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» Beverage Industry NewsThe Craft Beverage Expo & Conference presents the Women in Craft Forum on March 29, 2023, to encourage female-identifying attendees to activate their most treasured ambitions in craft and in life. The theme of this year’s forum, “It’s Time. You’re Ready. Let’s Go.” illuminates pathways for women who want to ignite their post-pandemic energy and rewrite the old rules in ways that can create a fresh new paradigm for the future.
Pepsi Co. has purchased the fourth-generation family-owned Washington Pepsi distributor Corwin Beverage and plans to shut down their two craft beer divisions, leaving over a hundred craft beer and cider brands without a distributor in Southwest Washington and the Seattle Metro area.
In the state of Nevada, where beer wholesalers have deep political connections, self-distribution for small brewers has always been a non-starter. But craft breweries in the state are making a push for a small step forward in a bill that would allow craft breweries to move beer that is brewed at one location to their own off-site taprooms or tasting rooms without having to first sell it to a distributor.
In a court case being watched closely by those in the alcohol beverage industry, a Manhattan federal jury found that Constellation Brands did not violate a U.S. distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev SA by selling hard seltzers branded with the Modelo and Corona names.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has made a minority investment in Riot Energy, an organic energy drinks brand from Venice, Calif. Sierra Nevada is expected to produce and package the brand at its, CanDo Innovation Center, which is slated to begin operations this summer. It is only the second time that Sierra Nevada has invested in another beverage company.
A Scottish government proposal to regulate alcohol advertising and promotions more tightly could put an end to beer festivals, tap takeovers and meet-the-brewer events as well as stop small breweries from selling and advertising their beer online.
The Carlsberg Group has closed the deal to purchase Waterloo Brewing in Ontario, Canada. Waterloo, which opened in 1984 as Brick Brewing is Ontario’s first craft brewery and was the largest craft brewery in the province until the purchase.
In what may become a more common move by craft breweries to diversify in a challenging environment, 21st Amendment Brewery in Northern California has announced that they will offer canned beverage co-packing at their 120,000 sq. ft. brewing and packaging facility in San Leandro. As craft breweries adjust to a softening demand in the marketplace, tougher distribution channels and higher costs of production, using their facilities to produce and/or package beverages for other companies could help fill out unused capacity.
ABInBev has made staff cuts at its acquired craft breweries as sales of its craft beer portfolio dropped by 3.2% in 2022 versus the previous year.
The company reportedly laid off an unknown number of sales and marketing employees at breweries they have acquired over the years including Blue Point Brewery, Devil’s Backbone Brewing, Golden Road Brewing, Karbach Brewing Co. and Wicked Weed Brewing.
Layoffs also included centralized marketing staff at ABI’s New York office who supported craft brands.
It’s not just a U.S. thing. The volume of beer sold per person in Canada last year reached an all-time low since tracking began in 1949, according to Statistics Canada. The report, which examined the sale of alcoholic beverages between April 2021 and March 2022, found the volume of beer sold during that period decreased by 2.8%. Wine had an even bigger slump, down 4.0%
Early Bird pricing to register for the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo ends tomorrow Wednesday, March 1. The Early Bird registration gives attendees a discounted rate on the conference.
The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has filed legislation seeking to legalize direct-to-customer shipping for craft breweries while in New Mexico similar legislation has also been introduced in the state legislature.
Anheuser-Busch owned Platform Brewery has closed its doors and ceased operation. The Cleveland-based brewery, which was founded in 2014 was acquired by AB in 2019. There is speculation that AB may continue producing some Platform core brands at one of its other facilities.
Molson Coors reported that shipments in the US were down by 11% and depletions were down by 6.8% in their 4th quarter 2022 earnings report. Full-year financial volumes declined 2.1%, essentially in-line with brand volumes, which were down 2%.
Boston Beer Company reported financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter 2022 and full fiscal year 2022 ended December 31, 2022. Shipments decreased 4.6% on a 52-week comparable basis and net revenue was $2.090 billion, up 1.6%.
According to multiple sources, longtime Bear Republic Brewing in Sonoma County, California has been acquired by Drake’s Brewing Co. The acquisition includes only the brands and does not include the Bear Republic brewing facility.
Texas lawmakers have proposed legislation to allow direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping for breweries in the state in the latest effort by craft brewers to seek parity with wineries, which are allowed DTC in most states across the country.
Sales of Guinness in pubs across Britain have surpassed Carling and the Irish stout is now the number one selling pint accounting for one in every nine pints pulled in the U.K.
Guinness surpassed Carling to become the number one beer in British pubs in terms of value sales towards the end of last year. The fact that a stout is now the number one beer in British pubs is notable after lagers gained immense popularity in the U.K. over the last few generations.
The global drinks company Diageo, which now owns Guinness, had a strong performance in its half-year results, with a rise in net sales and growth across all regions. Global sales growth increased by 9.4%.
Distilled spirits market share in the U.S. has surpassed beer for the first time, growing supplier sales market share for the 13th straight year up to 42.1%. The growth puts spirits just slightly ahead of beer at the end of 2022, with beer posting a market share of 41.9%.
According to the annual economic briefing by Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), spirits supplier sales in the U.S. grew by 5.1% in 2022, totaling a record sum of $37.6 billion. Volumes also rose 4.8%.
The biggest growth sector was in premium cocktails, including spirits-based RTDs, which grew at by 35.8%.
A bill in California supported by the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUSS) would allow retailers with a beer and wine license to also sell spirit-based RTD’s, a move which would further blur the line that has traditionally existed between spirits and beer and wine.