In this presentation on what it takes to win in beverage alcohol retail, Allison Domeneghetti, COO of Crus & Stills Co. / Vero Hospitality Group and a 25-year industry veteran across wholesale, importing, consulting, and retail operations, delivers a tactical masterclass at Bar Convent Brooklyn on navigating retail, digital commerce, and on-premise channels in 2026. Allison analyzes why traditional routes to market are bottlenecked: distributors are dealing with overcrowded portfolios, overquoted sales reps covering 200+ accounts, fewer delivery days, and the elimination of internal brand manager roles.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Allison Domeneghetti’s Presentation Transcript
What does it take to win at retail? A lot, actually—across many different channels.
To give you a bit of background about myself: I’ve been in the beverage alcohol industry for 25 years. I started in wholesale in Manhattan on-premise, founded an import and wholesale company in New York City, sold that business, moved into consulting and brand direction, and most recently partnered with a group in South Florida working across retail, restaurant, and private club accounts.
From my perspective, the single biggest shift in the U.S. spirits market over the last five to six years is that we have moved from a distribution-driven market to an attention-driven market.
This transformation is the result of explosive growth in digital discovery and e-commerce—propelled heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic—expanding from $6 billion to a projected $12 billion to $13 billion segment. Consumers now discover brands online long before they ever see them on a physical shelf. Social media and digital content are now as important as liquid quality—which can be a terrifying thought for traditional distillers.
The market faces structural overcrowding across every tier:
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Distributor Portfolios: Overcrowded with tens of thousands of SKUs.
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Sales Teams: Over-quoted and stretched thin.
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Retail Shelves: Oversaturated with competing products.
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On-Premise Venues: Demanding differentiation paired with high profit margins.
Channel Breakdown & Market Dynamics
1. E-Commerce & Digital Presence
Brands now control their own digital narrative, which presents distinct advantages alongside severe operational challenges:
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The Opportunities: Direct consumer engagement without gatekeepers modifying the story, rich consumer data collection to refine strategy, direct community building, digital retail partnerships, and amplification through cocktail culture and influencers.
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The Challenges: An extremely crowded marketplace, rising Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), a relentless demand for fresh content, and declining organic visibility. Consumers are overwhelmed with choices.
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What Success Looks Like: A consistent content cadence, strong visual identity, explicit brand positioning, lifestyle and educational storytelling, an omnichannel multimedia presence, and social proof via testimonials.
2. Distributor Realities & The Path to Market
When moving from D2C into traditional digital retail, big-box stores, independent liquor stores, or restaurants, you need a physical route to market.
The current distributor landscape has changed drastically:
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Expanded Account Routes: Sales reps who previously managed 80 to 100 accounts are now responsible for 200 to 300 accounts across territories spanning 100 to 150 miles, making account rapport difficult to maintain.
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Elimination of Brand Managers: Many distributor brand manager roles—the internal liaisons who helped suppliers manage inventory, product launches, and sales meetings—have been eliminated.
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Focus on Logistics Efficiency: Distributors are prioritizing warehousing and trucking efficiency, resulting in fewer weekly delivery days per account to control distributor freight costs.
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Reduced Brand-Building Support: Distributors no longer build brands for suppliers.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WHAT DISTRIBUTORS EXPECT TODAY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. Supplier-Funded Field Teams ➔ Brands must hire their own field sales. │
│ 2. Independent Local Marketing ➔ Brands must fund samplings & activations. │
│ 3. Self-Generated Pull Demand ➔ Distributors want VELOCITY, not just stock.│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Distributors are telling suppliers: “Bring us velocity, not just another product.” Success requires proof of concept, disciplined market selection, local sales execution, trade education, and dedicated account activation.
3. On- and Off-Premise Codependency
Winning at off-trade retail requires an active on-premise presence.
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Retail Realities: Shelf competition is fierce, and consumers naturally default to familiar names. Massive suppliers continue to dominate consumer awareness through huge marketing budgets, meaning small brands routinely underestimate the initial capital and time required to succeed.
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The Role of Store Staff: Floor staff at both independent stores and chains play a massive role in hand-selling and recommending products.
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Required Retail Tools: Shelf-talkers, eye-level placement, branded displays, educational materials, in-store tastings, clear packaging, and easily scannable barcodes.
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On-Premise Realities: Bar and restaurant buyers seek product differentiation and uniqueness, but they face strict margin pressures. Successful brands must provide cocktail development, staff trainings, incentives, menu placement support, and consistent field presence.
Foundational Brand Checklist Before Launch
Before spending capital on glass, custom labels, or packaging, brand owners must resolve these foundational operational questions:
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Brand & Bottle Ergonomics: Is the name memorable? Is the origin story authentic? Does the bottle fit comfortably in a bartender’s speed well and on a standard retail shelf? Is it easy to hold and pour?
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Packaging & Shipping Specs: Does the product visually communicate premium quality? Is the outer shipping carton durable? Is the SKU strategy disciplined (or are you launching too many variants at once)?
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Barcode Visibility: Is the barcode easily readable by retail scanners? (Placing a clear barcode over a clear bottle filled with clear liquid creates checkout friction that annoys retailers).
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Instagrammability: Does the bottle stand out visually on a digital feed and a physical back bar?
Prioritizing Your Capital Spend
Brands cannot afford to invest heavily across every channel simultaneously. Capital allocation must be driven by your brand’s core identity:
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Define Your Ratio: Evaluate your target demographic, subcategory, price point, and sales volume goals to establish where capital will yield the highest return.
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Leverage E-Commerce for Baseline Revenue: Utilize digital sales to generate controlled revenue and identify geographic demand, while remaining disciplined with advertising spend.
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Execute a Clear Trade Strategy: Build a cohesive strategy that connects liquid quality, physical bottle design, trade marketing, and field execution—then stick to the plan long enough to evaluate performance accurately.