Straight talk on how beverage brands really get made

Adam Smith helps founders, and the people who serve them, understand co-packers, the real cost of launching a brand, and who does what in the beverage industry. Based in Minneapolis–St. Paul and speaking nationwide, in person or virtually.

Book Adam to speak
Adam Smith, beverage industry speaker and founder of Alias Advising

Beverage industry speaker: signature talks

The three topics organizers ask for most. Each can be tailored to your audience and format: keynote, workshop, panel or moderator, fireside chat, or podcast guest, in person or virtual.

Before You Call a Co-Packer: What to Know, What to Bring, What to Ask

How to find, vet and work with a manufacturing partner, and the avoidable mistakes that cost founders months and money.

  • What a co-packer needs from you before they can quote

  • Questions that reveal real fit: minimums, capabilities, scheduling

  • How to read a quote and avoid surprise costs

Best for: early-stage founders and incubator cohorts

What It Really Costs to Get a Drink on the Shelf

A line-by-line look at formulation, minimums, packaging, freight and retail, including the costs nobody budgets for.

  • The real cost categories, from first run to first reorder

  • Where cost of goods hides, and how to bring it down

  • Building a launch budget with a buffer that holds

Best for: founders planning a launch and small-business programs

Who Does What in Beverage: A Map for New Founders

The players from formulator to retailer, how product and money move between them, and where a new brand fits.

  • Formulators, co-packers, suppliers, brokers, distributors and retailers

  • How the three-tier system shapes alcohol RTDs

  • Which partners to bring in first, and which can wait

Best for: new founders, students and service providers entering beverage

About Adam Smith

Adam Smith is the founder of Alias Advising and an operations partner to ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage brands and the service providers who support them. Over the past decade, he has worked on nearly every side of the industry: managing supply chains and compliance at BevSource, building a pilot production and quality-testing facility into a $300K+ gross-profit business, and serving as Vice President of Operations for Illicit Elixirs, where he cut cost of goods by 15–25%.

Today Adam helps brands, manufacturers and suppliers bring operational clarity to projects early. He is an independent consultant with ROX Advisors, a Cultivate Small Business Advisor for Santander, a member of the Board of Advisors for Scale Away Beverage Co-Packing, and co-host of the DrinkUP Podcast. He is based in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.

Formats

Keynote · Workshop · Panel or moderator · Fireside chat · Podcast guest · In person or virtual

Invite Adam to speak

Tell me about your event. I'll reply within 2 business days, and if it looks like a fit, we'll set up a 15-minute intro call to talk through your audience, goals and fees.

Already spoken with Adam? Book your 15-minute intro call.

Questions organizers ask

  • Fees depend on the format, audience and travel. We settle them on a 15-minute intro call once I know more about your event.

  • Yes. Every talk is adjusted to who’s in the room, whether that’s first-time founders, an incubator cohort or service providers.

  • Yes. I speak in person and virtually, and we’ll work out travel on the intro call based on your event and budget.

  • I’ll work with whatever setup you have, and we’ll confirm the details before the event.

  • Yes, as long as you share a copy of the recording with me.