Building Relationships

Sidewalk Side Spirits came into being because of the Covid-19 pandemic. John Eason was the US CEO of a Tequila company whose business was primarily on-premise. When the bars and restaurants closed, the business ground to a halt. To conserve financial reserves, Tromba did what many small companies were forced to do. It’s ownership team and senior management endured salary cuts and employees were furloughed. During this challenging time, I had an idea for a brand. “My partners Max Messier and Lauren Myerscough, the owners of Cocktail & Son’s had a King Cake Cocktail Syrup. I thought that would pair exceptionally well with a rum cream product. I was fortunate to have friends that owned Rum Chata and they agreed to make the product for me,” explains John. “We made 2,500 9lt cases and shipped them all between 5 states that all have some Mardi Gras celebration. Although Mardi Gras was canceled, the product was a big hit. We are now on our third Mardi Gras season and the product has done over $1.2 million in sales.”

Having spent five years working for Brown Forman, John was deeply influenced by one of his first bosses, Johnny Manuel. He was a fantastic trainer who taught John about pricing, programming, and distributor management. “I was also fortunate to work with Block Distributing (One of the founding companies of RNDC) as their Brown Forman rep. Their management team and ownership took me in and taught me how to work with the distributor,” adds John. “In terms of supplier companies that I admire, It’s impossible to ignore the influence of Bill Goldring and Mark Brown at Sazerac or Max Shapira and his family at Heaven Hill. I enjoy the alcoholic beverage industry because it is still controlled by family-owned companies, and relationships still mean something.”

John enjoys having quality conversations. Being a straightforward leader, John likes to sit across people, ask them about a brewing challenge, and brainstorm ways to resolve the issue. “I expect my partners and our contract workers to be honest about the issues they face selling our products. I want a collaborative process working on overcoming these objections together. No surprises. High expectations,” he adds. “Since our industry is fast-paced, and trends are constantly changing. I rely on data and my instincts. When they are aligned, I find good things usually happen. I’m also blessed to have a very diverse group of friends from all tiers of our industry. That network has a wealth of information, and we look out for each other.”

When John launched Gambino’s King Cake Rum Cream, they had to decide quickly whether to launch the product due to the pandemic. At the time, they didn’t know if there would be a Mardi Gras. “I raised a little bit of friends and family money and raided my 401K to get the necessary capital. We started seeing retail stores doing big business as On-Premise closed. To risk everything or delay until next year?” elucidates John. “That was the question. Since the festivities were canceled, we took a chance that people would be clamoring for any Mardi Gras reminder. Republic National took the chance with us and did a great job getting store distribution. The brand flew off the shelves. Two years later we are the stewards of a seasonal but up-and-coming iconic brand.”

One of John’s favorite jobs was working at a major distributor as a Sales Division General Manager. They had a significant supplier year-end number to bring in. Sidewalk Side Spirits had to break down that goal by 200 salespeople around the state, encompassing several branches. First, John had to ensure the different components had the appropriate programming in place to achieve the goal.

Since it was such a big increase, He had to travel around the state to each branch, stressing the importance of making that number and firing up the sales force to work hard to get it. “We had to make pitches to major retailers for displays and features getting everyone all aligned. Everyone had to have skin in the game. So many people had to be pulling the same way for us to be successful!” says John.

After the success of their 1st brand, it is time for Sidewalk Side Spirits to launch the second! They launch 86-proof, Hardhide Ponchatoula Strawberry Whiskey in December in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Nashville. Having produced 1,500 9lt cases and will be ready to make an additional 10,000 in February. “With that we will open South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, and possibly Mississippi and Alabama. The brand is made using quality 3-year-old wheat bourbon, light American Whiskey, and fresh strawberries from the Johndale Farm in Ponchatoula, La. We blend it at the Porchjam Distillery in New Orleans,” says John.