Firestone Walker’s 2019 was unpredictable — one of those rare years when a lot of things go right. The Paso Robles, California-based craft brewery projected 485,000 barrels — with a stretch goal of 500,000 — in 2019, strong growth projections after producing 454,261 barrels the previous year. Those projections were tossed with the company finishing… Read more »
The hard seltzer category could reach about 10% of the beer market in the next few years, according to research reports from two leading financial services firms. Meanwhile, FIFCO USA has stopped production of Pura Still, the 95-calorie, 4.5% ABV spiked still water brand after less than two years, according to a memo sent to wholesalers this week. Finally, Iron Heart Canning, the country’s largest mobile canning service provider, announced today an agreement to acquire Michigan Mobile Canning.
Chris Hollod wants to be known as one of the most active angel investors in the alcohol space. After about a decade of making investments with billionaire Ron Burkle and actor Ashton Kutcher, Hollod, a Los Angeles-based venture capitalist, struck out on his own in 2019 and has shifted his focus from investing in tech companies such as Airbnb, Uber, Spotify and Warby Parker, to investing in consumer packaged good companies, specifically “alternative alcohol” companies.”
After more than three decades in the beer industry, Carol Stoudt plans to retire in the spring and cease brewing operations at her namesake brewery in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. “I got together with a few people from my team and just pointed to the calendar and said, ‘This is it,’” she explained. “It’s a very, very difficult decision.”
The seeds for Kevin Youkilis’ second career were planted while criss-crossing the country playing professional baseball for the Boston Red Sox. The two-time World Series Champion said he would often visit craft breweries or sample the local options during road trips.
Molson Coors Beverage Company reported nearly $10.6 billion in net sales for 2019, a decline of 1.8% compared to 2018. In a press release, Molson Coors Beverage Company president and CEO Gavin Hattersley called 2019 “a challenging year” for the company.
CODO Design breaks down the vocabulary of a rebrand versus a brand refresh, the value of a rebrand and more in this installment of Brewbound Voices.
Brewbound, a leading trade publication covering the beer business and beyond, is hosting another round of Brew Talks industry meetups in 2020. The event series designed for beer industry professionals travels to San Antonio, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida, this year.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery president and COO George Pastrana will exit the company on Friday, February 14. Boston Beer Company, which merged with the Milton, Delaware-based craft brewery last year, confirmed Pastrana’s pending departure from the company.
Kings & Convicts, the Chicago-area craft brewery that reached an agreement to acquire Ballast Point and its multiple taprooms from Constellation Brands in December, has hired industry sales veteran Mike Giordano as vice president of sales for the San Diego craft brand.
After 15 years of leading global brewer Heineken N.V., CEO and chairman of the executive board Jean-François van Boxmeer will vacate the top role on June 1, the Supervisory Board of Heineken N.V. announced in a press release today. The board has also zeroed in on van Boxmeer’s successor: Dolf van den Brink, a 22-year veteran of the Dutch beer company who currently serves as president of Heineken’s Asia Pacific region.
Seven years after establishing Trillium Brewing Company, co-founder JC Tetreault said the Canton, Massachusetts-based craft brewery was not living up to his intention for the business to “being a very good reflection of the broader community around us.” Enter the Urban Farming Institute of Boston (UFI), an organization dedicated to promoting farming in urban neighborhoods.
As the number of U.S. breweries has grown to around 8,000 and competition has increased among those companies for consumers, it might be time to pull the advertising lever, particularly as they start to compete with a growing number of local wineries and distilleries.
The parent company of Brizzy Seltzer Cocktails has filed a lawsuit against Molson Coors Beverage Company in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging that the second largest U.S. beer manufacturer’s Vizzy Hard Seltzer name “is nearly identical to Brizzy in sight, sound and appearance” and infringes upon its trademark.
