Beverage-makers employ a variety of methods to get their products from the manufacturer or distributor into the retailers.  

 Summer is usually prime time for beverage sales.  

With its four-county territory in southeastern Wisconsin incorporating special event venues such as sports arenas, concert venues and festival grounds, Beer Capitol Distributing Co. Inc., Sussex, Wis., offers enhanced service to these accounts during busy time periods, explains Aldo Madrigrano, chief executive officer of the company. 

 Transporting cases, crates, kegs and additional point-of-sale items from warehouses and trucks into retailers often is a physically demanding task.  

 The fictional personal ad in the song “Escape” famously seeks someone who likes piña coladas.  

 In an effort to save money, today’s recession-shocked shoppers continue to evolve their retail tactics.  

Preston, Wash.-based TalkingRain Beverage Co. recently placed a focus on its Sparkling Ice enhanced water brand, which in turn has experienced a national surge. 

Since 2008, the sports drink category has grown to include more than 650 UPCs, explained Susan Viamari, editor of Chicago-based SymphonyIRI Group’s Times & Trends, during the market research firm’s “Merchandising Trends” webinar in February.