Dear Client:  Earlier this week, global cannabis company Aphria said they’re buying SweetWater for $300 million.  The deal mystifies some in the beer business. What possible synergies could a Canadian weed company and a craft brewer possibly have, with cannabis still federally illegal in the U.S., and an unknown regulatory framework even in the event … Continue reading “Exclusive: Aphria Chief Explains it All”

Dear Client:  Sonny and Cher. Lucy and Desi. Beer and weed. Some things just belong together, apparently.  U.S. federal illegality be damned (as well as those pesky local cannabis rules, which sometimes contradict the three-tier system — like mandated vertical integration in some markets), one of the top four global weed companies, Aphria, announced it … Continue reading “Beer and Weed Collide (Again)”

Dear Client:  BBD readers know that wholesalers cents per case contributions have been a hot topic this year, particularly with all the new innovations hitting the market (which typically demand higher spend per case).  But A-B has shared with BBD that they’ve come to an agreement with their wholesaler panel that the cents per case, … Continue reading “A-B Rolling Unused Cents Per Case into First Half 2021”

Dear Client:  There was a stretch not too long ago, where Molson Coors just sort of dominated the news cycle. The company was announcing partnership after partnership, all with big name companies too. Over a three week stretch in September, the company stuck a joint venture with Yuengling; inked an exclusive agreement with Coke “to … Continue reading “Gavin Reflects on Molson Coors’ String of Recent Partnerships”

Dear Client:  CBD broke news yesterday morning that Deschutes and Montucky Cold Snacks would leave wine, spirits and beer wholesaler Breakthru in the Wisconsin market, for the local blue-silver distributor coalition, Wisconsin Beverage Network.  Local craft brand, Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, also confirmed to BBD a move to Wisconsin Beverage Network; and sources … Continue reading “Where Will Breakthru Beer Go in Wisconsin?”

Dear Client:  You want a headline?   Here’s a headline:  “For the most part, the North American can industry is sold out for the next 24-36 months and we don’t see the supply chain catching up to real demand until 2025-26”.  That’s Credit Suisse analyst Curt Woodworth’s estimation in an in-depth report on the aluminum … Continue reading “Aluminum Cans Sold Out for at Least Two Years”

Dear Client:  Some have suggested that Molson Coors may be making things too complex with the latest additions to their portfolio. How does chief Gavin Hattersley feel about this recent criticism? Eh, ‘confused’ would be one way of putting it. From our perspective, it sure seemed like Gavin wanted to tell these critics to ‘make … Continue reading “Gavin Responds to the Critics”

Dear Client:  Anheuser-Busch reported third quarter results early this morning, and they ain’t too shabby. The brewer estimates that they actually gained 25bps of market share during the quarter, and grew depletions by 1.4% over the frame, besting the “flattish” depletions results seen in Q2. Shipments grew too for the first time this year, up … Continue reading “A-B Delivers “Strong” Q3 With Depletion and Shipment Growth”

Dear Client:  Heineken’s third quarter results showed signs of recovery in this challenging year, but cost-cutting measures are still coming down the pike. The world’s second-largest brewer, which saw its volume decline only 1.9% over the quarter and global brand Heineken volume grow 7.1%, announced today that it will undergo a strategic review that “aims … Continue reading “Heineken Volumes Recover in Q3, But Plans Global Cuts in 2021”

Dear Client:  It will be hard for the top seltzer producers to get off the breakneck-speed hamster wheel of innovation.  It’s in the data. Bump Williams of the BWC company kindly shared a very deep, brand-level dive into the world of seltzers, FMBs and RTD cocktails.  We’ll bring you highlights from this data set throughout … Continue reading “All Aboard the Seltzer Churn Train”

Dear Client:  Some craft brewers continue to move up in the world. Sierra Nevada will spend $10 million on media across their brands next year, for example, mostly on digital.  It’s a far cry from, say, the $40 million Constellation said it would spend on Corona Seltzer early this year. But it could be just … Continue reading “Sierra Spending $10 Mill on Media to Help Unleash Hazy”

Dear Client:  As we head into the final stretch of this hellish year, we thought it would be prudent to make the rounds with various distribs around the country to check in on timely issues like out-of-stocks, on-premise recovery, and of course their thoughts on recent supplier meetings. As one might surmise, out-of-stocks are still … Continue reading “Truth Squad Speaketh: O-O-S, On-Premise Return, Supplier Plans for 2021”

Dear Client:  It took a while, but hard seltzer is finally slowing down. In fact, the segment is decelerating quite dramatically in the latest IRI scans to October 4. IRI doesn’t break out hard seltzers as a stand-alone segment in this data, but it’s clear when looking at the full FMB segment, which consists mostly … Continue reading “Seltzers Losing Steam”

Dear Client:  It’s been awhile since we did a craft profile in BBD, and Brooklyn Brewery’s is a particularly timely story.  We caught up with Brooklyn CEO Eric Ottaway to ask about trends this year, as their home market of New York City was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.  “Our business in … Continue reading “Brooklyn Brewery, Like NYC, Hit Hard With Covid Shutdown”

Dear Client:  After a busy two weeks of virtual meetings, I spent my Sunday evening looking over the NBWA Virtual Conference cadre of videos to watch a few that I missed.  (Ed. Note:  All the presentations and speeches are available on-demand until Halloween if you wanna catch up. There are some very interesting presos posted … Continue reading “The Importance of Gross Profit”