Our March edition provides an in-depth look at changing trends in public relations for the food and beverage industry. Don’t forget to check out our rankings of the top agencies specializing in food & beverage PR >>
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View interactive printed Mar. '23 Food & Beverage PR Magazine or PDF version |
Profiles of Food & Beverage PR Firms:
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, jbrennan@ 360pr.plus
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—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 a myriad of food occasions—and create new ones to get media, buyers and consumers to stand up and take notice.
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It’s why some of the most loved brands and innovators have chosen 360PR+ as their partner: America’s Test Kitchen, Buitoni, Do Good Chicken, Giant Food, Juicy Juice, Little Leaf Farms, Nasoya, One Degree Organics, Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs, Primo Hoagies, Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery, Sunny D, UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) 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.
5WPR
3 Park Ave., 19th Fl.
New York, NY 10016
212/999-5585
www.5wpr.com
Dara Busch, Co-CEO
Leigh Ann Ambrosi, Executive Vice President, CPG
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5W Public Relations 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 2020 PR Agency of the Year, and brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results-driven approach to communication.
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.
Clients include: Boxed Water is Better, Bushwick Kitchen, Electrolit, Golden West Food Group, Herd & Grace, Mary’s Gone Crackers, NadaMoo!, Pickle Juice and Skinny Butcher.
The Brand Agency
833 N. Hollywood Way, Suite B
Burbank, CA 91505
180 Broome St, #1008
New York, NY 10002
[email protected]
@thebrand_agency
www.thebrand-agency.com/
Priscila Martinez, Founder & CEO
Katherine Edwards, VP, East Coast
MK Glenning, VP, West Coast
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The Brand Agency is an award-winning full-service creative communications and public relations firm with corporate roots but agile tactics. Founded in 2015 with offices in Los Angeles and New York City, the firm services corporate communications, media relations, brand strategy, special events, talent procurements/strategic partnerships, and image and crisis management.
The Brand Agency’s robust client list includes Fortune 5 companies like Apple and Amazon, startups like non-profit Spend with Ukraine, and everything in between. The firm’s executive team includes veterans from various disciplines like food & beverage, hospitality, lifestyle, fashion & beauty, entertainment, technology, B-2-B, and corp comm. The firm cherrypicks experts to create highly customized teams that serve a client’s unique needs.
The Brand Agency is responsible for turning venues like Doheny Room, MELROSEPLACE, offsunset, Boucherie, and Olio e Più into celebrity playgrounds and hotspots. The firm’s team is the driving force behind several of the most iconic brands, personalities, and trends in the food and beverage space. The Brand Agency proudly serves iconic names like Hennessy X.O, LVMH’s Tequila Volcan de mi Tierra, Moët & Chandon, Liquid IV, Dream Pops, K’UL Chocolate, and Liev Schreiber’s Slainte Whiskey, to name a few.
Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications (CIIC PR)
NY + Miami
845/358-3920 x11
www.ciicpr.com
vimeo.com/745119285
Carolyn Izzo-Feldman, Founder & CEO
Amy Sedeño, Vice President & Partner
PR & Social Media for the food & beverage, travel & tourism, hospitality, real estate, 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. Our publicists bring many years of experience from several of the country’s top PR firms. For 26 years, CIIC has been dedicated to servicing food & beverage brands with top-tier public relations campaigns and award-winning results.
CIIC got its start by putting Krispy Kreme Doughnuts on the map when they first launched in the Northeast. Since then, CIIC has represented many leading F&B brands, including Jov? Water, Stadacon? Gin, Sovány Beverage Company, Florida Wine Academy, 305 Wines, The Original Soupman, Opal Apples, Barton & Guestier Wines, Bibigo Foods, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Kona Red Beverages, Coney Island Brewing Company, New Leaf Beverages, California Pizza Kitchen, Bohlsen Restaurant Group, and more.
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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 x 11 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
Russell Ford, Sr. VP, Marketing
Courtney Mazzella, Sr. Director, Client Services
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.
Established in 2002 and among the nation’s fastest-growing restaurant-focused agencies, Champion provides 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.)
