DBI Beverage Company has added 1.7 million new cases to its operation in San Jose, Calif., following the official closure of M.E. Fox & Company Inc., a local competitor that, in September, announced it would sell its beverage distribution business to DBI and Anheuser-Busch InBev. In a statement, DBI Beverage said it purchased the distribution rights and related assets of M.E. Fox, including brands from 26 different suppliers. Among them, notable craft standouts include Boston Beer, Sierra Nevada, North American Breweries and Hangar 24.
At last, a brewery based in the East will expand its brewing capabilities out West. Atlanta’s Sweetwater Brewing said it plans to build a secondary brewing facility in the Pacific Time zone by 2017 and, although it hasn’t decided on a final location, the company has identified California as a potential landing place.
Craft Brew Alliance today released its third quarter earnings results, which were highlighted by yet another flat depletion performance. Third quarter net sales increased $2.6 million, to $54.7 million (5 percent over the comparable period in 2014), but CBA is struggling to grow beer volumes as thousands of emerging brands continue to erode the market share of larger, more established craft outfits.
Firestone Walker is expanding at home, investing upwards of $15 million to increase brewing capacity at its Paso Robles, Calif. brewing facility. In an effort to double brewing capacity and reduce what co-founder David Walker described as a “hectic” brewing schedule, Firestone Walker will integrate a new 250-barrel brewhouse into its existing production facility.
Anheuser-Busch InBev today announced a number of changes to its commercial leadership roster, most notably that it would replace current vice president of U.S. sales, David Almeida. In separate notes sent to both employees and wholesalers, Zone North America president João Castro Neves said Almeida, who had served as the company’s VP of U.S. sales since 2011, would be named to a “global special project” and report directly to CEO Carlos Brito.
Sam Calagione’s relentless attempts to brand Dogfish Head beyond beer have put the company in front of millions of new craft beer consumers and helped make the company into one of the most successful craft breweries in the U.S. His latest, a collaborative web series with First We Feast, a food culture site owned by New York-based Complex Media, features Calagione creating beers with famous athletes, musicians and chefs.
Brewbound is pleased to have both Gill and Burgis join tomorrow’s Brew Talks event, being held at the “side lawn,” located next to the Golden Road Brewery pub, to discuss, in-depth, why the company was sold. In a moderated question-and-answer session with Brewbound editor Chris Furnari, the pair will discuss the circumstances that led to a sale and how greater interest as well as investments from international players is impacting the broader craft sector, particularly in California.
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At some point, every brand needs a facelift. Even the iconic Harpoon IPA. First introduced in 1993, Harpoon IPA hasn’t changed its look in more than 20 years, except for a few subtle tweaks back in 2009. But with new category entrants challenging the stalwart New England craft brewery’s position on retail shelves, Harpoon executives decided it was time to evolve.
Boston Beer Company today reported third quarter depletions growth of six percent and net revenues of $293.1 million, a nine percent increase over the same period last year. During an earnings call, the company credited the success of its Traveler Beer, Coney Island Root Beer and Twisted Tea brands — which offset declines from its flagship Samuel Adams brand — as the primary growth drivers in the quarter.
Meet Braxton Brewing: a family-run brewery founded in Covington, KY by two brothers, Evan and Jacob Rouse, their father, Greg Rouse, and one insanely experienced brewmaster, Richard Dubé. Brewbound followed the Braxton team to the Pacific Northwest, to document, on film, what it’s like for a group of scrappy startup brewers to be granted an all-access pass inside one of the country’s largest craft beer outfits. In episode 001 of Brewbound’s new documentary series, viewers will be introduced to the Braxton crew and get a taste of the intense, three-day learning experience awarded to winners of the Startup Brewery Challenge.
Brewbound is pleased to announce that Brian Mulvaney, the senior vice president of Bank of America’s beverage finance group, will speak at the upcoming Brew Talks meetup. The event will take place at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. Mulvaney, who is actively involved in financing the growth of many emerging craft brands, will share his outlook on the craft sector and explain investment strategies for breweries looking to expand.
Today, Brewbound is excited to release the first glimpse of a project many months in the making: Learning Curve, an online documentary series produced in collaboration with Good Beer Hunting, showcases the entrepreneurial adventures of craft beer companies throughout the U.S.
The combination of low interest rates, explosive growth, and a surplus of buyer capital has led to a transformative time in the craft beverage alcohol industry, particularly in craft beer. As transaction advisors to the beverage alcohol industry, we’ve worked on numerous transactions over the last several years. This experience has afforded us the opportunity to understand the investment rationale of buyers as they evaluate entering, or growing, in the beverage alcohol industry. While there are many factors that are considered when making an investment in a beverage company, one common thread in all transactions is the strength of the brand.
