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Food & Beverage Public Relations - Our Annual Review

Our March edition covers PR agencies representing clients in the food and beverage sector with a focus on inflation-driven changes to consumer behavior, sustainability messaging to Gen Z and the growing sober-curious movement. Don’t forget to check out our rankings of the top agencies specializing in food & beverage PR.. Don’t forget to check out our rankings of the top agencies specializing in food & beverage PR >>

Featured articles:

The Shelf Life: a Playbook for CPG Challenger Brands: Tips to refine and amplify your CPG brand strategy to win in 2024 and beyond -- Rachel Kay, Finn Partners

Embracing 'Food is Medicine': Strategic communications strategies for success in the growing “food is medicine” movement -- Maya Maroto, FoodMinds

Adding Value to the Rapidly Evolving Sustainability Space: How brands can authentically communicate sustainability issues and create a brand experience that’s compatible with consumers’ values -- Julie LePere, Padilla Food + Beverage

The Future of Food: Communicating the effects that climate change and a growing world population have on our food system—and why change is needed -- Jennifer Becker, G&S Business Communications

An Influencer Marketing Recipe for Success: Best practices for developing influencer marketing programs for chefs, restaurants and food and wine brands -- Lacey Outten, Hemsworth Communications

The Sphere of Influence: Understanding the interconnected web of personalities, experts, organizations, executives and employees that add value to a brand and contribute to its success -- Tim Schramm, Coyne PR

Could Food Prices Determine the 2024 Election?: The ridiculously high prices Americans are paying at the supermarket might influence how—or if—they vote in November -- Jon Gingerich, O'Dwyer's Senior Editor



O'Dwyer's March Food & Beverage PR Magazine

View interactive printed Mar. '24 Food & Beverage PR Magazine or PDF version

Main Index of Issues

Submit Profile for O'Dwyer's Magazine

Profiles of Food & Beverage PR Firms:

5WPR

3 Park Ave., 19th Flr.
New York, NY 10016
212/999-5585
www.5wpr.com

Leigh Ann Ambrosi, Executive Vice President, CPG
Dara A. Busch, Co-CEO, 5WPR

5WPR is a full-service PR agency in NYC and Miami known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues, and ideas. With more than 300 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications and Reputation Management), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and Digital Marketing (Social Media, Influencer, Paid Media, SEO), 5W was named to Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces 2022 list, awarded 2023 PR Agency of the Year, and brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results-driven approach to communication.

5W partnered with H&H Bagels, an iconic New York City brand since 1972, to celebrate 50 years of serving New York-style bagels and schmears. H&H Bagels is a 5W client.5W partnered with H&H Bagels, an iconic New York City brand since 1972, to celebrate 50 years of serving New York-style bagels and schmears. H&H Bagels is a 5W client.



360PR+

180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
212/729-5933

Additional offices: Boston, Philadelphia

www.360PR.plus
Linkedin.com/company/360PRplus

Victoria Renwick, EVP and Partner, [email protected]
Jenni Brennan, SVP, [email protected]

For over a decade, 360PR+ has helped Nasoya forge a leadership path in the plant-based industry. Here, our team enlisted James Beard-nom- inated chef Dale Talde to host a press event launching a new line of Plantspired steak.For over a decade, 360PR+ has helped Nasoya forge a leadership path in the plant-based industry. Here, our team enlisted James Beard-nom- inated chef Dale Talde to host a press event launching a new line of Plantspired steak.

At 360PR+, you could say that food and beverage is our bread & butter, given our extensive experience working with brands spanning every aisle of the grocery store, not to mention restaurant menus, delivery apps, kitchen appliances and more. With a passion for helping consumers eat and live better, we’ve helped tackle not just what’s for dinner or what to pack for lunch, but also bigger-picture challenges such as nutrition and sustainable living.

Our Food & Beverage team members are in constant contact with the tastemakers shaping the food industry—top chefs, registered dietitians, cookbook authors, social influencers and of course media. With a winning combination of break-through ideas and always-on storytelling, we build and sustain brand relevance, helping our clients own food occasions—and create new ones—to get media, buyers and consumers to stand up and take notice.

It’s why some of the most loved food brands and innovators have chosen 360PR+ as their partner: Little Leaf Farms, Nasoya tofu, Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs, Vermont Creamery, Krusteaz, SunnyD, Juicy Juice, Primo Hoagies, Salad and Go and Yogurtland, to name a few.

360PR+ is a certified women-owned business and a PROI Worldwide partner, offering clients reach and expertise in 100+ cities across the U.S. and internationally.



Artisan Production House

347/351-4804
www.artisanproductionhouse.com
vimeo.com/artisanproductionhouse

Erin Lahey Schwitter, Producer/Partner, [email protected]
Kara Leibowitz, Producer/Partner, [email protected]

Artisan Production House is a full-service production house specializing in food & lifestyle publicity. We create brand content that resonates with your audience and keeps them engaged. Our innate understanding of story relevance and personal relationships with TV producers and media influencers throughout the country gets your story heard. We’ll help you deliver your messages seamlessly and with style.

Artisan’s in-studio & on location satellite junkets include quality bookings that are actually seen, spot-on custom craft services and a fresh, modern design aesthetic ... because taste matters. Additional services include stunning branded content food videos, original book promotional videos and select matchmaking between celebrity talent and brands.

