Alcoholic beverages are feeling a squeeze, and not of the lime variety. Beer and alcohol businesses are facing economic pressures from tariffs, shifts in consumer spending, and health and wellness trends — yet many opportunities for growth remain, particularly among Gen Z (21+) consumers, the newest group to reach the legal drinking age.
Tequila continues to gain share from other spirits in U.S. bars and restaurants, according to NIQ’s on-premise marketing research arm CGA. Tequila sales by value rose by 0.7% in the 12 months through the end of February, despite a 1.7% drop in volumes.
The U.S. market was somewhat prepared for President Donald Trump to enact tariffs during his presidency, as promised during his campaign. But it wasn’t prepared for how “aggressive” those tariffs would be, including the speed and extent of their implementation, Rabobank global strategist, beverages, Stephen Rannekleiv said Thursday during a webinar hosted by the Brewers Association (BA).
Is the food and beverage funding freeze finally thawing? FABID’s Q1 2025 Report reveals a surprising rebound in deal size and investor appetite—just not where you might expect.
Craft mergers in Massachusetts continue apace. Orleans-based Hog Island Beer Co. has struck a deal to acquire Plymouth-based Mayflower Brewing, the companies announced this week. The acquisition brings together two breweries who sit across Cape Cod Bay from one another.
Editor’s Note: It’s with great sadness that we’re writing to note the passing of Jack Craven, the Chairman of BevNET, father of our CEO and founder, John Craven, and father-in-law to our COO, Carolyn Craven.
A chemist, turned attorney, turned unlikely spirits brand owner, Skrewball co-founder Brittany Yeng has walked an unconventional path towards her current role spearheading one of the fastest market rollouts in spirits history.
A Los Angeles craft spirits producer is taking on the Empire State in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday challenging direct-to-consumer shipping laws prohibiting distillers in California from sending spirits to customers in New York.
Westbound & Down Brewing Company is aiming to quadruple its production and achieve $3 million in profits by 2028. The Colorado craft brewery, with five taprooms across the state (Denver, Idaho Springs, Lafayette, Basalt and Aspen), is in the midst of a $1.2 million crowdfunding (CF) raise.
Nearly 60 industry members have furthered their education and technical skills in brewing and distilling thanks to the support of the Michael James Jackson Foundation (MJF), according to the nonprofit’s impact report, released last month.
The Brewbound team catches up on the latest headlines, including the Brewers Association’s release of its top 50 breweries lists and updated data; the newest craft-on-craft merger between Fort Point Beer Co. and HenHouse Brewing in California; the closure of another Monster-owned production brewery; the surprise shutdown of a craft-centric distributor in Vermont; and the retirement of Molson Coors longtime CEO.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of American consumers are concerned about a looming recession, and 52% think “the economy will be worse this time next year,” according to a recent poll from insights firm Numerator. It’s an apparently bipartisan dread, Numerator reported.
Craft brewers’ collective production declined 4% in 2024, to 23.1 million barrels of beer produced, the Brewers Association (BA) shared today in the release of its annual craft brewing production report. The trade group representing small and independent craft breweries described 2024’s numbers as “highlighting the new realities of a maturing market in a rapidly evolving environment.”
The craft-on-craft partnership trend has reached the Bay Area. San Francisco-based Fort Point Beer Co. and Sonoma County-headquartered HenHouse Brewing Company are merging to form Fort Point HenHouse Inc.