broad perspective when it comes to the US Coke system. Having joined the former Coca-Cola Enterprises in 1993 as a logistics consultant, his work at the massive North America bottler included managing supply chain strategy, procuring billions of dollars worth of materials for the Coke system, and managing sales operations on the East Coast. Dave joined Coca-Cola in 2011 after the company’s acquisition of CCE, running bottling operations in the Midwest. After moving to Coca-Cola Consolidated in 2013 as a senior vice president, Dave would eventually serve as CFO before being named COO in late 2018.

Dave manages daily operations at a bellwether bottler within the US Coke system. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Coke Consolidated is the largest US Coke bottler, handling a fifth of Coca-Cola’s bottle and can volume in the country, according to BD’s The Coke and Pepsi Systems franchise map book. Operations stretch across 14 Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states and Washington D.C. The company is the only publicly traded bottler in the US Coke system.

I’ll sit down with Dave for a fireside chat to discuss his up-to-date views on soft drink pricing, important consumer and retail shifts, sustainability pressures, and more. He’ll also discuss how Consolidated’s focus on culture and purpose drives business decisions.

That interview and our other stage chats, presentations, and panels will be hosted on Dec. 11 at a venue that is new to Future Smarts. We chose Convene in part for its modern networking spaces that will make connecting easy and productive. Our conference sessions, sampling expo, networking meals and breaks, and registration will be on a single floor with plenty of room to both mingle and do business.

In addition to this terrific venue, our content will be as compelling and timely ever. And that now starts with Dave Katz. Look for more announcements soon and we’ll see you at Future Smarts 2023.

Beverage companies are all about innovation, and so is Beverage Digest. In addition to creating a dynamic speaker lineup for our Dec. 11 Future Smarts conference in Manhattan, we are adding a new-for-us networking opportunity for attendees.

The plan is to host a welcome reception for all registered attendees on the Sunday night before our Monday event. We’ll announce more details soon. This gathering will be a chance to share drinks and bites with old industry friends and forge new relationships. We also recognize that with so much remote work these days, Future Smarts is an ideal opportunity for far-flung team members to connect — and perhaps even meet and socialize for the first time.

As for our program, we’ve announced two more high-level executive speakers: Coca-Cola North America President Jennifer Mann, and PepsiCo Beverages North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Karen Jordan. We’ve also assembled a stellar Wall Street panel. Here’s a sneak peek at the insights I intend to uncover for attendees.

Future Smarts will be Jennifer Mann’s first conference appearance since she took control of Coke’s most important market at the start of this year. During an on-stage interview, I’ll ask Mann about growth priorities, including her work on a new dairy and juice Nutrition unit (pg 10) drawing investment from Coke. We’ll discuss the current state of bottler relations and Mann’s vision for the US distribution system. I’ll ask Mann for a status check on the crucial US fountain channel and her roadmap for maintaining Coke’s leadership. And we’ll delve into the ins and outs of marketing to today’s fragmented consumer base, and why she believes Coke’s “total beverage” strategy is the key to growth. I expect pricing, a focus of today’s newsletter, to come up as well.

PepsiCo’s Karen Jordan will bring 30 years of supply chain and operations experience to the Future Smarts stage. She has spent 20 of those years within the US Pepsi bottling system. In an on-stage interview, I’ll ask Jordan for learnings from the recent global pandemic, which spurred one of the most challenging periods for global supply chains. Also, efficiency is more critical — and more accessible — than ever for modern manufacturing and distribution systems. I’ll ask Jordan how PepsiCo is sorting through the evolving avalanche of available automation and technology to deliver profitable growth.

Meanwhile, we’ve drafted a dream team for our popular Wall Street analyst panel: Bonnie Herzog of Goldman Sachs, Lauren Lieberman of Barclays, and Nik Modi of RBC Capital Markets. Together, we’ll discuss long-term risks and opportunities for major public beverage companies, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper. And we’ll assess beverage company strategies, consumer trends, and market forces through a Wall Street lens.

So, grab a colleague and join us in New York. Our team can’t wait to see you.

I’m happy to announce an addition to our Future Smarts conference on Dec. 11. Ghost Lifestyle Co-founder and CEO Dan Lourenco will join us to discuss ready-to-drink Ghost Energy, launched in 2020. The brand has made a splash with its candy company partnerships and Anheuser-Busch JV. We’ll talk about making inroads in a competitive category dominated by Monster Energy and Red Bull.

If you haven’t yet signed up for the event, here’s what to expect:

I’ll ask Coca-Cola North America President Jennifer Mann about her plan to accelerate total beverage growth at Coke’s largest global operating unit at a time when market conditions demand both precision and agility.

PepsiCo North America Beverages Chief Supply Chain Officer Karen Jordan will discuss lessons learned from one of the worst global supply chain disruptions of the past century.

Keurig Dr Pepper Chief Strategy Officer Justin Whitmore will shed light on how partnerships with Electrolit, Nutrabolt, and Athletic Brewing will help maximize growth and value.

Next, I’ll ask our Wall Street analyst panel for views on how consumer sentiment affects beverage company pricing and volume strategies.

Melody Richard, SVP for U.S. Pantry at Walmart, will illuminate both sides of the supplier-customer partnership in a discussion covering key consumer, retail, and beverage category trends.

Then I’ll ask Coca-Cola Consolidated President and COO Dave Katz about the critical role innovation plays for the beverage bottler.

Buffalo Rock President & CEO Matthew Dent will talk about the importance of efficiency in a modern manufacturing and distribution environment.

And Paul Pisano, SVP of industry affairs and general counsel for the National Beer Wholesalers Association, will help make sense of the emerging crossover between two massive beverage sectors – alcohol and non-alcohol.

Register HERE , and we’ll see you in New York!