Our clients include Food Network, Penguin Random House, The Wonderful Company, and commodity boards ranging from the National Onion Association to Grapes from California.



BLAZE PR

1427 Third Street Promenade, Suite 201
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310/395-5050
[email protected]
www.blazepr.com

Matt Kovacs, President

BLAZE is the go-to PR agency for lifestyle brands hungry for a real piece of the marketshare. Fresh and seasoned, our boutique agency is comprised of veteran practitioners who stay one step ahead of trends and will not rest on the laurels of past successes. Our media strategies are meaty, creative and on-point because they are backed by a thoughtful process that considers the particular world of each brand.

Recent Awards: PR Week, Best Places to Work; LA Business Journal, Best Places to Work; Inc. Best Places to Work.

Clients include: Boxed Water is Better, Bushwick Kitchen, Clark Foods, Electrolit, Golden West Food Group, Mary’s Gone Crackers, NadaMoo!, Pickle Juice and Skinny Butcher.



Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications (CIIC PR)

NY + Miami

845/358-3920 x11
www.ciicpr.com

Carolyn Izzo-Feldman, Founder & CEO
Amy Sedeño, Vice President & Partner

PR & Social Media for the food & beverage, travel & tourism, hospitality, and lifestyle industries.

CIIC PR is an award-winning, full-service public relations, social media and communications firm specializing in creating dynamic campaigns for the food & beverage space. For over 27 years, our agency has been dedicated to servicing some of the top food & beverage brands with dynamic public relations campaigns and award-winning results.

CIIC PR & the BGPL USA team celebrate a successful launch at the Grand Tasting at South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) in Miami.CIIC PR & the BGPL USA team celebrate a successful launch at the Grand Tasting at South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) in Miami.

CIIC got its start by putting Krispy Kreme Doughnuts on the map when they first launched in the Northeast. Since then, our agency has represented many leading F&B brands, including Jov? Water, Stadacone Gin, Barton & Guestier Wines of France, Sovány Beverage Company, Florida Wine Academy, 305 Wines, The Original Soupman, Opal Apples, Bibigo Foods, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Kona Red Beverages, Coney Island Brewing Company, New Leaf Beverages, California Pizza Kitchen, Bohlsen Restaurant Group, and more.

We are adept at launches, openings, and franchisor relations, and are known for our networking expertise and extensive contacts in the trade, media, and influencer categories, which we leverage to increase the level of reach, media coverage and access for our clientele. From working with key influencers and A-list media, to arranging appearances on network television shows, managing product sampling, and planning top-level events in your key markets, our goal is to strategically and creatively deliver the best results at the best value.

CIIC is a woman-owned & operated business (WBENC Certified) and a proud member of latamPR, furthering our reach in Mexico and Latin America for brands looking to expand their footprint.

For more information or to inquire about new business opportunities, contact 845/358-3920 x11 or email [email protected]. Learn more about us at www.ciicpr.com.



Champion

15455 Dallas Parkway, Suite 1350
Addison, TX 75001
972/930-9933
www.championmgt.com

Ladd Biro, Founder & Principal
Eric Spiritas, Principal
Courtney Mazzella, Vice President, Client Services
Alexis Diehl, Vice President of Strategy
Carrie Layne, Vice President, Digital Marketing

Restaurant brands looking to ignite their stories, dominate the headlines, captivate through content, amp up franchise sales and drive traffic—both on-premise and online—partner with Champion.

Raising Cane’s Founder & CEO Todd Graves cuts the ribbon with Post Malone at the grand opening of the Cane’s/ Post/Dallas Cowboys restaurant collab.Raising Cane’s Founder & CEO Todd Graves cuts the ribbon with Post Malone at the grand opening of the Cane’s/ Post/Dallas Cowboys restaurant collab.

Established in 2002 and proud to be the second-largest PR agency in the restaurant space in 2023 (watch your back, No. 1!), Champion is a fully integrated marketing firm providing best-in-class public relations, local restaurant marketing, franchise development, social and digital media, influencer/NIL marketing and crisis communications support to a blue-chip roster of brands from our centrally located offices in Dallas. (By the way, we love New York and California, but our calls, texts and emails get to producers and editors there just as quickly as the high-priced agencies based on the East and West Coasts.)

We win plenty of awards for our work, but Champion’s true measure of success is the long-term partnerships we’ve forged with extraordinary brands like Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Twin Peaks, Bar Louie, Golden Corral, Dog Haus, FreeRange Concepts, SPB Hospitality and JINYA Ramen Bar—to name only a few.

Don’t know Champion? Ask around. Our stellar and scrappy team has built a reputation for excellence marked by principal-level attention to every client, an outstanding network of national and local media relationships spanning the country, innovative social media content, traffic-driving digital advertising and high-quality lead generation for our franchised brands.
Find out why We Are the Champions, my friend …



Coyne Public Relations

5 Wood Hollow Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973/588-2000
www.coynepr.com

501 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
212/938-0166

Thomas F. Coyne, CEO
Rich Lukis, President
Tim Schramm, Executive Vice President
Stacy Bataille, Senior Vice President
Jackie Peskin, Vice President

The food and nutrition space has been a cornerstone of Coyne PR since the agency’s inception more than thirty years ago. We are makers and strategists obsessed with creativity, leading with imagination and enthusiasm, and refining with the discipline of predictive outcomes. Our team of 170+ culturally diverse minds includes developers, producers, writers, designers, animators, social specialists, and communication experts who utilize best-in-class research, measurement, and AI tools to perfect each element.

