Breakthru Beverage Canada

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Breakthru Beverage Canada

Breakthru Beverage Canada is one of the leading alcoholic beverage companies in Canada. Having operated for nearly a century in the United States, Breakthru Beverage Canada was launched in 2014 bringing a plethora of resources to its Canadian operations, including a proprietary training and development platform, market analytics, the latest technology, and renowned category expertise. We partner with world class producers and suppliers to bring a broad portfolio of wine, spirits, beer and ready-to-drink coolers to Canada. The Breakthru Beverage Canada team comprises an extensive sales force equipped with advanced brand knowledge and industry-leading selling resources to drive market share for our suppliers at the local level. We collaborate closely with provincial and territorial government authorities, as well as retail and hospitality partners, offering consultancy on how they can amplify their business growth using the exceptional brands that our suppliers have to offer.

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Leadership

Supporting the company's core operations and strategic vision is the Breakthru Beverage leadership team.

Sam David
Executive Vice President

Sam David

Executive Vice President

Responsible for all aspects of the Canadian market is Sam David, who previously held the role of Vice President of Finance for Breakthru Beverage Canada. He has vast experience in the Canadian market and has been a part of the Canadian executive leadership team for eight years. As the Vice President of Finance, he provided insights and recommendations for strategic decision making and partnered with executive leadership to deliver overall business performance. Prior to joining Breakthru, Sam served in progressive leadership roles with Diageo Canada and as Recipe Unlimited.

Lorraine Ventresca
Vice President, United Division

Lorraine Ventresca

Vice President, United Division

Leading the Canadian Sales Team is Lorraine Ventresca, formerly the Regional Vice President of Sales, Ontario, and National Trade Director for Breakthru Beverage Canada. Previous to her roles within Breakthru Beverage Canada Lorraine held various positions at Diageo Canada. During her 18 years tenure she led various teams in her capacity as Director, Sales Capability and Development, Director Customer Marketing, Director Pricing and Category Management. Her broad cross functional knowledge makes Lorraine well equipped to manage and lead the Canadian Sales team.

Ryan Hannah
Vice President, Apex Portfolio and Business Development

Ryan Hannah

Vice President, Apex Portfolio and Business Development

Leading Breakthru Beverage Canada’s commercial route to market for supplier partners is Ryan Hannah, formerly, Vice President - Trade Development at Breakthru Beverage Canada. Prior to his roles at Breakthru Beverage Canada, Ryan held roles in brand marketing, trade marketing, market research, analytics, and commercial strategy, across the Automotive, Financial and Beverage Alcohol Industries. His deep understanding of the Canadian Beverage Alcohol Industry and dynamic commercial experience contribute to the continued success of Breakthru Beverage across the Canadian marketplace.

Lindsay St. Jean
Vice President, Pinnacle Division

Lindsay St. Jean

Vice President, Pinnacle Division

Lindsay St Jean is the Vice President of Trade Development - Canada.

Previous to her role within Breakthru Beverage Lindsay gained diverse experience in brand marketing, trade marketing, on-premise chain account management and national sales, holding various leadership positions within the industry at Diageo Canada, Modelo Molson Imports, AB InBev - Labatt and Pernod Ricard - Corby. During her 14 years she has led National teams as National Commercial Manager, Sr. Manager National Accounts, Sr. Manager Trade Marketing and Director On-premise Strategic Channel Development. Her cross functional leadership experience makes Lindsay well equipped to execute the trade strategy.

In addition, she was co-chair for one of Breakthru’s first associate resource groups 2021-2022, Women Who Breakthru – a community designed to create a space of representation, inclusion, and support for women to engage and grow.

Lindsay is extremely passionate about authentic mentorship and spends her spare time coaching women in the industry through career advancement as well as connecting her network with top talent who have migrated to Canada from abroad.

Kermit Grant
Vice President, Human Resources

Kermit Grant

Vice President, Human Resources

Leading the Company’s people agenda, Kermit is a seasoned Human Resource Professional with over 18 years HR experience . He joined the Breakthru Beverage team from Diageo Canada where he provided HR Business Partner services for the sales and marketing team across the country.

Ian Buchanan
Senior Director of Business Analytics

Ian Buchanan

Senior Director of Business Analytics

Ian Buchanan joined Breakthru Beverage after his successful tenure at Brown-Forman Canada as their commercial business manager. He has already built a long career in the alcohol industry, having served in various positions for more than 12 years at Corby Distilleries, including commercial insights manager and manager of business analysis. His strong passion for analytics and solid experience as a commercial leader make him an invaluable part of the culture at Breakthru Beverage Canada. Outside of the office, Buchanan is an active volleyball player and an avid runner who has completed four marathons.

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Wesley Kwong
Senior Director of Field Coaching & Development

Wesley Kwong

Senior Director of Field Coaching & Development

Leading the Learning, Leadership and Sales Solution department is Wesley Kwong. Previous to joining Breakthru Beverage Canada, he held various positions at E&J Gallo Winery Canada Ltd. During his 11 years in the industry he has led numerous teams in a variety of roles, while managing the Barefoot Wine & Bubbly brands across Canada. His broad experience working cross functionally with internal and external stakeholders across a global organization makes him well equipped to lead the Learning, Leadership and Sales Solution team in Canada.

