Dear Client: Eighty five days ago, I bought a new suit, a green tie, and green socks.  I was scheduled to fly to New York where I was to join Nuno Teles and other Diageo executives on the dais of the New York Stock Exchange to ring the bell on St. Patrick’s Day.  My bags … Continue reading “85 Days Ago”

Dear Client: Beer made the most of this Memorial Day. The category did more than a $1 billion in off-premise sales for the week leading into Memorial Day (the week ending May 23), and followed it up with another $1 billion-plus in sales for the week coming out of the holiday (the week ending May … Continue reading “Back to Back Billion Dollar Weeks for Beer”

Dear Client: Heineken USA’s supply of its Mexican portfolio of beers has been dwindling for months now, but some relief is in sight, says the brewer. With Mexico slowly allowing alcohol production to resume in different areas of the country, HUSA sent an update late last week informing its distribs that they’re “anticipating seeing relief” … Continue reading “Supply Chain Relief in Sight, Says HUSA”

Dear Client: Constellation’s breweries in Mexico are now “ramping up” production, but it’s “too late to prevent [the] specter of out of stocks,” writes Credit Suisse analyst Kaumil Gajrawala, who sat down with the company’s financial brass for a recent face-time interview. Recall, Constellation was forced to reduce its production levels in Mexico at the … Continue reading “Could Take “3-4 Months” For STZ to Get Inventory Back to Where They Need It”

Dear Client: After April’s lowest-since-we-can-remember reading of 35, NBWA’s Beer Purchasers’ Index came roaring back in May, with a reading of 66, four points higher than its 2019 reading. That’s the largest month-to-month swing the index ever recorded.  Recall, the BPI measures distributor demand and purchases across all beer segments. Anything above 50 indicates segment … Continue reading “May BPI Comes Roaring Back”

Dear Client: In our running interview series of how the coronavirus era has affected leading companies in the beer industry, we caught up with Yuengling’s chief administrative officer, Wendy Yuengling, to talk about how the company has adjusted. Yuengling produced 2,654,622 barrels in 2019, down 2% from 2018. YTD in IRI, to May 17, their … Continue reading “How the Oldest Brewery in the Country Has Adapted”

Dear Client: Protests have erupted in at least 140 cities across the U.S., and some of them have turned violent in our larger cities, prompting the activation of the National Guard in at least 21 states, so we thought it prudent to check in with distributors in the largest hot spots.  First and foremost, Minneapolis, … Continue reading “Distributors in Rioting Hot Spots Check In”

Dear Client: PRESS Seltzer has come on the scene in the last couple of years as a small but growing, female-owned seltzer brand with a “premium” and culinarily sophisticated angle. Its main four flavors include Blackberry Hibiscus, Grapefruit Cardamom, Lime Lemongrass and Pomegranate Ginger, at 4% ABV.  The company has made some big moves this … Continue reading “Catching Up with PRESS’ New COO, Bruce Jacobson”

Dear Client: Launched in January, Truly Lemonade — if you were to call it a separate brand from Truly — has achieved in less than six months what many large companies have been desperately trying to do: become a top seltzer player, at roughly 6 share of hard seltzer in the latest IRI 4 weeks.  … Continue reading “Truly Lemonade Alone is 6 Share of Seltzer: Where Does it Go From Here?”

Dear Client: New Constellation CFO Garth Hankinson took the virtual stage at RBC’s Consumer Conference to share their latest COVID-time trends.  He dropped some beer results bombs: They expect their Q1 depletions to be up low-to-mid single digits, but shipments to be down that much, due to production constraints in Mexico.  Then, Garth all but … Continue reading “STZ Says Shipments Will Be Down Low-Mid Single Digits, Promises “Select Outages” for Summer”

Dear Client: It’s certainly not a holistic read, but anecdotal reader input on Memorial Day trends seem to signify a smashing weekend for sales, amid generally good weather and people eager to get outdoors.  Across the nation, distributors described blockbuster weekend trends, despite losing a couple of sales days this month, and rain.  Beach towns … Continue reading “Distribs Paint a Rosy Read for Memorial Day Weekend Sales”

Dear Client: Could PBR relive its 2008 glory days? Recall, that’s the last time the storied brand caught afire as the trendiest thing to drink, for people on a recessionary budget (and cool kids in Brooklyn, etc.)  GM Matt Bruhn walked us through some promising trends the brand has seen recently. If we’re about to … Continue reading “Could PBR Relive its 2008 Glory Days?”

Dear Client: With Memorial Day on Monday, BBD performed a spot-check of supermarket ads across the country, not knowing what to expect given these unchartered waters when it comes to a major beer holiday.  While some of the big chains like WalMart or HEB didn’t tout any sales on beer in their weekly ads, we’re … Continue reading “Stores Still Offering Deep Discounts Ahead of Memorial Day”

Dear Client: Yesterday, Pabst’s Centralized Sales Team sent notice to distributors of several launches, including Pabst Hard Peach Tea, Pabst Hard Cold Brew, and New Holland Lightpoint. PABST HARD PEACH TEA, at 4% ABV and 100 calories, seems one of the biggest bets. Available now (or imminently), it seeks to fill the white space of … Continue reading “Pabst Launching Slew of Better-For-You Brands”

Dear Client: Molson Coors came into this year with a load of innovation lined up, and despite all of 2020’s craziness, they’ve managed to bring most of their big bets to market. Saint Archer Gold and Blue Moon Light Sky hit at the start of the year, Vizzy and MOVO rolled out last month, and … Continue reading “Checking Up on Molson Coors’ Big New Bets”