The PEEPS® Sweet Suite offered fans a chance to book a stay in a PEEPS®-inspired hotel room and take part in exclusive activities in and around the one and only PEEPS® headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.The PEEPS® Sweet Suite offered fans a chance to book a stay in a PEEPS®-inspired hotel room and take part in exclusive activities in and around the one and only PEEPS® headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Mark Stehle/AP Images for Just Born Quality Confections

We convert consumers from brand loyalists to evangelists through culture tapping, newsjacking, and creating meaningful connections through purpose-driven and inspirational programming. We capture audience attention with powerful earned storytelling and socially informed strategies. We recognize that it is no longer enough to communicate through single-channel approaches. In today’s multi-screen society, we reach your target precisely where they find information and discover inspiration.

Our depth of knowledge in the industry and forward-looking strategies successfully positions brands in the food and beverage space.



Edelman

250 Hudson St., 16th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212/768-0550
Fax: 212/704-0117
www.edelman.com

Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year (2023); PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Year (2022); Cannes Lions Grand Prix awards for PR (2016) and the Entertainment Lions for Sport (2021); a Gold Lion in the Brand Experience & Activation category (2023); a Gold Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals category (2022); Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year for the Entertainment Track (2021); Cannes Lions Co-Independent Agency of the Year for the Good Track (2022); and Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Data x Intelligence (research, data), Edelman Smithfield (financial communications), Edelman Global Advisory (advisory), and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).



Evins Communications Ltd.

600 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200
New York, NY 10020
212/688-8200
www.evins.com
[email protected]

Mathew Evins, Chairman
Louise Evins, CEO
Jacqueline Long, President
David Harrison, EVP

For more than three decades, the world’s finest culinary, wine and spirits professionals have taught us that exceptional and inspired hospitality creates memorable and transcendent experiences. The Evins Communications Food, Wine & Spirits (FWS) practice has embraced this ethos to craft programs that catalyze trial, drive conversation, engage community and deliver results. Our programs enlighten and inspire audiences with evocative, purposeful content and compelling media that engender experiences to be savored and shared. As the driving force behind a number of the most iconic brands, personalities and trends in the food and beverage industry, Evins skillfully creates PR campaigns, experiential events, and promotions supported by captivating and inspiring media coverage and user-generated content.

In 2023, Evins acquired Teuwen Communications, named a Top 10 Wine and Spirits PR Agency in the U.S. by Meininger’s Wine Business International. The move brings added specialist capabilities, expertise and knowledge that complement the Agency’s Food, Wine & Spirits practice. Together, Evins and Teuwen share a commitment to enduring client partnerships with several in excess of three decades and an average client tenure of more than eight years, nearly three times the industry average. Learn more about what we can do for you by visiting us at www.evins.com.



FINN Partners

1675 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
212/715-1600
www.finnpartners.com

Peter Finn, CEO & Founding Partner
Kyle Farnham, Global Consumer Practice Leader, Managing Partner
Rachel Kay, Managing Partner

Today’s modern food and beverage brands face stiff competition to position themselves as leaders—not only through taste, but as sustainability warriors, nutrition renegades and culinary explorers. As a focus area within FINN Partner’s Global Consumer Practice, our team specializes in building integrated communications campaigns for emerging and established CPG brands. Anchored in our ability to drive earned media coverage, we support a diverse portfolio of clients with a full suite of public relations and digital marketing services.

Our team has experience working with diverse a list of brands, including Oatly, PepsiCo, Post Consumer Brands, Simple Mills, Country Archer, Kodiak Cakes, NotCo, Chosen Foods, Elmhurst, PopCorners, Applegate, Bare Snacks, Filippo Berio, Wild Planet, SkinnyDipped, Tofurky, Steaz, Catalina Crunch, and Koe Kombucha, among many others.

From touting the lesser-known health benefits of specific ingredients to leveraging influencers to drive trial around a big product launch, our work spans made-for-media experiences, brand partnerships, celebrity ambassador programs, experiential activations, industry event support, CSR initiatives, and more.

Whether you’re looking to partner with a chef, seeking to engage with registered dietitians or simply searching for fresh ways to serve up your story, FINN Partners offers the ingredients brands need to build breakthrough communications programs.



FoodMinds

330 South Wells Street, 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606
312/258-9500
foodminds.com

Erin DeSimone, MS, RD, LDN, FAND ([email protected])
Mobile: 312/925-9791

FoodMinds is a leading global food and nutrition agency, providing innovative science, policy, influencer, and communications programs that achieve clients’ business goals while also doing good for public health, people and the planet.

We put passion into practice across key solution areas including science communications, food and nutrition affairs, stakeholder engagement, food as medicine/precision nutrition and healthy, sustainable food systems, to affect change and impact behaviors. FoodMinds is a destination where talented food, nutrition, public health and sustainability experts come together to leverage strategic insights, consumer values and multi-dimensional communications to produce meaningful results. FoodMinds employs policy wonks, trend watchers and storytellers—and is the only agency with 20+ registered dietitians as well as a Global ExpertBench™ of nutrition science, policy, and communication professionals—to help our clients embody a better story.

