The Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network is sponsoring its first ever innovation event on Wednesday, July 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Imbibe, located at 7350 Croname Road in Niles. Service providers, firms, government, academia, and a wide range of stakeholders in the food and beverage industry are invited to hear presentations from local beverage innovators Imbibe and Koval Distillery, and to learn about Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network initiatives.

Imbibe, a leading beverage development company with a cutting edge team of beverage experts, will discuss their approach to beverage innovation and present current trends in several of the hottest beverage categories.

The Founders of Koval, an artisanal producer of award-winning organic whiskeys, liqueurs and specialty spirits will also present on the challenges, and ultimate success, of establishing the first distillery in Chicago since prohibition.

“Imbibe is really looking forward to opening our facility to other industry professionals for the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network’s first innovation event,” said Imbibe Chief Commercial Officer Andy Dratt. “We pride ourselves on being beverage innovators at Imbibe, and we’re excited to share our knowledge and expertise with other industry professionals.”

The Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network launched in April, and aims at driving economic growth in the region’s food and beverage industry by bringing local professionals together for educational and collaborative opportunities.

With approximately 4,500 companies, 130,000 employees and $32 billion in annual sales, the Chicagoland food and beverage industry represents a significant part of the regional economy. Chicago’s food and beverage industry is the second largest economic cluster of its kind in the U.S.

For more information about Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network, visit www.chicagolandfood.org and follow @chgofood on Twitter.

For more information about Imbibe, visit www.imbibeinc.com and follow @thedrinktank on Twitter.