Hey hey Movers and Shakers, it's your host April Wachtel, and I’m pleased to present to you a most unusual episode of Movers and Shakers. If you’re a regular listener and are familiar with our standard format- this isn’t that. In today’s epis

Elayne Duff from the Beverage Brand Ambassador Academy

Oct 26th, 2022 35m 44s

Today’s interview is with Elayne Duff from the Beverage Brand Ambassador Academy. Elayne Duff is a 20-year veteran of the spirits industry. She was Diageo U.S.A.’s first head mixologist and luxury spirits ambassador, has appeared on the T.V.

Allison Evanow from Square One Organic Spirits

Oct 19th, 2022 47m 58s

Today’s interview is with Allison Evanow from Square One Organic Spirits. Allison is the Founder and CEO of Square One Organic Spirits and Cocktails. She is a pioneer in the organic spirits space, starting Square One as the U.S.’s first all

Lance Winters and Dave Smith from St. George Spirits

Aug 18th, 2022 50m 40s

Today's interview is with Lance Winters and Dave Smith from St. George Spirits. Lance is the Master Distiller and Dave is the Head Distiller for St. George Spirits, one of the pioneer craft distilleries in the United States. Founded by Jorg Rup

Kim Lawton and the Fourth Annual Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition

Aug 10th, 2022 25m 33s

Today’s interview is a special episode on the Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition coming up in November of 2022. Some of you know, I worked with the Foundation when they were starting out four years ago, and the event remains near and dear to

Andrew Merinoff from DisPact Ventures and Chinola on the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make and his advice for entrepreneurs raising capital in the current investing climate

Aug 2nd, 2022 41m 11s

Today's episode is an interview with Andrew Merinoff. Andrew is the founder of DisPact Ventures, an investment fund focused on emerging retail, food & beverage and technology brands, and is also the co-founder of Chinola Passionfruit Liqueur.

David Gluckman, Author of "That S*it Will Never Sell," and the creator of Baileys on building brands that sell

Jul 26th, 2022 44m 45s

Today's episode is an interivew with the man, the myth, the legend, David Gluckman. David is the Author of the book “That S*it Will Never Sell,” and is the creator of Baileys (the number one selling liqueur in history, which has sold billions o

Jackie Summers from Sorel on how cancer lead him into the drinks business and Sorel’s exponential growth after years of perseverance

Jun 29th, 2022 40m 12s

Today's guest is Jackie Summers- a James Beard Finalist AND judge; a seasoned public speaker, and the creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur. His accolades are FAR too many to list, but to give you a small sampling, he’s been named one of

Philip Duff from Liquid Solutions on why large companies struggle with innovation (and make “bonkers” acquisitions)

Jun 22nd, 2022 50m 56s

Today’s guest is Philip Duff- a renowned expert on distilled spirits and a beverage consultant to drinks companies everywhere. He bartended around the world for decades and founded Holland’s first bar to enter the World’s 50 Best Bars. Philip o

Stephanie Jordan from Avallen on building a planet-positive spirits brand

Jun 13th, 2022 36m 17s

Today's guest is Stephanie Jordan, the CEO and co-founder of Avallen Calvados, and multilingual wine & spirits professional with over 15 years in the global drinks business. Stephanie is a former Global Brand Ambassador for Tanqueray Gin, and

John deBary from Proteau and RWCF on building a career in F&B and how overnight success is rarely "overnight"

Jan 16th, 2022 51m 7s

Today’s guest is John deBary, the creator of Proteau, a line of zero-proof botanical drinks, a co-founder of Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, author of Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails

Allen Katz from the New York Distilling Company on the contemporary cocktail renaissance, the founding of the NY Distilling Company, and what it takes to break through as a spirits brand

Oct 7th, 2021 54m 27s

Today’s guest is Allen Katz, Co Founder of the New York Distilling Company. Allen is one of the nation’s leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails, Director of the Spirits Education & Mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York an

Eugene Khabensky from Diageo on what level of detail you should present when pitching to investors, and which part of the pitch process is incredibly important, yet often overlooked.

