Ep. 169 - What to Innovate in the Beverage Industry with Andy Dratt, Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe

This interview is with Andy Dratt, Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe, a Beverage Innovation Company and has had past experiences building flavor divisions in Griffith, FONA, and Sensient.

If you want to know all about what it takes to develop an innovative new beverage, this podcast episode is for you! Andy and his team at Imbibe are experts in developing beverages because it’s not just formulating and pay up, but it’s much more than that. It’s a whole system.

Learn about the fine line between the possible and the impossible, and new beverage trends in this episode. You’ll also learn about the amazing career path Andy’s went through, and learn how even after some detours out of the food industry, he always ends up back into food.

I was fortunate enough to listen to Andy’s talk at the RCA conference and it was really fun seeing him in person. Andy definitively knows his stuff about Beverages

About Andy

As Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe, Andy Dratt leads a team with a cutting-edge approach to beverage development for a wide range of customers - from small startups to billion-dollar brands. During the past decade at Imbibe, he’s helped redefine the company’s business model and implemented a strategic vision that has guided the company’s compounding growth in the marketplace. He leverages over 20 years of experience guiding CPG and foodservice operators to conceptualize, develop and launch new products to market in the US, Latin America and Europe. Dratt has a passion for helping customers identify and exploit the “sweet spot” between consumer needs, business wants and product realities. He communicates that passion while speaking at industry events and in articles for industry publications.

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Show Notes

When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I run a beverage development company. What is a beverage?: We work with all forms including alcohol, shakes, etc What’s your favorite product to work on?: We do 300 projects a year. I’m most intrigued on projects that are technically challenging and new to the industry. Operational challenges too (such as alternative dairy) What does it mean by Experience?: Not just product experience, but connections, mindset, locations, etc. What do you do when a customer gives you an impossible task?: You need to be confident enough to say “no”. If you say yes, you might be wasting your time. Describe the Steps it took to get to where you are today?: I was getting an MBA in France and ended up working in Slim Fast. Moved to Griffith Laboratories and started a flavor division. After a stint in MBA management, I had a lot of flavor stints. Even ran an R+D division. Blow mold garbage Cans Sensient How do you guys grow?: Speaking at conferences is very useful How do you reduce/remove office politics?: You have to cut it out from the leadership level What type of food trends and technologies are exciting for you?: We want to reduce sugar and we work a lot on sugar reduction. CBD is trending, but it’s still illegal Full spectrum hemp extract Nootropics Protein NextGen Stevia and Monkfruit Mouthfeel innovation What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: How chemicals like sucralose are made Who inspired you to get into food?: A bunch. Jackie Levin at Griffith, or even functional cool things in the industry What is your thought about job hopping?: If you set some kind of plan for yourself, it helps. Favorite Food in Chicago: Del Seoul Korean Taco Place Any advice about the food industry?: Look at the back of food labels and google the ingredients. The food industry always needs talented people. You’ll find your niche. There’s so much to look into Where can we find you for advice?: Here’s my LinkedIn. My Email: Andy.dratt@imbibe.com

 

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