Welcome To

Breakthru Beverage Canada

With operations in Canada starting in 2014, Breakthru Beverage, formerly known as Wirtz Beverage, expanded to an international footprint becoming the exclusive broker for Diageo spirits and beer brands throughout the country. The Breakthru Beverage team is made up of a sales force who are equipped with advanced brand knowledge and industry leading selling resources in order to drive Diageo’s market share at the local level. Breakthru Beverage has been in operations for nearly a century in the United States and has brought to its Canada operations a vast amount of resources, including a proprietary training and development platform, market analytics, the latest technology, and renowned category expertise with the Diageo Reserve team. Breakthru Beverage works closely with provincial and territorial government authorities and independent retailers to consult on how they can grow their businesses with the great brands that Diageo has to offer.

Leadership

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

Julian Burzynski
President, Canada

Julian Burzynski

President, Canada

As a 30 year veteran of the beverage alcohol industry, Julian Burzynski serves as Breakthru Beverage Group’s President, Canada. Julian oversees the portfolio's dedicated selling divisions across the Breakthru Beverage markets, and leads the company’s international affiliate, Breakthru Beverage Canada.

During his tenure with Breakthru Beverage and previously with Wirtz Beverage Julian held multiple positions most recently serving as Executive Vice President for Diageo. He has been instrumental in the company’s international expansion as Diageo’s exclusive broker throughout Canada. He led Wirtz Beverage through the building of new facilities, implementation and integration of new technologies, mergers and acquisitions and the development of new supplier partnerships. Additionally, Julian helped to align the company’s route-to-market approach nationwide and drove the business to impressive year-over-year growth.

Prior to joining the company, Julian worked in senior management at Diageo and the J. Lewis Cooper Company. He is a graduate of Ferris State University.

John Donohue
Senior Vice President

John Donohue

Senior Vice President

As Senior Vice President of Breakthru Beverage Canada, John Donohue oversees the sales execution of a 120+ dedicated sales force across Canada.

John is a tenured employee of Wirtz Beverage Illinois, serving from 2009 as Director of Trade Development for the Regal Division. In that role, he has successfully led the channel planning, pricing, and execution reporting for the Diageo portfolio across Illinois. Previously, he held various leadership positions within Diageo in business planning and strategy, regional marketing, and national customer marketing.

Martin Laverdure
Regional Director (Quebec/Eastern region)

Martin Laverdure

Regional Director (Quebec/Eastern region)

A key part of the Diageo Canada team for the past ten years, Martin Laverdure is knowledgeable on all aspects of the marketplace and Diageo portfolio. Most recently, he served as Regional Director overseeing total sales and supply process for Diageo Canada’s Mid-West territory.

David Prodanovic
Regional Director of Western Canada

David Prodanovic

Regional Director of Western Canada

Skilled in customer focused sales and marketing, David Prodanovic previously served as Regional Director for the B.C./Yukon region for Diageo Canada. As Regional Director, David will remain focused on generating solutions through strategic planning and channel management.

Lorraine Ventresca
Regional Director (Ontario)

Lorraine Ventresca

Regional Director (Ontario)

Leading the Ontario sales region is Lorraine Ventresca, formerly the 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 lead 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 largest region.

Jeff Richardson
Director of Learning and Development

Jeff Richardson

Director of Learning and Development

As Manager of Training & Development at Breakthru Beverage Canada, Jeff supports the development and growth of all levels of the sales team. His primary focus is to elevate sales execution by developing their core capabilities. Previously, he held various sales positions within Diageo over the past 11 years, including Territory Manager and District Sales Manager. Jeff is knowledgeable on all aspects of the Canadian marketplace and Sales Execution.

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Sam David
Director of Finance

Sam David

Director of Finance

Sam David leads the Finance agenda for Breakthru Beverage Canada. A Chartered Professional Accountant with over 14 years of experience, Sam is a proven leader with demonstrated expertise in various senior finance roles across the industry and in public practice.

Most recently, he held the position of Director, Controller for Diageo Canada, leading the Accounting, Financial Control and Tax functions.

Kermit Grant
HR Business Partner Canada

Kermit Grant

HR Business Partner Canada

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.

Glen Galbraith
Director of Trade Development

Glen Galbraith

Director of Trade Development

Leveraging a diverse background in marketing and strategy, Glen Galbraith leads the Trade Marketing and Business Analytics agenda for Breakthru Beverage Canada. Most recently Glen held the role of District Sales Manager on the BC Sales Team. Prior to that he worked with Diageo in the capacity of Commercial Planning Manager along with holding various sales and marketing positions.

Glen has an MBA in Brand Management from Vanderbilt University.

Ian Buchanan
Director of Business Analytics

Ian Buchanan

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.

Our Brands

With an unrivaled portfolio we support the sale of Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Guinness, Piper Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck.