Who is Latis?
Meet the founders – dedicated beer guys.
Meet our founders. Two guys who know a thing or two about importing (and drinking) quality beer.
David van Wees, CEO and Co-Founder
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Some may think David’s love of beer is his Canadian birthright, but there’s so much more to it. Before starting Latis Imports with his colleague, friend and now business partner, Anthony Giardina, David worked his way up through the beer industry, ultimately landing the top spot as VP of marketing for InBev USA’s $500 million premium beer portfolio in October 2005. Prior to that he was VP of global brands leading marketing efforts for the company’s flagship Stella Artois ($2 billion in gross sales) and the company’s new brand development.
The global VP spot at InBev took David and his family overseas to Brussels, Belgium, InBev’s world headquarters, where he drove near double-digit global growth on Stella Artois and led the development of a much-lauded advertising campaign for the brew’s Cannes Film Festival sponsorship that landed them a Bessie and Cannes Golden Lion award.
Before becoming a premium import guru, David headed up the turn around of the Rolling Rock brand that included elaborate and creative consumer promotions that helped put the iconic green bottle and its mysterious “33” back on the map.
Like his business partner, Anthony, David learned the beer business from the field up, starting in sales and marketing for Labatt Breweries in his native Toronto, Canada. His beer career took off from there and he landed in southern California as director of western division sales and field marketing for 13 states managing InBev’s 15 brand $100+ million beer portfolio.
David is an avid skier and an even more of an avid food lover. If there’s an off-the-beaten-path restaurant to discover, David will do it or has done it. He’s just as enthusiastic about a good burger at a dusty diner as he is about a four star meal in a swanky New York restaurant.
He lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut with his wife, three boys, a baby girl and a heck of a lot of specialty craft beer. The top floor of his house is currently home to Latis world headquarters. “My hope,” he says, “or rather my wife’s hope, is to grow out of our headquarters very soon.” With the growth of craft beer and the swift emergence of PALM Ale in the lower Manhattan scene, that hope is very much becoming a reality.
David earned an MBA from Sacred Heart University Fairfield Connecticut and a bachelor’s in business administration from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. After college, David toured Europe playing rugby and working.
Anthony Giardina, COO and Co-Founder
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Nearly a decade at InBev USA, Anthony made his mark on the beer scene by holding several senior level brand management positions for some of the country’s household name imports.
Anthony learned the beer business from the ground-up, starting in the field working closely with wholesalers. During his tenure at InBev Anthony never forgot his experience in the field and viewed his job through the eyes of the wholesalers and field marketers who taught him the business. He was instrumental in calling sales and marketing strategy for Stella Artois in the U.S. Chances are, if you thought you’d discovered a quaint Belgian beer named Stella Artois in a bar or restaurant in Park City - Utah, San Diego, San Francisco or any other top import market, Anthony’s creative grass roots marketing campaigns probably had something to do with it. While senior brand manager for Belgian brands in the U.S., Stella Artois maintained its “fastest growing import” position (+63%) in 2005.
One true definition of Anthony’s passion for beer is his love of pairing it with great food. While heading up the Belgian brands for InBev USA he created a big PR and retailer hit – “Cuisine a la Biere” a fine dining promotion focused on educating consumers about the company’s Beer & Food Pairing program. Retailers and wholesalers liked what they saw and soon Albertson’s was rolling it out in their 1,300-unit grocery chain.
Anthony’s import brand stewardship at InBev didn’t stop at Stella Artois. There were many brands that thrived under his direction, among them Labatt Blue, Blue Light, Lowenbrau, Bogddingtons, Bass Pale Ale, Hoegaarden and Leffe. Brand re-launches became Anthony’s specialty and his revitalization of Bass Pale Ale and Lowenbrau’s packaging, advertising and internet presence garnered much industry attention.
Before joining the beer industry, Anthony led marketing efforts for Fruit of the Loom’s $100 million licensed sports brand - Pro Player Sports Apparel where he managed and leveraged the brand’s sponsorships of the NHL, NFL, MLB an Pro Player Stadium.
Anthony lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with this wife, three kids and a slew of hockey sticks. He is just as passionate about hockey and beer today as he was when he played in college. So much so, that he plays twice a week from 10-11:30 PM and follows up every game with a beer. When he’s not chasing pucks he’s carving turns on the slopes of Park City, UT or any slopes that have a great selection of beers in the lodge.
Anthony holds an MBA from University of Notre Dame Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Marketing with a minor in Mathematics from Fairfield University.