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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, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Fazoli’s, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Taco John’s, Twin Peaks, Dog Haus, FreeRange Concepts, SPB Hospitality and JINYA Ramen Bar—to name only a few.
Don’t know Champion? Ask around the industry. 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 across 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
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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 200+ 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.
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 the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).
Elev8 New Media
11755 Wilshire Blvd., #1250
Los Angeles, CA 90025
888/461-2233
Jessica Starman, CEO
Contact: [email protected]
www.elev8newmedia.com
The food & beverage industry faces an ever-evolving landscape of consumer goods with a supply chain that entails processing, packaging and distribution. At Elev8 New Media, we provide a strategic integrated marketing communications mix of essential public relations and social media marketing to promote client food and beverage products successfully. Elev8 New Media provides immense value to the food & beverage industry by helping companies build and maintain their brand image, reach new customers, and create loyalty among existing customers. Through effective public relations strategies, companies can ensure that their products, services, and messages are reaching the right people and being perceived in a favorable light.
We’ve had the pleasure of representing private and public companies with category innovation brands, helping amplify visibility and brand awareness through close working relationships with key F&B journalists, bloggers and influencers—from trade to mainstream media. We also gain media coverage and create buzz around new products and promotions, resulting in increased sales and brand recognition. Elev8 has worked with some of the leading companies in this space, with brands in the alcoholic and non-alcoholic, CBD and wellness, fitness and health spaces, and beyond.
Evins Communications Ltd.
830 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
212/688-8200
www.evins.com
[email protected]
Mathew Evins, Chairman
Louise Evins, CEO
Jacqueline Long, CCO, COO
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.
Evins recently acquired Teuwen Communications, named a Top 10 Wine and Spirits PR Agency in the US 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.
FoodMinds
330 South Wells Street, 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606
312/258-9500
foodminds.com
Erin DeSimone, MS, RD, LDN, FAND ([email protected]) 312/925-9791
FoodMinds is a leading global food and nutrition affairs 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 professionals who are passionate about food and nutrition have come together to leverage strategic insights, consumer values and multidimensional communications to produce meaningful results. FoodMinds employs policy wonks, trend watchers and storytellers—and is the only agency with 20+ registered dietitians on staff, 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!
Fox Greenberg Public Relations
212/334-1212
foxgreenberg.com
[email protected]
Michelle Fox, Founder
Lauren Vultee, President
FGPR is a leading boutique public relations and influencer marketing firm that focuses on the strategic development of brands. We work with you one-on-one to formulate innovative and effective campaigns that offer access to diverse media and influencers, creating a direct connection between your brand and your audience. FGPR specializes in building hospitality brand on a national scale as well as restaurants in local markets with a focus on NYC.
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), the Southeast’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agency, is home to one of the country’s largest Food & Beverage practice areas. FWV is ranked No. 17 on the list of the nation’s largest PR firms overall (2022 O’Dwyer’s Ranking of Top U.S. PR Firms) and has been in the top 20 for more than two decades.
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, RealEats, 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.
Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and founded in April 1997, FWV has received 25 National Agency of the Year honors over the past quarter century, along with more than 1,500 PR, advertising and digital marketing awards on behalf of its global roster of blue-chip clients. The agency employs more than 130 public relations, public affairs, social media, advertising and digital marketing experts among its Raleigh (headquarters), New York City, Los Angeles, Greater Boston, Tampa and Greater Detroit offices.
G&S Business Communications
111 West 33rd Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10001
212/697-2600
www.gscommunications.com
Steve Halsey, Chief Growth Officer
[email protected]
Growing food isn’t rocket science. It’s much more difficult. Not many agencies can say that they have more than 50 years of experience in food and beverage. G&S can. We understand the business of growing, the critical role of technology in improving processes and the need for traceability throughout the entire supply chain.
We also help leading beverage and spirits brands find new and innovative ways to stand out from the crowd, on the shelf, at the game, and in the bar. And when it comes to the coatings, paper, and packaging that protect it all, we have that wrapped up as well.
If it’s grown in a field, a pot or a coop, milked, fed or hatched, brewed, fermented or purified, we’ve probably worked with it. From farm to table and in between, we understand the B2B2C value chain and how to craft stories that resonate at every stage.
Contact us at www.gscommunications.com to get started.
