Our Story

“Making a beverage is hard. We know; we do it every day.”

Ask Dave Dafoe about the strangest drink he’s ever made, and the answer will fall somewhere between sushi moonshine and green bean casserole soda. “We can get dead-on with these things, and we like the challenge. But they tasted horrible.” It is true. Most people do not like to drink their favorite meal. These novelty flavor requests come mostly from hosts of national television shows like Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” and Discovery Channel’s “Moonshiners”, and Flavorman is always up to the challenge.

A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Dave launched his career in Louisville, Kentucky at Brown-Forman Corporation, developing some of the global spirits giant’s biggest brands. In the early 1990s he struck out on his own, starting a modest beverage development consulting company with the unique mission of helping clients from start through finish®. Dave’s first customer? Chiquita Brands.

As word spread about Flavorman’s innovative approach and collaborative methods, companies like Ocean Spray, Sunsweet Growers, and Kellogg started calling. Dave worked hard to assemble a specialized team of experts in beverage product development to keep up with orders and expand Flavorman’s services.

“We don’t see it as working for our clients; we work with them to develop their product and get it through production.”

Though developing drinks behind major brands for global companies is a gateway to notoriety, client confidentiality is integral to Flavorman’s excellent reputation in the industry. Flavorman makes custom beverages for clients. Many of those clients prefer not to disclose who does their beverage development work, and that is a decision Dave wholly respects and supports. “So even though I can’t tell you most of the drinks we’ve developed, I can guarantee you’ve enjoyed something we’ve made.”

Beverage entrepreneurs have always been the cornerstone of Flavorman’s success. No one understands the passion, vision, and risk involved in starting a company better than Dave, and he takes great pride in structuring Flavorman’s services to walk clients through the technical ins and outs of developing and manufacturing the product that will be the foundation of their business.

“We have established our business model so that our success is entirely tied up in our clients’ success.”

With a passion for making great beverages, the Flavorman team brings the best of both science and art to every project. Their total teamwork and collaborative approach has been key in differentiating Flavorman as a pioneer in beverage innovation, speed-to-market, and exemplary service.

Some of the world’s leading food and beverage companies, along with hundreds of entrepreneurs, have turned to Flavorman for beverage development. What began as a one-man consulting firm in the early 1990s has grown into an international full-service beverage development company providing both large and small clients with all the expertise they need to bring a beverage to market – from concept development to manufacturing planning and quality control.