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The saying goes that perception doesn’t always meet reality. As brand owners look to meet the evolving needs of American consumers, understanding the habits, perceptions and intentions can be crucial when striving to build brand loyalty.

Having been to Alaska on three occasions, I couldn’t help noticing that the beautiful glaciers have receded more with each time I visited, which is impacting wildlife, oceans and the overall environment.

Today’s industrial environment is filled with ways to increase profit, meet challenges of competition, improve market share, reduce operating costs, and manage state-of-the-art production and distribution facilities throughout the supply chain.

It’s hard to believe that only a year ago (April 6, 2016, to be exact) Facebook Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced via a Facebook post that Facebook Live was available to all Facebook users.

When conversing with a friend recently, I realized how much I “consume” information. I follow various local, state and national news outlets. The stack of books that I plan to read this summer includes more non-fiction than fiction. My “to watch” list is filled more with documentaries than scripted TV. However, I won’t pretend that reality shows aren’t on in the background while I am doing chores or cooking meals.

In the beverage, supply chain and packaging markets, tradeshow season is in full swing. I recently attended ProMat and ProFood Tech at McCormick Place in Chicago, and will be heading to Las Vegas later this month to attend the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo, which will take place June 26-28.

Across the total beverage spectrum, the results in volume, market share and profit have been less than desirable for the past three to five years at least. Many factors have affected increases and decreases; however, the cost of producing a case of sellable beverages for the market begs a major question: what is the total production cost for each case?