Hager Sharp
1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 600E
Washington, DC 20005
202/842-3600
202/842-4032
www.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.
Hemsworth Communications
1510 SE 17th St.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954/716-7614
Fax: 954/449-6068
www.hemsworthcommunications.com
Instagram.com/HemsworthPR
Facebook.com/HemsworthCommunications
LinkedIn.com/CompanyHemsworth-Communications
Samantha Jacobs, Founder & President
Michael Jacobs, COO
Cathy Hayes, VP
Lacey Outten, Associate VP, Food/Wine/Spirits
Kayla Atwater, Associate VP, Travel/Hospitality
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 various other top media markets. The agency specializes in branding, corporate communications and strategic promotion within the travel/tourism and food/wine/spirits sectors, as well as crafting global B2B and B2C PR programs for both emerging and renowned franchise systems. 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.
Clients include: AmaWaterways, ATL Airport District, Banana Bay Resort, B Ocean Fort Lauderdale Resort, B Orlando, Resort & Spa, Black Swan, City of Dunwoody, Corendon Hotels & Resorts, Cruise Barbados, Discover Dunwoody, Explore Gwinnett, Gateway Center Arena, Georgia International Convention Center, Holiday Inn & Suites Universal, HomeToGo, Kenefick Ranch Winery, Massanutten Resort, Media Culture, Performance Hospitality Management, PuroClean, Rental Escapes, South Fulton Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Sandy Springs, Your CBD Store, Waters Edge Wineries, WaterWalk Hospitality, among others.
HUNTER
One World Trade Center, Floor 68
New York, NY 10007
Grace Leong, CEO
Gigi García Russo, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer
Contact: [email protected]
Samara Farber Mormar, CMO
www.hunterpr.com
HUNTER is an award-winning, integrated consumer marketing firm with the second largest food and beverage practice in the US. Our creative approach and focus on client service has led to some of the most enduring relationships in the business including TABASCO® Brand Pepper Sauce, HUNTER’s first partner 34 years ago, and still a client today. Others include some of America’s most iconic and beloved companies and brands including Smithfield, DIAGEO, Pompeian, Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Chicken of the Sea, King’s Hawaiian, POST Consumer Brands and Danone. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and London and partnerships that extend our reach globally, HUNTER’s 250-person firm is perhaps best known for executing strategic, creative, equity building campaigns that drive conversation and insert brands firmly into the lifestyles of their target consumers. From the traditional days of “tasting is believing” to the modern world of #instagood #foodporn, food and beverage is in our DNA. 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 to become part of the cultural conversation 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 food + beverage 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 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.
Magrino Agency
352 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
212/957-3005
www.magrinopr.com
Susan Magrino, Chairman & CEO
Allyn Magrino, President & CRO
Jee Park, EVP, Hospitality, Food & Beverage
Magrino looks beyond the silos of traditional PR and individual social channels via the use of integrated strategies that strive to not only reach but move your audience.
We know the drivers for Food & Beverage far surpass the need for a few good media hits on your latest launch. With expertise in brand development, social media strategy, content creation, creator relations, experiential design & events, and of course, over 30 years in media relations, Magrino serves as the ultimate connector across the entire communications economy to keep your story trending and ultimately driving consumer preference for your brand.
Named as one of the Observer’s “25 Best PR Firms in America” for the last 9 years in a row, Magrino continues to be run by its Chairman & CEO Susan Magrino and President and Chief Revenue Officer Allyn Magrino, along with a diverse team of communications experts focused on staying ahead of the ever-evolving media ecosystem. With life-long clients, industry connections, and unrivaled expertise, Magrino grants you access to the buzz you’ve been waiting for.
Visit us at www.magrinopr.com.
Marino
747 Third Avenue, Floor 18
New York, NY 10017
212/889-4116
10250 Constellation Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
marinopr.com
Frank Marino, CEO
John Marino, President
Robert Barletta, Executive VP, F&B
Daniella Alkobi, SVP
Patrice Rajacic, SVP
Andrew Zimmer, SVP, Digital & Integrated Strategy
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Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, 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. Marino’s F&B team keenly understands the balance of driving sales and visibility, all within the complex distribution system, and has created a proprietary strategic communications program specifically designed for specialty foods and beverages.
