The Davos of Beverages: How Danny Stepper built an empire and brought 1,300 industry leaders to Manhattan Beach
by Mark McDermott In 1994, Danny Stepper was wearing a uniform and a back belt, stocking Coca-Cola shelves at a Food 4 Less in Pacoima. His boss, Robert Macias, would call the store at 4:30 in the morning over the loudspeaker to check on him. The rules were simple: park in the back of the lot, bring in five shopping carts before your shift starts, and remember the store receiver is the most important person in the building. If it’s cold it’s sold. Eye to thigh placements only. But the most important part wasn’t about the beverages. It was about the people. “They have to like you, Stepper,” Macias would tell him. “If they don’t like you, you won’t win, college boy.” Stepper would be promoted 14 times in nine years within the Coca-Cola system, eventually running the company’s business with Costco — a relationship that would lead to more than $1 billion in business for his own companies over the past decade alone. Three decades later, Stepper is the CEO and co-founder of L.A. Libations, one of the most influential beverage incubators in the country. He has brokered deals with Molson Coors, Coca-Cola, and Keurig Dr Pepper. He has launched brands with Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Obama…
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