Raising the Bar: Day 1 Delivers a New Standard for Beverage Industry Collaborations
ECRM’s On & Off Premise Adult Beverage Sessions aren’t just meetings—they’re the engine driving next-generation beverage innovation, deal-making, and menu evolution for the food and beverage industry. On Day 1, Palm Beach Gardens hosted a power-packed gathering of the top adult beverage companies, buyers, and hospitality decision-makers. From networking and tastings to exclusive category insights, the Grand Tasting provided F&B professionals with a tactical edge for product selection and beverage marketing.
Inside the Fast-Paced Agenda: Strategic Networking and Learning
Appointment-Driven Connections
ECRM events thrive on their agile, hyper-focused meeting structure. Curated appointments grouped by category and business capability ensured both buyers and suppliers got the most from their valuable time. This speed-dating format is a business accelerator for restaurant procurement directors, institutional buyers, hospitality managers, and beverage execs.
Sample Schedule Highlights
- Rapid 10-minute meetings with key suppliers
- Targeted by product category: beer, spirits, wine, RTD, hard seltzer, cocktail mixers, THC drinks
- Strategic breaks and focused fireside chats for in-depth learning
Knowledge is Power: Exclusive Trend Insights
Sessions like the NIQ beverage market data presentations brought actionable intelligence to the table. Attendees learned about current beverage trends, category growth drivers, and menu innovation opportunities—critical for staying ahead in the ever-evolving food and beverage market.
Grand Tasting Experience: Cross-Category Innovation, Big Industry Buzz
The evening’s Grand Tasting, hosted by Food & Beverage Magazine, was a sensory spectacle, bringing together the best in adult beverages. Suppliers from all segments—beer, wine, spirits, hard seltzers, RTDs, THC/CBD, and cocktail mixers—showcased over 60 innovative products for an audience of real buyers and hospitality leaders.
Participating Grand Tasting Brands & Categories
Sampled companies spanned the globe and spirits spectrum. Here’s a taste of the diversity:
- Beer: Best Day Brewing, Springfield Beer Company, Bluebird Hardwater
- CBD/THC: STIIIZY, Bayou City Hemp Company, Mad Tasty, 420 Craft Beverages
- Ready to Drink (RTD) Cocktails: RESORT Margarita Mixers and Tipsy Lady Cocktails, Lt. Blender’s Cocktails in a Bag, Beverage Assets/Sayless Spritz
- Spirits: Broken Shed Vodka, Sugarlands Distilling Co, Mean Spirits Distillery, Pin Drop Rum, Next Spirits LLC (Tequila Travesuras)
- Wine: Ethica Wines, Belhara Estate, Franzese Wine LLC, Evergreen Family Wines, DNA Vineyards
- Mixers & Accessories: Mixly Cocktail Co., The Beverage Blueprint, Cool Display Solutions
Full participant list available upon request for F&B Magazine readers or at ECRM’s official site.
Trends on Tap: What We’re Seeing in Adult Beverage for 2025
The ECRM event serves as a real-time pulse check for what matters now. Several beverage industry themes dominated discussion and tasting tables:
Explosive Growth in Ready to Drink (RTD) & Seltzer
RTD cocktails and hard seltzers are no longer just a summer trend—they’re taking center stage in beverage programs across on-premise and off-premise channels. Companies like RESORT Margarita Mixers and Sayless Spritz highlighted convenience, lower ABV options, and premium ingredient stories.
CBD, THC, and Functional Adult Beverages
Cannabis and botanically infused beverages gained major ground. STIIIZY, Bayou City Hemp, and Mad Tasty showed how THC and CBD drinks are making waves in both hospitality and retail beverage spaces, answering consumer demand for relaxation, functional benefits, and novel beverage experiences.
Clean Labels, Local Sourcing, and Sustainability
From craft spirits (Mean Spirits Distillery, Broken Shed Vodka) to sustainably minded vineyards (Evergreen Family Wines), transparency and responsible sourcing are now must-haves for F&B managers and menu creators.
Wine and Spirits: Global Diversity
The grand tasting was an atlas of the adult beverage world—Argentine Malbecs (Belhara Estate), Italian varietals (Ethica Wines), and innovations in new world winemaking (DNA Vineyards, Franzese Wine LLC) provided buyers and directors with inspiration for fresh, globally influenced menus.
Grand Tasting Standouts: Day 1 Spotlight
While every participant brought something unique, a few products created exceptional buzz among attendees:
- Best Red Wine: Ethica Wines—showcased Italian character with strong market appeal
- Standout RTD: Beverage Assets’ Sayless Spritz—on-trend, low-cal, and excellent for fast-casual or premium beverage menus
- Most Innovative: STIIIZY’s THC-infused seltzer—bridging the cannabis and mainstream beverage markets
- Spirit to Watch: Sugarlands Distilling’s unique flavored moonshines—offering creative LTO and cocktail program potential
- Eco-Friendly Sourcing: Evergreen Family Wines—organic practices and excellent taste for the eco-focused restaurant
A note on awards: Winners were scheduled to be announced at the evening dinner, with categories for Best Wine, Best Spirit, Best Beer, Best RTD, and Most Innovative Product.
Real-World Strategies: How to Maximize ECRM Sessions
Whether you’re a food and beverage director, restaurant owner, or hospitality buyer, here’s how to make ECRM work for your business:
1. Prep, Plan, and Prequalify
- Review the attendee and supplier lists in advance
- Prioritize categories aligned with your brand, bar, or retail program
2. Engage with a Purpose
- Use rapid meetings to clarify specs: supply chain, minimum orders, pricing, compliance
- Taste, test, and ask about brand support programs and digital assets
3. Gather Insights for Menu Innovation
- Note packaging trends, interesting flavor profiles, and “better-for-you” beverage movement
- Network to identify potential collaborations or LTO partners
4. Leverage Post-Event Follow-Up
- Connect on LinkedIn or ECRM’s own network
- Share tasting notes with your team and schedule deeper conversations
For further advice on menu engineering and maximizing ROI in your beverage program, check out our in-depth features on menu innovation and restaurant profitability during major sporting events.
Why ECRM Matters in the Evolving Food & Beverage Industry
ECRM has created a unique space where beverage innovators and influential buyers can collaborate, forecast beverage trends, and drive the growth of both new and established brands. For institutional buyers, the session’s efficient meeting structure trims the noise and gets you quickly to what matters: high-impact products and relationships that move business forward.
For emerging suppliers, ECRM’s mix of on-premise and off-premise buyers delivers unmatched exposure, speedy feedback, and access to retail and hospitality channels that would typically take months or years to nurture.
Keep Up with the Latest Beverage Trends
Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage of emerging adult beverage brands, and don’t miss the upcoming ECRM trends reports, category award winners, and post-event interviews.
Want the latest news, best practices, and fast-breaking food & beverage industry insights?
- Follow ECRM on social channels and bookmark Food & Beverage Magazine’s news section.
- Sign up for updates and get notified about future tasting events and industry roundtables.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
