What is BevReview.com?
BevReview.com provides beverage reviews and updates on a variety of carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, and other types of liquid refreshment. I'm your host, Steve Tanner, a beverage enthusiast who has been writing reviews via my personal blog since 2001.
I'm not an expert or industry professional by any means (and I'm sure many will offer their opinions to confirm that!) Rather, I'm just a guy who is fascinated by the development of various beverages, especially from the perspective of marketing and promotion. Together with our friends at ChefTalk.com, I hope to be your guide as we discuss the trends, observations, and upcoming challenges seen in this field, often noting how they relate to the hospitality industry.
About your Host
I live in Chicago with my wife, Amy. Because of our metropolitan location, we have access to a vast amount of beverages to taste and review. When not rambling about soft drinks, I work as the Internet Director for a non-profit organization. Amy often chimes in as well with her thoughts on various beverages… when she is not working as a play therapist for kids.
You'll often find my writings reflect a rather consumer-oriented approach, with a nice dose of sarcasm thrown in for good measure. Professionally, my background has involved journalism, copywriting, broadcasting, Internet startups, and various levels of marketing, which often influence my perception of a beverage. Peppered in that life experience is some time spent in institutional food service management, so I know what it's like to cater to the needs of a larger audience via various food and beverage offerings.
All in all, there are some interesting drinks out there… I'm going to taste them… and then I'm going to review them. I hope you find some amusement in your day through that process!
What's the deal with the tree?
One unique aspect of my beverage reviews is the photography. Each item I review is personally photographed… in front of a tree. I get a lot of questions about this, so I might as well tell the story!
Many years ago, I purchased my first digital camera. I was putting it through its paces, testing out all the features. I wanted to give the close-up feature (often called the "macro" setting) a trial run. So I grabbed a pop bottle we had in our kitchen with the intent of taking a macro photo of the label. However, the lighting just wasn't right. Thus, I hopped outside to take the photo. Looking for a colorful place full of good contrast, I situated the bottle in front of a tree, capturing both the green of the grass and the texture of the bark. I took my photo.
Looking for some online content for our personal blog, I wanted to post the photo… but figured that I should probably write a little about the item before sharing it with the world. Thus, a review, complete with a photo in front of the "Beverage Review Tree" was born. The tree and location have changed over the years, but the tradition continues!
Thanks for spending some time on BevReview.com!
