Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) today announced that it will begin shipping offerings from its Kona Brewing line to Canada. CBA has signed a wholesale agreement with Beerthirst for distribution throughout the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Kona will make its debut in British Columbia later this month and roll out in Alberta on December 1, the company said in a press statement.
Green Flash Brewing announced Monday it would acquire Alpine Beer Company, a small San Diego-area craft brewery known for its highly coveted hop-forward offerings. Although specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, Green Flash co-founder Mike Hinkley told Brewbound that the Alpine’s founders, Pat and Val McIlhenney, received cash and equity in Green Flash Brewing as part of the transaction.
When Stone Brewing turned to crowdfunding by launching an Indiegogo campaign to help finance its German expansion this past summer, the company also triggered a maelstrom of anger, with people appalled that a profitable brewery would turn to its fans to ask for a handout. The squall of vitriol, though, was a mere sunshower when compared with the cash that rained down on the brewery.
Brewbound is excited to announce that David Walker, the co-founder of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, will be speaking at the Dec. 4 Brewbound Session. Walker will explain the strategic decisions that have helped Firestone grow into a top-20 craft brewery, discuss his vision of the future, and examine how the company will navigate a crowded an increasingly competitive craft landscape going forward.
In a follow-up earnings call on Thursday, Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) executives expounded on third quarter results and discussed the increasingly competitive craft beer landscape.Total CBA depletion volumes grew 6 percent compared to the third quarter in 2013. Year-to-date depletion totals are now up 8 percent.
Brewbound is pleased to announce Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas will speak at the upcoming Brewbound Session, which will be held in San Diego on Thursday, Dec. 4. Thomas will share his vision of a mature craft beer category. In his presentation, Thomas will address the important questions that, ultimately, will determine how much craft is able to grow.
Southern Tier Brewing is strengthening its executive roster. The company yesterday announced it hired Brendan Smith as its new vice president of sales and marketing. The move comes nearly two months after a recent capital infusion from private equity firm Ulysses Management LLC. Smith most recently held the role of senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Smithfield Foods, a global food processor with $13 billion in annual sales.
When the National Beer Wholesalers Association tapped Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill to speak at its annual conference this past summer, the network of distributors knew they were getting someone highly qualified to dole out wisdom on the topics of “leadership, decision-making, operating in uncertain environments and how to become the ‘best of the best.’” That’s how the network pitched his appearance in a July press release, anyway.
10 Barrel co-founder Jeremy Cox said the decision to sell was driven largely by his company’s rapid growth and the need for a more mature infrastructure. “We had some challenges growing the business,” he said “About three months ago, we realized we needed to find a strategic partner to help us with that.”
He was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president. Now, 188 years after his death, Thomas Jefferson can add to his resume. According to a Times Dispatch report, economic developers in Virginia dug up (read: hired an actor to play) Thomas Jefferson to help sell Stone Brewing on the state when the company was still in search of a place to build a facility on the east coast.
10 Barrel Brewing, a craft beer company based in Bend, Ore., today announced it has agreed to be acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer manufacturer. Official terms of the deal were not disclosed. It’s Anheuser-Busch’s second craft acquisition this year — it purchased New York’s Blue Point Brewing in February — and reflects the beer giant’s growing interest in the craft segment.
Smuttynose Brewing yesterday announced it will begin distributing beer to Arizona per an agreement with Arizona Beer and Cider Company, a new wholesale outfit based in Phoenix. Though this is Summtynose’s first foray into Arizona, it’s not the first time the company has done business with the founders of Arizona Beer and Cider, Jim and Jason Ebel.
The Brewers Association (BA) is once again calling on its members to steer the organization’s response to the U.S Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) controversial spent grains proposal in its most recently revised form. Hoping to inform additional comments, the BA is surveying its craft brewery members to find out how many process their spent grains before selling them to farmers for use as animal feed.
The Startup Brewery Challenge, Brewbound’s bi-annual business pitch competition, will return for a third edition at the Dec. 4 Brewbound Session in San Diego, Calif. Presented by Craft Brew Alliance, the Startup Brewery Challenge gives new U.S. craft breweries a chance to show off their business plans, sample a beer and receive immediate feedback from an expert judging panel.