FoodMinds, a division of Padilla, works with more than 30 leading commodity boards, food companies, brands, and associations in the U.S. and around the world, including several Fortune 500 companies. Between FoodMinds and Padilla Food + Beverage, we are consumed by food. Together, we’re reimagining why, what and how the world eats and drinks—to help build a stronger, flourishing future for all.

Contact us at www.foodminds.com to get started!



French/West/Vaughan

112 East Hargett St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
919/832-6300
www.fwv-us.com

Rick French, Chairman & CEO
David Gwyn, President / Principal
Natalie Best, Chief Operating Officer / Principal

French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is the Southeast’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agency, a distinction it has held since 2001. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and founded in April 1997, FWV has received 30 National Agency of the Year honors over the past 27 year. Its food & beverage practice area is ranked among the 15 largest in the country.

FWV specializes in creating maximum brand exposure through integrated campaigns that include earned media, promotional partnerships, celebrity endorsements, sponsor relations, event management, social media, influencer marketing, experiential activations and trade shows. The firm has vast experience with product launches in B2C and B2B channels, as well as in strategic counsel on issues related to environmental topics, supply chain, manufacturing and product recalls.

This broad range of expertise, including the evolving communications and content technologies utilized by consumers and the industry, has enabled FWV to support some of the most sought-after F&B brands in the world, including Melitta Coffee, Moe’s Southwest Grill, BurgerFi, Certified Angus Beef, The Coca-Cola Company (NESTEA, Gold Peak, Minute Maid, DASANI, Simply Orange), 3 Loves, ConAgra (Slim Jim, Pemmican Beef Jerky), Nabisco Foods, Brinker International (Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurants), Elevation Burger, House-Autry, Atlantic Natural Foods, Lidl, Whole Foods Market, Smithfield Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q, the N.C. Pork Council and North Carolina SweetPotato Commission. Our past and present client roster in the beer, wine and spirits category includes Proximo (Pendleton Whisky), Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s), Diageo North America (Bulleit Bourbon), Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits (Josh Cellars, Yellow Tail, The Calling), BRAND Napa Valley, Grain and Barrel Spirits, Mother Earth Brewing, St. Michelle Wine Estates and the N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association. The agency has also produced award-winning campaigns for celebrity chefs Christine Hazel, Jeff Mauro, Lorena Garcia and Aliya LeeKong, among many others.

FWV is the parent company of fashion and lifestyle PR firm AMP3 (New York City); mobility and transportation-focused agency The Millerschin Group (Greater Detroit); pet and animal health practice FWV Fetching and feature film development imprint Prix Productions.?FWV employs more than 140 public relations, public affairs, social media, advertising and digital marketing experts between its Raleigh, N.C., headquarters and offices around the country.



G&S Business Communications

111 West 33rd Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10120
212/697-2600
[email protected]
www.gscommunications.com

Steve Halsey, Chief Growth Officer

G&S Business Communications helps innovative companies change the world. Our mission is to inspire people to take action, resulting in business growth for our clients. Our vision is to fuel transformation in the six key industries we serve: Advanced Manufacturing & Energy; Agribusiness; Financial & Professional Services; Healthcare; Home & Building; and Landscaping & Outdoor Living.

Our strategists, storytellers, analysts and engagement experts meet each client at the intersection of business and communications. Our strategies help B2B clients meet their business goals, and our work produces meaningful results that move markets. Our commitment to measurement ensures that we are constantly learning and improving to make your program better.

We have a global staff of 140+ people, who operate primarily from four offices, New York, Raleigh, Chicago and Basel, but we offer our clients a global network of support through PROI Worldwide partners.



Hager Sharp

750 17th Street NW, Suite 1200
Washington, D.C. 20006
202/842-3600
HAGERSHARP.COM

Jennifer Wayman, MHS, President & CEO

At Hager Sharp, we have dedicated the last 50 years to creating strategic communications and social marketing initiatives for organizations that are committed to fighting for equity in education, improving the health of people and communities, and empowering vulnerable populations. We are a full-service, integrated marketing and communications firm with expertise in public health, disease prevention, health promotion, and behavior change strategies. As an employee-owned small business, Hager Sharp has provided communications leadership across a wide range of health issues, including food safety and nutrition, food insecurity, nutrition security, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, biotechnology, and more. Hager Sharp’s strategists, researchers, creative specialists, media experts, and public health professionals bring award-winning, research-driven, behavior-changing health communications services and social marketing campaigns to life. Our focus is, and always will be, working with mission-driven institutions, businesses, foundations, and nonprofits to create and execute ideas that make a difference.

Curbside Groceries, bringing fresh, affordable food to communities where traditional grocery stores may be hard to reach. Branding and design by Hager Sharp.Curbside Groceries, bringing fresh, affordable food to communities where traditional grocery stores may be hard to reach. Branding and design by Hager Sharp.



Hemsworth

[email protected]
954/319-1787
HemsworthCommunications.com
Instagram.com/HemsworthPR
Facebook.com/HemsworthCommunications
Linkedin.com/company/hemsworth-communications

Samantha Jacobs, Founder and President
Michael Jacobs, Chief Operations Officer
Cathy Hayes, Vice President
Lacey Outten, Associate Vice President, Food/Wine/Spirits
Kayla Atwater, Associate Vice President, Travel/Hospitality

Celebrating a decade of innovation and distinction in 2024, Hemsworth is a top-ranked public relations and communications firm with locations in Atlanta, Charleston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, New York City and Tampa, as well as a network of top freelancers in other top-tier media markets globally. The agency specializes in crafting tailored communications programs for clients within the food, wine and spirits sector---—as well as travel/tourism and franchising —including brand strategy, media relations, social media, influencer marketing, event programming, thought leadership, crisis communications and strategic alliances. A boutique-sized firm with an impressive background, Hemsworth combines unprecedented passion, insight and connections to surpass client expectations, offering personal service and powerful results.



