Brewbound Craft Beer Session

With nearly 9,500 breweries operating in the U.S., the surest way to stand out is to have a strong and authentic brand identity.

Some leading brewers have found success by sprouting new branches on their brands’ families trees, and in some cases, those branches have outgrown elder sibling brands. To discuss how their companies have found success with offshoots, Constellation Brands’ Modelo brand family VP Greg Gallagher, Firestone Walker CMO Dustin Hinz and Sierra Nevada brand director Kyle Ingram took the stage at the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Compensation requirements, government checks and generational laziness have all been blamed for why many companies are struggling with staffing shortages and the “Great Resignation.” But above all, workplace culture is the biggest factor when it comes to hiring and retaining employees, Schilling Cider CEO Colin Schilling said during Brewbound Live last month in Santa Monica.

Forming a healthy relationship with a distributor is one of the most beneficial things a brewer can do to ensure long-term success. What do distributors expect from their supplier partners? How can both work together to achieve goals? Scout Distribution CEO and co-founder Jeff Hansson and Reyes Beer Division VP of craft and innovation Jessica Muskey shared insights and offered advice for suppliers during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Danelle Kosmal, VP of research for the Beer Institute; Jon Berg, VP alcohol industry thought leadership at NielsenIQ; and Danny Brager from 3 Tier Beverages provided a reality check with context on the state of the beverage alcohol industry during the Brewbound Live business conference.

Maui Brewing co-founder Garrett Marrero and former Modern Times CEO Jennifer Briggs shared their experiences on the sale process of the San Diego craft brewery last month during the Brewbound Live business conference.

How is the chain game playing out in a (mostly) post-pandemic environment? Sales leaders from Firestone Walker and JuneShine and a leader of national accounts for Southern California wholesaler Scout Distribution shared their experiences during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Beyond beer, the fourth category, progressive adult beverages – it goes by different names, but the one thing the beverage-alcohol industry can agree on is that it is too important to ignore.

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly changed how and where consumers search for products, including beverage alcohol.

Several big craft beer deals have gone down in 2022, from the sale of Stone Brewing to Sapporo, to Tilray’s recent acquisition of Montauk Brewing. Those transactions have one thing in common: investment bank Arlington Capital Advisors. Arlington director Ryan Lake broke down the state of beverage alcohol M&A during the Brewbound Live business conference.

Inflation and other economic factors may be the talk of the country, but they’re not necessarily what craft brewers should be focusing on, Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson shared during Brewbound Live last month in Santa Monica, California.

The beer category’s “level set” expected at the start of 2022 never materialized, and the industry now needs to look to the future and stop benchmarking against the last couple years, Mary Guiver, global principal category merchant for beer at Whole Foods, shared last week during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

“What do you think?” Asking your teams for their feedback can unlock a new level of engagement with your workforce, Carrie Yunker, Bell’s Brewery executive vice president, shared with business leaders and entrepreneurs during Brewbound Live’s keynote address last week in Santa Monica, California.

Hours before the largest consumer-focused beer festival in the U.S. kicks off, Brewbound will host its final Brew Talks meetup of 2022 in Denver, CO featuring networking, beers and beer business discussions from noon to 3 p.m. MT on Thursday, October 6.