Brands like McDonald’s, Fratelli Beretta, Bono Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Castellani Wines, De Nigris Balsamic Vinegar, Chelsea Market in NYC, Rosé All Day/Biagio Cru Wine & Spirits, Beak and Skiff, Pasta Toscano, Volvic, Urbanspace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Olivieri 1882, Lee Lee’s Bakery 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 such as media relations, design and creative campaign development, advertising, influencers, social media and events. The team includes experienced industry publicists and digital strategists, former food and retail reporters, recipe developers and food designers, F&B venue makers, trend analysts, foodies and oenophiles.
Padilla
1101 West River Parkway
Suite 400 (Headquarters)
Minneapolis, MN 55415
612/455-1700
PadillaCo.com
Kristen Ingraham, Senior 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 award-winning solutions.
Located in the media capital of the world—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.
Padilla’s team includes consumer brand builders; wine and spirits aficionados; digital strategists and e-commerce experts; storytellers and publicists; retail authorities and registered dietitians; culinary curators and recipe developers; and research, trends and insights specialists.
Padilla is a full-service public relations agency that transforms brands and organizations through strategically creative communications. Our work across deep areas of sector expertise in agriculture and environmental sciences, food, beverage and nutrition, health, technology and financial services, is consistently recognized by industry partners such as PRWeek, PRovoke and PRSA, among others. Padilla operates in seven cities in the U.S. through its family of brands which includes, SHIFT, FoodMinds and Joe Smith. 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. Transform with purpose at PadillaCo.com.
Pollock Communications
450 Lexington Ave., 4th Fl.
New York, NY 10017
201/410-2923
Fax: 212/334-2131
[email protected]
www.lpollockpr.com
Louise Pollock, President & CEO
Pollock Communications is an independent PR and marketing communications agency that offers cutting-edge expertise in media relations, social media strategy and content creation, targeted influencer engagement, virtual and live events, foodservice, school foodservice, retail support, crisis management, third-party alliance building and science activations for food, beverage, health, wellness and lifestyle brands and commodities.
Our annual What’s Trending in Nutrition survey, conducted in partnership with Today’s Dietitian, enables us to utilize the latest health and wellness trends on behalf of our clients. We leverage insights from this comprehensive collection of data from nutrition experts, to develop and execute impactful and successful communications campaigns.
In addition to PR practitioners and marketers, our staff includes media-savvy registered dietitians who are frequently quoted by top consumer media. Pollock Communications has built a broad network of impactful spokespeople, including media registered dietitians, celebrity chefs, social media influencers, medical doctors and scientists who are available and ready to deliver key messages for a variety of our clients in broadcast, online, print, and social media.
We believe in pushing boundaries, breaking barriers and asking, “what if?” We diligently do our homework to develop executable, strategic plans that deliver measurable results ... every time.
A Sampling of Clients Include: American Dairy Assn. Northeast, American Pulse Assn., Brightseed, Cranberry Institute, Danone North America, Dash, L-Nutra, National Watermelon Promotion Board, Orgain, PepsiCo, Inc., Quaker, Tea Assn. of the USA, Tea Council of the USA, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, USA Rice Federation and Vitapod.
RF|Binder
950 3rd Ave., Floor 8
New York, NY 10022
212/994-7600
www.rfbinder.com
Amy Binder, Founder and CEO
Rebecca Binder, President
Atalanta Rafferty, Co-Founder & Head of Food, Drinks & Nutrition Practice
Craig Blakaitis, Senior Managing Director, Food, Drinks & Nutrition Practice
From being the #1 trending topic on Twitter for the day to winning “best new food” product awards to driving the best sales growth initiative, RF|Binder is focused on driving impact and business results for food and beverage companies. Our creative work has made food and beverage brands not only pantry staples but also cultural icons. Our influencer programming drives engagement and business results, always tapping into new social communities and cultural conversations.
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
For nearly 25 years, SPM has worked with national, regional and local food, beverage and restaurant brands, integrating earned media relations, influencer partnerships, events, executive positioning and social media strategy to create campaigns that make a business impact for our clients. Clients come to us to help them drive traffic and sales, franchise development, new market entry or company acquisition for their brands.