HUNTER

One World Trade Center, Floor 68
New York, NY 10007

Grace Leong, CEO
Gigi García Russo, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer
Julie Sternberg, Managing Director, CPG Food + Beverage

Contact: [email protected]
Samara Farber Mormar, CMO

HUNTER is an award-winning consumer marketing communications firm ranked as a “Best Place to Work” and “Consumer Agency of the Year,” with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London, and partnerships that extend our reach globally.
As a leading Food + Beverage agency, our purpose is to create, place, share, and amplify the narratives of the world’s leading brands, including Danone, Smithfield, Post Consumer Brands, Pompeian, and TABASCO Brand Pepper Sauce—HUNTER’s first partner 35 years ago and still a client today. Our 270+ person firm employs a powerful blend of marketing solutions, including strategic planning, media relations, social and digital media, talent and influencer engagement, experiential marketing, multicultural outreach, and content creation and distribution across all platforms and channels.

HUNTER and Chicken of the Sea answered the age-old question: Is it Tuna or Chicken? The brand partnered with Jessica Simpson to revisit her famous reality TV moment in the new “It’s the One for Me” campaign. To help make a splash at launch, HUNTER secured a PEOPLE exclusive, drumming up excitement amongst media and consumers, while on Tik- Tok, the hero video garnered over two million views in less than 24 hours.HUNTER and Chicken of the Sea answered the age-old question: Is it Tuna or Chicken? The brand partnered with Jessica Simpson to revisit her famous reality TV moment in the new “It’s the One for Me” campaign. To help make a splash at launch, HUNTER secured a PEOPLE exclusive, drumming up excitement amongst media and consumers, while on Tik- Tok, the hero video garnered over two million views in less than 24 hours.

From the traditional days of “tasting is believing” to the modern world of #instagood #foodporn, Food + Beverage is in our DNA. For today’s consumer, food and drink are one of the primary pathways in their pursuit of health and happiness. Eating, drinking, cooking, and dining are critical parts of family connection, entertainment, and self-care rituals. Through a powerful blend of our staff’s passion for food culture, relationships with food influencers, and prowess for strategic consumer marketing, we help brands become part of these rituals by inserting them into the right moments in time through the right mediums and right mouthpieces.

In addition to our core competencies, we offer specialized services for these clients, including recipe development and photography; relationships with bartenders, mixologists, chefs, and celebrity food influencers in both social and traditional media; and partnerships with government and non-profit organizations driving the conversations about Food + Beverages today.



ICR

685 Third Ave., 2nd Flr.
New York, NY 10017
646/277-1200
www.icrinc.com

Established in 1998, ICR partners with its clients to execute strategic communications and advisory programs that achieve business goals, build awareness and credibility, and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firm’s highly-differentiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with senior communications professionals, brings deep sector knowledge and relationships to approximately 1,000 clients across more than 20 industry groups. ICR’s healthcare practice operates under the Westwicke brand (www.westwicke.com). Today, ICR is one of the largest and most experienced independent communications and advisory firms in North America, maintaining offices in New York, Norwalk, Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco and Beijing. Learn more at www.icrinc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ICRPR and LinkedIn.

Clients: Albertsons Companies, B&G Foods, Bellring Brands, Beyond Meat, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Boot Barn, Checkers & Rally’s, Darden Restaurants, Dutch Bros Coffee, First Watch, Fogo de Chao, Hain Celestial, Herbalife Ltd., Hostess, Jack in the Box, Killer Burger, Limoneira, lululemon athletica, Macaroni Grill, Nomad Foods, Olo, Portillo’s, Ruth’s Chris, Shake Shack, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, The Duckhorn Portfolio, The National Restaurant Association, The One Group, Tilray Brands, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and 7 Brew.



Marino.

747 Third Avenue, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10017
212/889-0808
Additional offices in Los Angeles and Miami
Marinopr.com

Frank Marino, CEO
John Marino, President
Lee Silberstein, Partner
Cara Marino Gentile, Executive VP
Robert Barletta, Executive VP
Elizabeth Latino, Executive VP

Marino is a full-service, national strategic communications agency with offices in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami. The award-winning firm has become the go-to agency for U.S. and international food and beverage brands seeking to expand nationwide or enter the U.S. market.

