For the Love of Flavor, Palm Bay International's Diana Novak

Diana Novak joined Palm Bay International in 2010, one of the leading wine and spirits importers in the country, to spearhead education for the spirits portfolio and serve as a connection between distributors and key accounts in Chicago and the Midwest markets. Diana was promoted as the National Director of Craft Spirits Education in fall 2013 – a role she continues to hold today. In her capacity as National Director, she can be found creating the cocktails for the national market and educating each segment of business about a wide array of spirits categories, competitive sets, and how to use spirits in new and exciting ways.

Following her passion for food and drink led her to pursue a degree from the esteemed Johnson and Wales University. Diana began formally bartending during college and after graduation and returned to her home in North Carolina to continue her growth in the bar industry. There she opened a team with the Carolina Hospitality Group. Using flavor and texture skills combined with pure experimentation, Diana developed a fast consumer following by creating unique and thoughtful cocktails.

She studied in Jerez, Spain with the Consejo Regulador of the Sherry Triangle, ultimately receiving her certificate as a sherry expert and educator in September 2019.  She has also achieved certifications in BarSmarts, WSET II Spirits and is studying for the WSET III Spirits. Diana has been featured in Tasting Panel Magazine for her cocktails featuring Los Amantes Mezcal, Boulard Calvados, and more. Her recipe, "Smoke, Spice, and Everything Nice," recently won the About.com "Savory Cocktail" competition and was most recently awarded "Best Gin Cocktail" at San Antonio Cocktail Conference 2019.  She was also featured as a guest editor for Chilled Magazine in 2018.

In this episode…

Are you looking to discover quality brands from across the globe that offer authenticity? How do you promote your wine and spirit brand uniquely and in an eye-catching way?

For Diana Novak, creating flavorful recipes is a way to establish a personal connection to the brands she represents. With her background in the culinary arts, Diana uses her flavor skills to experiment with wines and spirits to craft brand-promoting cocktails. She has built a stellar team across the United States focused on brand education, loyalty, and integration.

Listen to this episode of the Alexi Cashen Podcast to hear from Diana Novak, National Director of Crafts Spirits Education for Palm Bay International. Alexi and Diana discuss how to establish an emotional connection between brands and consumers, how digital media is scaling brand loyalty and education, and how Diana fuses flavors to build unique portfolios for clients.