As cider offerings from larger producers have hit a dry spell, those from smaller, regional producers are gaining market share as consumers continue seeking out sweeter alcoholic beverages. For proof, look no further than Virginia’s Bold Rock Hard Cider, which has seen year-to-date dollar sales (through Sept. 25) grow more than 100 percent, to nearly $8 million, according to market research firm IRI Worldwide. That ranks Bold Rock as the sixth-largest cidery – the top five sellers are all national brands – by market share, even though the company’s products are distributed in just nine states.
Pabst Brewing Company today announced an exclusive import agreement with Mexico’s oldest craft brewery, Cerveza Minerva. Specific terms of the transaction — which is set to begin next spring — were not disclosed, but Pabst said it would launch the brand in “a small number of test markets,” and begin building national distribution for Minerva’s beers over the course of 2017.
There’s a sense of déjà brew when one looks at the trajectory of the cider category: the sweeter stuff has entered a period of weak performance – some even project negative growth – all thanks to the brands on the macro side of the business. It wasn’t always this way. Cider began a steep climb around 2010, when it started posting double-digit volume growth. Sales accelerated for the next few years and increased, on average, nearly 70 percent annually from 2012 to 2014, according to figures provided by the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM). However, the momentum slowed considerably in 2015 when the volume gain was just over 11 percent.
Less than one week after BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie announced plans to gamble investors’ money at a roulette table, the Scottish craft beer entrepreneurs appear to have temporarily pulled the plug on the stunt. “The powers that be don’t seem to like gambling as much as we do,” BrewDog wrote in a blog post on the brewery’s website. “We are in discussions regarding the future of BrewDog’s Big Bet. Stay tuned for further updates.”
According to a new study from market research firm IRI Worldwide, alcohol producers shouldn’t ignore Generation X or Baby Boomers in the chase for Millennials’ dollars. Released Tuesday, the study examines generational trends of U.S. alcoholic beverage consumers. The market research firm reported that Boomers (45 percent of overall beer, wine and spirits dollars) and Generation Xers (20 percent of all alcohol dollars) represent too great of a piece of the marketplace to ignore.
In its year-in-review released on Monday, the Brewers Association said more than 5,000 breweries were operating throughout the United States at the end of November.
Last week, more than 200 industry professionals converged on San Diego for Brewbound’s winter session, and videos from every main stage conversation are now available for viewing. If you weren’t able to watch this year’s conference, or if you were hoping to revisit individual presentations, here’s what you’ll find:
Citing volume limitations and a need to focus on its midwestern distribution footprint, Fat Head’s Brewery announced Friday that it would stop distributing to the Florida market next month.
Texas’ Deep Ellum Brewing has sold a majority stake to Storied Craft Breweries, an upstart growth capital group founded by the creators of Effen Vodka and led by beer industry veterans Steve Berg and Adam Lambert. Under the deal, Storied Craft Breweries will acquire a 56 percent stake in Deep Ellum, one of the fastest growing craft breweries in Texas, at least in part by buying out more than 20 minority partners from earlier investment rounds. The brewery will also receive $8 million in growth capital.
One day after naming Simon Thorpe the CEO of Pabst Brewing Company, chairman Eugene Kashper offered a window into the future of his company’s merger and acquisition strategy during Thursday’s Brewbound Session in San Diego. Thorpe, known for his M&A work as the former CEO of Duvel USA, where he was instrumental in purchasing Boulevard Brewing and Firestone Walker, will be tasked with “fine turning and fixing” Pabst’s partner strategy, Kashper said.
Border X Brewing used its Latino fusion flair to win the Brewbound’s Seventh Startup Brewery Challenge, held at the Paradise Point Resort in San Diego on December 1. Brewery founder David Favela beat out five other participants with his true-to-brand story and logo, his strong connections to the Hispanic community, and his contagious passion for bringing Latino-fusion brews to San Diego consumers.
Legalized marijuana is burning the craft beer business, according to Vivien Azer, Cowen and Company’s managing director and senior research analyst specializing in the beverage, tobacco and cannabis sectors. Speaking at the Brewbound Session today, Azer’s was just one of several voices that discussed a craft beer business that has experienced a decade of wild growth but has slowed in the past 18 months.
In an industry becoming more crowded and complex every single day, it’s important to look back at the accomplishments of brewers all fighting to stand out in a beer category that now includes nearly 5,000 companies. To recognize the achievements of some of these companies, Brewbound acknowledged the following recipients in the areas of philanthropy, marketing, collaboration, production innovation and overall business success. Winners of the 2016 Brewbound Awards were named during the Brewbound Session business conference, which took place on December 1, 2016 in San Diego, CA.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is striking back against a ruling that had granted craft brewers the right to sell their distribution and territorial rights, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