Last October, Marino’s Digital Team planned and executed an influencer event for client Fratelli Beretta to showcase their sponsorship of the New York City Wine and Food Festival & Instagram’s convention, FoodieCon, through a kickoff pre-party for the show, and throughout the weekend’s activities. Additionally, Marino deployed influencers to attend Fratelli Beretta’s activation at the convention, serving as ambassadors and con- tent creators for the Italian food specialties brand.
Robert Campana (left) of @stopitaliansounding, a social media creator dedicated to education about authentic Italian products, and Marino Se- nior Social Media Manager, David Kushner (right), at NYC’s FoodieCon.Last October, Marino’s Digital Team planned and executed an influencer event for client Fratelli Beretta to showcase their sponsorship of the New York City Wine and Food Festival & Instagram’s convention, FoodieCon, through a kickoff pre-party for the show, and throughout the weekend’s activities. Additionally, Marino deployed influencers to attend Fratelli Beretta’s activation at the convention, serving as ambassadors and con- tent creators for the Italian food specialties brand. Robert Campana (left) of @stopitaliansounding, a social media creator dedicated to education about authentic Italian products, and Marino Se- nior Social Media Manager, David Kushner (right), at NYC’s FoodieCon.

Brands like McDonald’s, Fratelli Beretta, Bono olive oil, Castellani Wines, De Nigris vinegar, Smeraldina Water, Chelsea Market, Fabbri, Rosé All Day, Pasta Toscana, Faneuil Hall, Pier 57’s Market 57, Urbanspace, Olivieri 1882, Beak and Skiff/1911, Ayrloom, The Flower Chef, Japan Village, Economy Candy and the NYC Hospitality Alliance, have all turned to Marino for their communications needs.

Marino is rapidly emerging as one of America’s first independently owned, mid-sized public relations firms to offer a truly holistic suite of strategic services including media relations, social media, design/creative campaign development, advertising, influencer engagement and events. The team is led by Robert Barletta, Marino EVP, and made up of foodies and oenophiles who are also experienced publicists and digital strategists, former food and retail reporters, recipe developers and food designers.



Marketing Maven

1460 Broadway, 1st Floor
New York, NY 10036
212/967-5510
www.MarketingMaven.com
[email protected]

Los Angeles Headquarters
310/994-7380

Lindsey Carnett, CEO & President

Named to the 2017 and 2018 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in America and Entrepreneur magazine’s 2016 Entrepreneur 360 List as one of the Most Entrepreneurial Companies in America, Marketing Maven’s sophisticated share of voice and sentiment analysis tools help to shape campaign strategy for food and beverage clients. Aligning with influencers and utilizing grassroots social media tactics, paired with traditional media relations, generates significant impact for clients.

From an online cooking school to patented functional ingredients, the bicoastal team at Marketing Maven knows how to navigate food and beverage PR, influencer and social media campaigns. We specialize in showcasing your brand and increasing sales with unique pitch concepts distributed to top media for national TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and online coverage.

Marketing Maven is a federally recognized Native American Owned 8(a) and WOSB certified company. We are also a certified Small Business (SB) with the California Department of General Services (DGS) and a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.



Padilla

4 World Trade Center
150 Greenwich Street, 48th Floor
New York, NY 10007
612/455-1700
PadillaCo.com

Laura Cubillos, Executive Vice President

Padilla’s Food + Beverage Practice is one of the strongest and most experienced in the country. Balancing deeply rooted expertise with cutting-edge insights and technology, Padilla’s team navigates complex challenges and delivers impactful solutions.

Located in the world’s media capital—and anchored by its state-of-the-art culinary studio, The Cookery—Padilla’s Food + Beverage Practice represents beloved brands and marketing cooperatives for all audiences: consumer, foodservice, retail and beyond.

Our award-winning team of credentialed culinary, beverage and nutrition experts, food and lifestyle media specialists, and business pros are skilled in making the consumer’s decision easy by leveraging data and insights to capture the rational and emotional “why” that defines your unique value proposition.

Padilla is a leading communications agency that helps brands and organizations transform by inspiring people and driving action. Padilla’s deep expertise spans agriculture, food, beverage and nutrition, health, technology, and financial services. Our family of brands, which includes Padilla (strategic and marketing communications), SHIFT (performance communications), FoodMinds (food and nutrition affairs) and Joe Smith (brand strategy), all have one thing in common: we help build, grow and protect our clients’ brands and reputations. As an AVENIR GLOBAL company and a founding member of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the agency provides services to clients through 155 offices worldwide.

With Padilla Food + Beverage in your corner, you can transform your business in ways no other agency can. Together, let’s transform with purpose at PadillaCo.com.



Peppercomm

425 E. 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
212/931-6100
[email protected]
www.peppercomm.com

Steve Cody, CEO and Founder
Ann Barlow, EVP & Chief Engagement Officer
Jacqueline Kolek, EVP & Chief Innovation Officer
Maggie O’Neill, EVP & Chief Client Officer
Tara Lilien, Chief Talent Officer

Peppercomm, part of the Ruder Finn Group, is an award-winning strategic, integrated communications and marketing agency headquartered in New York City. Core capabilities include media relations, influencer engagement, creative/web design, social media, issues management and crisis communications, branding and positioning, and employee engagement.

With 29 award-winning years of experience, Peppercomm has made a science of communication, combining wit and wisdom with proven public relations discipline and innovative offerings to break through, build deeper connections and ensure our clients’ success. Our model is about brand analysis, development of narrative and voice, and connection to the culture, media and influencers who matter. Each tactic should be thoughtful, bring perspective and insight, and—when appropriate—be a little unexpected.

