Ascend Beverage Solutions

Ascend Beverage Solutions is a specialized consulting firm that helps beverage companies navigate complex markets and unlock sustainable growth. With deep industry expertise across wholesalers, suppliers, and retailers, the company provides data-driven strategies tailored to create sustained growth for beverage brands. Founded by Chris Russell, a seasoned beverage industry executive with over 25 years of experience, Ascend offers comprehensive services including distribution optimization, go-to-market strategy development, team building, and strategic decision support. The company serves as an extension of client teams, identifying opportunities and overcoming obstacles in the competitive beverage industry. Chris Russell's background spans all tiers of the alcohol beverage industry, from his early days as a driver-salesman at a family beer distributor to leadership roles at D.G. Yuengling, Oskar Blues Brewery, CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, and Monster Brewing Company. His expertise includes building distribution networks, negotiating agreements, conducting market analysis, and successfully launching new brands. Ascend's core services include leadership coaching and mentoring, development of execution processes and dashboards for distribution expansion, business planning and wholesaler management, distribution network building and refinement, comprehensive pricing analysis and strategy, portfolio management with analytics-focused approaches, commercial strategy for product launches and market expansion, and national account strategy for chain accounts across all channels. The company brings comprehensive industry knowledge, leadership and team development expertise, data-driven strategy and execution capabilities, and business development and brand building expertise to help beverage companies of all sizes achieve growth at any stage of their development.