The Spearhead Group is a proud member of The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
The 2022 DISCUS conference in New Orleans will focus on America’s spirits industry and the theme “Stronger Together.” With leading distillery experts, trade professionals, and industry stakeholders presenting, attendees have the opportunity to share ideas and initiate innovation. For the second year, The Spearhead Group is proud to sponsor the Innovation Showcase, where six finalists will present their creative innovations in packaging, technology, sustainability, product development and more!
Check out the bios of the Six Finalists below on behalf of DISCUS and read more on their website.
Bacardi’s vision is to be the world’s leading premium spirits house, loved for its iconic brands, that bring people together for exceptional drinks’ experiences. Bacardi cares about the impact of what they do, not just today but for the next century. In fiscal year 2022, to support their global Good Spirited strategy, they are leading the development and execution of new secondary packaging for NAM brands and customers to eliminate almost 80 tons of plastic in nearly 1.5 million pieces of packaging!
Endless West is a beverage technology startup that uses innovative methods in molecular science to create its own blend of spirits. Through the use of their technology, Endless West is able to produce spirits with lower impact on the natural resources used to make spirits in the traditional methods. The resource-efficient process allowed them to produce Glyph, a molecular spirit inspired by whiskey, with 94 percent less water and 92 percent less agricultural land use in comparison to traditional whiskey-making processes.
Polytechnic University of Francisco I Madero (UPFIM)
Polytechnic University of Francisco I. Madero is a higher-education institution that develops research for sustainable innovation about semi-desert resources and biodiversity in Hidalgo, Mexico. UPFIM has developed a process to distill beverage alcohol based on mesquite pods and the respective aging process using the seed’s hard coat to get a delicate, unique and extraordinary spirit from the semidesert.
SoMax Circular Solutions is a resource recovery and carbon management company that converts liabilities into assets. By implementing their resource recover platform, distilleries can convert byproducts into renewable energy or carbon sinks that lower greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and save distilleries money by eliminating disposal costs and extended byproduct supply chains.
Two Trees Beverage Co. Inc. helps bring premium, sustainably matured products to the market in the spirits, beer, wine and ready-to-drink (RTD) categories. Sustainable maturation can reduce deforestation and CO2 emissions, improve the environment, mitigate climate change, solve supply chain issues, positively impact your bottom line, future proof your business and uncover a world of premium wood-crafted innovations.
Tapi Group Ikigai – Sowing Life brings to the sake market a fresh and trendy proposal with three unique infusions: pear, peach and lychee. Its innovative packaging concept revolves around the word that gives name to the brand “Ikigai,” which translates from Japanese as “finding purpose in life.” With the purpose of being an enabler of life and joy to its consumers after the products first life cycle has ended, and through the rebirth of the same fruit that once infused Ikigai, it can then be used to spice or infuse upcoming creations while building an everlasting circle of life.