And we know food—from fine dining and fast casual to packaged foods and fresh fruit and veggies. We’re a global firm with local expertise that has worked for clients such as Abbot’s Butcher, Bolthouse Farms, Bonduelle Farms, Darden Restaurants (The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s, Bahama Breeze), Dole Packaged Foods, Edible Arrangements, Pizza Hut, Ready Pac, Roots Southern Table, The Cakerie, TGI Fridays, the American Beverage Association, Zagat, and Zespri, among others.
Visit www.peppercomm.com or find us at @Peppercomm.



RF|Binder

950 3rd Ave., Floor 8
New York, NY 10022
212/994-7600
www.rfbinder.com
[email protected]
[email protected]

Amy Binder, Founder and CEO
Atalanta Rafferty, Co-Founder and Head of Food, Drinks & Nutrition Practice
Craig Blakaitis, Senior Managing Director, Food, Drinks & Nutrition Practice
Rebecca Binder, President

From being the #1 trending topic on social to securing headlines in top tier media and supporting sales growth, RF|Binder is focused on driving impact and business results for food and beverage companies. Our creative work has made our clients pantry staples and cultural icons. Our programming drives engagement and business results, always tapping into new social communities and cultural conversations.

RF|Binder oversees the integrated marketing campaign for Clink Differ- ent, a joint program between the German Wine Institute and the Bordeaux Wine Council co-funded by the EU. The program includes consumer events, retail promotions, digital and outdoor advertising, influencer mar- keting and trips. The campaign invites consumers to “Clink Different” and discover new wines from Bordeaux and Germany in a fun, inviting and engaging way.RF|Binder oversees the integrated marketing campaign for Clink Differ- ent, a joint program between the German Wine Institute and the Bordeaux Wine Council co-funded by the EU. The program includes consumer events, retail promotions, digital and outdoor advertising, influencer mar- keting and trips. The campaign invites consumers to “Clink Different” and discover new wines from Bordeaux and Germany in a fun, inviting and engaging way.

Photo credit: Rick Kern

We’ve developed award-winning consumer and corporate campaigns across QSR, restaurant, CPG brands, B2B ingredients, wine, beer and distilled spirits brands, country trade groups and industry associations. With the growing demand to build a more sustainable food future, one of our specialty areas is working with emerging food innovators, from food technology and plant-based companies to category disruptors. We have built reputations and handled a range of issues from product recalls, in-store incidents, customer complaints and activists’ campaigns.

RF|Binder is a fully integrated communications and consulting firm—powered by strategy, creativity, analytics and purpose. We are independent, entrepreneurial, and woman-owned.



SPM Communications Inc.

2332 Irving Blvd., Ste. 110
Dallas, TX 75207
214/379-7000
[email protected]
www.spmcommunications.com

Suzanne Parsonage Miller, President and Founder

Celebrating 25 years in business this year, SPM was built on a foundation of food, beverage and restaurant brands that continue to inform how we build and protect new and established brands.

SPM was Whataburger’s first PR agency of record, helping the legacy brand define and leverage their place in the burger landscape for over a decade. Since then, we’ve gone on to launch Chipotle in Texas, took Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q and Van’s Foods from regional and niche brands to national acquisition and got lines out the doors to 500 bakeries to celebrate Nothing Bundt Cakes’ 25th birthday.

We create innovative campaigns integrating media relations, influencer partnerships, executive positioning, franchise development and social media strategy. Through our robust crisis communications practice, we’ve managed over 5,000 client crises, and our media protocol is currently deployed in restaurant locations nationwide.

Current food, beverage and restaurant brand clients include Chuck E. Cheese, Karbach Brewing Co., la Madeleine, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Miller’s Ale House, Modern Market, Peter Piper Pizza, Philz Coffee, Pollo Campero, Shipley Do-Nuts and Utz Brands.



Taylor

1540 Broadway, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10036
212/714-5700
www.taylorstrategy.com

Tony Signore, CEO & Mng. Partner
Mike Costabile, Mng. Partner
Maeve Hagen, Mng. Partner
Christina Merritt, Chief Strategy Officer
Brad Mancuso, EVP, Creative
Garlanda Freeze, EVP, Account

As “Shapers of Possibility,” Taylor helps the world’s leading brands lean into the edge of their purpose to unlock opportunities for growth. Named “Consumer Agency of the Decade” by The Holmes Report, Taylor is headquartered in New York. The agency provides a full array of services including: brand planning; creative; digital strategy and social media; strategic media relations; consumer insights; measurement and evaluation; event creative and production; and talent procurement and media training.

Smirnoff, the world’s No. 1 vodka and the official vodka sponsor of the NFL, looked to Taylor to cement its role leading up to the 2024 Big Game in Las Vegas. Taylor built excitement around the brand’s newest product launch—Smirnoff SMASH Vodka Soda—during peak Super Bowl conver- sation with surround sound PR and social media coverage hyping up the brand’s unique, on-the-ground event that tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of sports fandom: the Smirnoff SMASH Pickle Bowl, a celebrity pickleball tournament smashing up unexpected guests including NFL legend Vernon Davis, pop icon Lance Bass, NFL commentator Kay Adams, and others. Interviews with talent partners delivered a slew of national lifestyle, en- tertainment and sports press in top-tier outlets like USA Today, Variety and E! News. The campaign garnered more than 3.6B earned media im- pressions and 2.3M talent and brand social media impressions.Smirnoff, the world’s No. 1 vodka and the official vodka sponsor of the NFL, looked to Taylor to cement its role leading up to the 2024 Big Game in Las Vegas. Taylor built excitement around the brand’s newest product launch—Smirnoff SMASH Vodka Soda—during peak Super Bowl conver- sation with surround sound PR and social media coverage hyping up the brand’s unique, on-the-ground event that tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of sports fandom: the Smirnoff SMASH Pickle Bowl, a celebrity pickleball tournament smashing up unexpected guests including NFL legend Vernon Davis, pop icon Lance Bass, NFL commentator Kay Adams, and others. Interviews with talent partners delivered a slew of national lifestyle, en- tertainment and sports press in top-tier outlets like USA Today, Variety and E! News. The campaign garnered more than 3.6B earned media im-pressions and 2.3M talent and brand social media impressions.