Sep 16th, 2020 33m 12s

Today’s guest is Eugene Khabensky, Director of Business Development and Ventures at Diageo. Eugene specializes in finance, strategy, commercial insights, and business development, so I was excited to pick his brain on how he evaluates businesse

April Wachtel from Cheeky (and host of the Movers and Shakers podcast) on the Cheeky founding story, evolving as an entrepreneur, and building culture as a startup

Aug 26th, 2020 44m 45s

Movers and Shakers is back! In today's episode, I explain our absence, introduce my company Cheeky Cocktails, and my colleague Aaron Moses steps in as host. We discuss some of my background in the beverage and hospitality industry, how I became

Chris Lowder and Micaela Piccolo on life in Shanghai under quarantine

Mar 17th, 2020 1h 11m

In today's special episode of Movers and Shakers, I speak to friends in industry icons, Chris Lowder and Micaela Piccolo about life in Shanghai during Coronavirus. They share what they're doing to stay positive and productive under quarantine,

Movers and Shakers Special Announcement regarding Coronavirus

Mar 16th, 2020 1m 11s

Dearest listeners, In light of the impact Coronavirus is having on our industry, we will be adding coverage, interviews, and professional development opportunities to our regular programming, intended to help our community get through these nex

Jen Batchelor from Kin Euphorics on the brand founding story, the evolution of wellness in hospitality, and the pros and cons of creating a new category

Mar 3rd, 2020 38m 40s

Today’s guest is Jen Batchelor. Jen is the co-founder and CEO of Kin Euphorics, an alternative beverage company intent on revolutionizing the future of social drinking. Launched in December of 2018, Kin has sold over 1 million servings of their

Hugh Thomas from Ugly Drinks on the Ugly founding story, what makes a truly sticky consumer brand, and how he defines success as a founder

Feb 18th, 2020 1h 1m

Today's guest is Hugh Thomas. Hugh is the CEO and co-founder of Ugly Drinks, a flavored sparkling water brand founded in the U.K. Hugh and his co-founder, Joe met while working for Vita Coco coconut water before deciding to start their own busi

Paul Gabie from The Proof Collective on the forces shaping the beverage industry in Asia Pacific, the "Hendrick’s moment" as a sign of market maturity, and cross-pollination as an accelerant

Feb 4th, 2020 1h 10m

Image Credit Today’s guest is Paul Gabie. Paul is an investor, former lawyer, and co-founder and CEO of The Proof Collective, a portfolio of companies dedicated to spreading fine drinking around the globe. If you’re in the cocktail world and yo

Mariena Mercer Boarini from the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on the power of yes, balancing creativity and business in a high volume setting, and being a mother in the bar world

Jan 21st, 2020 44m 41s

Today’s guest is Mariena Mercer Boarini. Mariena is a second generation Las Vegan and a ten year veteran of the industry. Excelling in alchemy, and with a focus on experiential cocktails, Mariena oversees cocktail creation for The Cosmopolitan

Hillary Hughes from Foster Garvey on entity formation, raising capital, and preparing for acquisition

Jan 7th, 2020 56m 55s

Today’s interview is with Hillary Hughes from Foster Garvey. Hillary is a business, food, beverage and CPG, sports & entertainment, fashion & apparel and technology attorney. She represents sports & entertainment talent, entrepreneurs, start-u

Happy Holidays

Dec 24th, 2019 2m 33s

On this Christmas Eve, instead of a regular show, I wanted to do something a little different, and share a few things I'm personally grateful for from this year.

Effie Panagopoulos from Kleos Mastiha on naming and trademarking your brand, raising capital, and turning off the internal gremlins

Dec 10th, 2019 1h 13m

Effie Panagopoulos is a 15 year veteran of the alcoholic beverage industry, and is founder of Kleos, the super premium Mastiha spirit. Effie earned her stripes as a bartender and brand ambassador in Boston, later working for major spirits suppl

Shilen Patel from Distill Ventures on what DV is looking for in potential investments, the future of the non-alch movement, and challenges facing food & beverage entrepreneurs

Nov 26th, 2019 1h 5m

Shilen Patel is co-founder and non-alch lead for Distill Ventures, the world’s first accelerator for the spirits industry. Shilen started in drinks by leading a team at Guinness that turned around over 20 years of brand decline. He then starte

Jeffrey Morgenthaler from Clyde Common and Pepe Le Moko on why the craft cocktail movement is due for change, why everyone should strive to contribute, and why bartenders should stay behind the bar

Nov 12th, 2019 1h 3m

Jeffrey Morgenthaler is an award-winning bartender working since 1996 in everything from neighborhood taverns and college nightclubs to fine restaurants and upscale lounges. Jeffrey has been writing about bartending and mixology for years at hi