CHICAGO, Nov. 2, 2023 — InvestBev, the private equity firm dedicated to the adult beverage industry, is thrilled to announce a strategic expansion of its advisory board and leadership team. Maggie Lapcewich, former Chief Growth Officer of Breakthru Beverage Group, joined the company’s Advisory Board while Esther Park, former Global Brand Vice President at Molson Coors, joined as VP of Portfolio.
The expansion comes on the heels of rapid growth for InvestBev’s parent company, Growth Beverage, which in 2023 launched the Sprout Beverage accelerator for emerging brand and Algoma Capital, a $100 million loan provider dedicated to supporting whiskey brands and distilleries.
“We are thrilled to welcome Maggie and Esther to our team and to intensify our ongoing commitment to supporting independent beverage brands,” said Brian Rosen, Founder and Chairman of Growth Beverage. “We believe the adult beverage sector will continue on its historical path of delivering recession-resilient, uncorrelated growth. With the expansion of both our services and team, we believe we are well-positioned to support brands at every stage of their journey during this exciting time for the industry.”
Lapcewich, formerly the Chief Growth Officer of Breakthru Beverage Group, has over 30 years of experience in all facets of the beverage alcohol industry. Preceding her successes at Breakthru and Wirtz Beverage, she held multiple roles within Diageo Plc, serving as President of Diageo Canada, President of Global Tequilas, President of U.S. National Accounts, and General Manager for several U.S. markets and regions. Before that, she was in sales leadership at E&J Gallo Winery. Her extensive knowledge in both the supplier and distributor tiers of the three-tier system will be invaluable to InvestBev and its portfolio companies.
Park is an accomplished global brand builder and results-focused commercial executive who has led marketing and innovation for industry leaders such as Molson Coors, Bacardi, Grey Goose, Dewar’s, Revlon, and Procter and Gamble. As VP of Portfolio, Park is responsible for partnering with InvestBev’s portfolio companies to enhance their operations, problem-solve, and drive growth.
This is the third leadership hire within the Growth Beverage Group portfolio of brands over the past 12 months. Additional hires this year include Molson Coor’s Gustavo Aguirre who joined the firm as VP of Innovation for Sprout Beverage, and Michael Koehler, VP of Algoma Capital, who was most recently at BMO Harris Bank.
About Growth Beverage
Growth Beverage is a collective of companies that include InvestBev, Sprout Beverage, Algoma Capital, and BevStrat. It is the only organization that supports independent beverage brands at every stage of their growth journeys – from start to store to scale. Companies in the Growth Beverage ecosystem can receive support with incubation and accelerator, retail distribution, venture funding, and operating capital. To learn more, visit growthbeverage.com.
About InvestBev
Founded by Brian Rosen in 2015, InvestBev Group, a division of Growth Beverage, has grown to become a top adult beverage private equity firm. Helmed by 3rd generation industry veteran Brian Rosen, IBG has raised nearly $200 million over the last four funds, as well as a $100 million credit fund called Algoma Cap. They specialize in short return windows while offering non-correlated investing as a cornerstone of their strategy.