For 40 years, Taylor has developed and executed marketing communications programs for category leading food and beverage brands including Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol. Via social campaigns, content production and strategic media relations, Taylor has successfully launched new products, reinvigorated iconic brands and sustained momentum in the marketplace for Diageo adult beverage favorites such as Crown Royal, Guinness, Captain Morgan and Smirnoff, among others.

The agency also partners with leading consumer packaged goods brands under P&G for a wide range of services, including sports sponsorship activations for brands such as Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Old Spice and Tide.



Teuwen
An Evins Communications Company

600 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10020
212/244-0622
www.teuwen.com
[email protected]

Stephanie Teuwen, President
Beth Cotenoff, SVP
Marisa Jetter, VP

Teuwen, an Evins Communications Company, is an award-winning food, wine and spirits public relations and marketing agency with unrivaled expertise and influence. A collaborative and creative team, authentic industry connections, and personalized approach to each client produce strategic, integrated programs across multiple touchpoints, with powerful results. Our carefully planned and expertly executed results-driven campaigns utilize bold, creative storytelling that brings brands to life.

With specialty expertise in what drives brand visibility, engagement and growth in the food and beverage industries, Teuwen was acquired by Evins Communications, a New York-based public relations agency with four decades of experience and success marketing iconic brands, in 2023 and continues to operate independently under the leadership of Stephanie Teuwen. Named a Top 10 Wine and Spirits PR Agency in the US by Meininger’s Wine Business International, the Teuwen team has unparalleled capabilities, expertise and knowledge that will benefit from the enhanced reach, resources and capabilities of Evins. Together, Evins and Teuwen share a commitment to enduring client partnerships that go far beyond the industry average. Learn more about what Teuwen can do for you by visiting www.teuwen.com.



Trevelino/Keller

King Plow Arts Center
981 Joseph Lowery Boulevard Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30318
404/214-0722
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.trevelinokeller.com

Dean Trevelino, Founder & Principal
Genna Keller, Founder & Principal

Trevelino/Keller continues to be a one-shop solution for its food and beverage clients, leveraging all three service pillars—public relations, growth marketing and creative services—to serve some of the most iconic and recognizable brands in the industry. Leading the way is the company’s franchise area of expertise which includes brands like Nathan’s Famous, Roy Rogers, Frisch’s, Steak ‘N Shake, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii and more. The agency is often sought after because of its ability to support both b2b [franchise sales in the case of franchise brands] as well as consumer engagement.

In 2023, Trevelino/Keller acknowledges HubSpot research around the rapid growth of influencer marketing and calls out its relationship with Tagger Media as a differentiator in helping food and beverage brands realize the potential of this growing platform. The firm believes that creator and brand insights and analytics from Tagger can be a game changer for those brands struggling with how best to maximize the growing influencer marketplace.

Seasoned with launching concepts and companies, Trevelino/Keller recently launched the Original Hot Chicken, a Nashville-style hot chicken concept from Experiential Brands. The firm’s historical work includes Johnny Rockets, Smashburger, Corner Bakery Café, Paris Baguette, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Shane’s Rib Shack as well as international food company Century Pacific.



WordHampton Public Relations

512 Three Mile Harbor HC Rd.
East Hampton, NY 11937
631/329-0050
www.wordhampton.com

Nicole Castillo, President

WordHampton Public Relations is an award-winning boutique PR firm located in the Hamptons servicing the NY metro area. Specializing in signature hospitality, lifestyle, real estate and Hamptons businesses, WordHampton has been building client reputations and revenues for over 30 years. Our team creates a customized approach for every client utilizing strategic and creative thinking, deep media and community relationships and social media expertise.

Award-winning boutique PR firm WordHampton Public Relations, locat- ed in The Hamptons.Award-winning boutique PR firm WordHampton Public Relations, locat- ed in The Hamptons.

WordHampton’s robust client roster includes several signature restaurants in the Hamptons including Nick & Toni’s, Rowdy Hall, Almond, Lulu Kitchen, Duryea’s, The Clam Bar, Navy Beach and The Beacon as well as signature restaurants on Long Island including Ben’s Kosher Deli, Mirabelle Restaurant and several Lessing’s Wedding properties. The firm is the driving force behind the award-winning tri-annual event Long Island Restaurant Week coordinating all elements of the event. WordHampton has represented several beverage brands including Origen Holistic Spirits, Bedell Cellars winery and Diplomatico Rum among others.

Known as Hamptons Insiders, WordHampton has developed lifelong relationships with the media, government and community offering a deep knowledge of the unique seasonal market. The firm has launched countless businesses, pop-ups, products and more resulting in success. The team is spirited, progressive and determined, the ultimate recipe for success.

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