Bacardi SVP: SGWS Tie-up has “Nothing in Common” with Prior Partnerships

Last year, Bacardi USA upended its long-standing distribution network in order to fully align its $1 billion business with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits in 41 states. In 2017, they are still fine tuning the strategy, but Bacardi says it has already begun to see some beneficial results from the switch. Your editor caught up with Mauricio Vergara, the newly appointed svp of commercial for Bacardi USA, to discuss how the alignment has changed the fundamentals of its supplier-distributor relationship,