In addition to building food and restaurant brands, we help protect brands through our robust crisis communications practice. We’ve managed thousands of client crises and our media protocol is currently deployed in restaurant locations nationwide.
Our culture-driven agency was founded on our “No Jerks” policy, which fosters strong agency-client relationships with mutual trust, respect and true partnership that allows our team to function as an extension of our clients’ marketing departments.
Current food, beverage and restaurant brand clients include Bonchon, Chuck E. Cheese, Karbach Brewing Co., la Madeleine, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Miller’s Ale House, Modern Market, Peter Piper Pizza, Pollo Campero, Shipley Do-Nuts, Utz Brands and Wildway.
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.
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For more than 35 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 like P&G and Red Bull for a wide range of services, including new product launches and sponsorship activations.
Teuwen, An Evins Communications Company
830 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
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 U.S. 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 and Frisch’s. 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.
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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.
Wilks Communications Group
448 N. LaSalle Drive, 9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60654
312/815-5505
www.wilksgrp.com
[email protected]
Gardi Wilks, President
Brad Wilks, Managing Director
Sarah Hintze, VP of Consumer & Food
Wilks Communications Group is an award-winning PR and integrated marketing communications agency with a proven track record built over 25+ years of helping food, beverage and spirits clients strengthen their brand awareness, enhance consumer engagement and drive sales.
Our client engagements range from brand campaigns and product introductions to earned and social media programs, influencer partnerships, content marketing, digital advertising, website creation and design, and more. Our expertise is derived from years spent as big agency leaders, communications professionals within large consumer packaged goods companies, as food journalists, bloggers and digital strategists. We pride ourselves on our deep understanding of food and beverage trends and helping food brands build strong emotional connections with their consumers and customers. We are results-oriented and purpose-driven, which is why many of our client relationships span years and even decades.
Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio at a press event for 360PR+ client, Do Good Chicken, which fights food waste and combats climate change by upcycling surplus grocery food into nutritious chicken feed—serving up delicious chicken to tables everywhere.
Sam Adams Founder Jim Koch at Brewing the American Dreams’ Crafting Dreams Beer Bash event in September 2022. Sam Adams is a 5W client.
The Brand Agency worked with Wendy’s to celebrate the launch of its Strawberry Frosty with Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz at our client’s venue, Offsunset. Go to www.thebrand-agency.com/work/wendys-x-offsunset/ to view the case study from our website. Photo credit: Getty Images for Wendy’s
VIP guests, including media and influencers, strike a pose at the Jove Summer Refresh campaign launch event in Miami. Jove is a CIIC client.
Team Champion at your service!
Coyne’s support of PEEPS® during the Easter season includes working with many of the biggest brands in the world for strategic partnerships.
The Marino team regularly spearheads media and influencer trips overseas for clients from its F&B group. Last October, Marino EVP Robert Barletta, led a trip to Sicily, attended by media and influencers, to showcase the annual olive harvest in the Val di Mazara region, home to Bono, an agency client and one of the largest producers of extra virgin olive oil in Italy. Attendees experienced every aspect of the harvesting process, from picking olives to the bottling of the award-winning olive oil. Photo: Barletta (left) and Jim Pescatore (right), Bono USA’s VP of Sales, at the ancient ruins of Segesta in Sicily.
Crown Royal, the official whisky sponsor of the NFL, released its first-ever Super Bowl spot in 2023 and looked to Taylor to cement its role on game day. Taylor created excitement and intrigue for the commercial, keeping Crown Royal at the forefront of the Super Bowl conversation with a steady drumbeat of coverage in top-tier outlets like “TODAY,” Forbes, and Ad Age. Extending the generosity platform captured in the ad, Taylor and the brand continued to drive attention for the spot in Phoenix through Generosity Food Trucks, an event honoring military veterans, and Radio Row interviews with partners delivering a slew of regional and national press. The campaign garnered more than 7.6B media impressions and 1.2K placements.
Trevelino/Keller Announces the Launch of the First Original Hot Chicken Concept Featuring Special Guest, Joey Chestnut, the World’s Greatest Competitive Eater.