Priyanka Parekh
Vice President, Finance

Priyanka Parekh

Vice President, Finance

Leading Breakthru Beverage Canada's finance organization is Priyanka Parekh with over 15 years of experience in corporate finance and accounting. She is responsible for driving strategic and financially sound decisions while ensuring financial integrity for the Canadian business. Prior to joining Breakthru, Priyanka held various finance and accounting leadership roles with global CPG companies such as Kraft Foods, Mondelez International, Weston Foods and Goodfood Market. Priyanka is passionate about creating high performing and highly engaged teams with a continuous improvement mindset to deliver consistent best-in-class performance. Priyanka is a Business Administration graduate from the University of Toronto and a CPA with Chartered Professional Accountants Canada.

Charles L’Ecuyer
Regional VP (East), United Division

Charles L’Ecuyer

Regional VP (East), United Division

Charles leads the Quebec and Atlantic teams that compose the East region. He joined Breakthru Beverage Canada at its inception in 2014. Charles has +20 years in the beverage industry, being in the hospitality before joining Breakthru. He possesses cross-functional leadership experience from his past roles: Key Account Manager, District Manager, Learning & Development Manager & Sommelier. Holder of a Bachelor in Economy & Politics at Laval University and an MBA at UQAM, he is a solution-oriented individual, who thrives human-connection and is eager to deliver consistent execution with his team.

Gareth King
Regional VP (Ontario), United Division

Gareth King

Regional VP (Ontario), United Division

Leading the Ontario sales region is Gareth King. Prior to his role within Breakthru Beverage Canada, Gareth held various positions in the industry both here in Canada with Diageo, Bacardi and Sleeman Breweries and in the UK with Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands and various on-premise operators. With over 15 year’s experience, he has led large commercial teams and successfully managed large customers including the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). Holding positions of National Account Manager, Business Development Manager, Key account Manager, Sales Director and Performance Management Director, he has a wealth of cross functional leadership experience that means Gareth is well equipped to manage and lead the largest region in Canada.

Jay Osier
Regional VP (West), United Division

Jay Osier

Regional VP (West), United Division

Jay is a determined leader with over 15 years of beverage alcohol experience who is passionate about working with his team to solve problems and influence people.

Prior to joining us in 2014, he held various commercial roles with Anheuser-Busch InBev and Modelo Molson Imports.

Jay holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria.

Robin Whyte
Regional Director (East), Pinnacle Division

Robin Whyte

Regional Director (East), Pinnacle Division

Robin leads the Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic teams that compose the East region for the Pinnacle Division within Canada. Robin joined Breakthru Beverage Canada after nearly a decade with Pernod Ricard �� Corby where she held various leadership positions, including Sales Manager, Key Account Manager, Commercial Manager and Director of Sales. Prior to her time at Corby, Robin spent 7 years with PepsiCo Beverages Canada in sales and operations leadership roles across Ontario and the Atlantics. Robin has a strong background in successfully building and motivating large cross functional teams in a highly competitive and fast paced environment. Robin is well equipped to lead the Canada East team.

Our Brands

With an unrivaled portfolio, we support the sale of an extensive range of different brands across Canada, including:

Our Capabilities

At Breakthru Beverage Canada we offer full-service sales and commercial marketing solutions for our supplier partners. With one of the largest sales forces in the country calling on every province and territory, our model is built on breadth and depth to deliver best in market performance. Alongside our regional sales execution teams our Key Account Management team is committed to driving sales and new business opportunities through our liquor board partners, major retailers and key hospitality groups across the country.

Our dedicated Portfolio Management team works closely with our supplier partners building long term commercially strategic plans to drive brand awareness and deliver growth for our suppliers. Offering in house operations and revenue management, our team collaborates with suppliers on developing pricing strategies across the country along with forecasting, inventory management, demand planning and much more. Through investment in business intelligence solutions, we can provide extensive business analytics and insights to our supplier partners. This combined with the plethora of experience that our regional experts bring to the business allows us to provide strategic direction on route to market solutions for our suppliers.

At Breakthru Beverage Canada we are committed to building value for our suppliers and customers alike, through developing long term partnerships where we can continue to bring some of the world’s leading alcoholic beverage brands to Canadian consumers while we work to create the place where everyone wants to work.

Become a Customer

Have a question or want to learn more about how we can do business together in Canada? Contact a Breakthru Beverage representative at one of our locations across the country, see below for more information.

Contact Us

Ontario Consignment �� Order Wine & Spirits Direct

Through our Ontario Consignment division, we offer a leading portfolio of wine and spirits that promises unparalleled quality without compromising value. With a vast range of products from everyday price points through to super premium collectables, we can help you find the perfect bottle. Our dynamic team of wine experts work with key hospitality partners across Ontario, bringing world-renowned wines to some of the best restaurant wine lists in the province. Through our home delivery service, our dedicated customer service team works tirelessly to ensure that your favorite wines are delivered to you on time throughout the year.

Dive into our world, and toast to excellence with every sip!

For further information on how to order our wines in Ontario feel free to contact us at 647-790-0557 / Email: [email protected]

To view our Ontario consignment wine and vermouth offerings, please download our PDF price list below:

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Breakthru Beverage Canada

Leadership