Stay informed as breweries expand their presence and read the latest beer industry news relating to distribution, wholesale, and direct store delivery (DSD). From reporting on changes in the distribution of products, to diving into the current state of play between brewers and distributors, the latest industry news and analysis provide context and best practices within a complex beer distribution network.
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Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS) has consistently charged independent retailers as much as 12% to 67% more than national and regional chains for the same products, according to newly unsealed redactions in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) price discrimination case against the distributor.
Craft’s rolling four-week losses improved to start 2025, according to the most recent report from market research firm Circana. The segment’s off-premise dollar sales declined -3.1% and volume, measured in case sales, declined -4.6% in the four-week period ending January 26 (L4W) at multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C). That marked an improvement over the prior four-week period (through December 29, 2024), when craft dollars declined -5.1% and volume declined -6.5%.
What’s life like for the Anheuser-Busch distributor in one of the country’s biggest party towns ahead of one of the beer industry’s biggest days? Brandon Frederick, VP of sales; Greg Naquin, director of off-premise sales; and Kris Cutrell, director of on-premise sales walk through the preparations for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the expectations placed on them, the biggest pain points and much more.
The Yuengling Company LLC, the joint venture formed last year between D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. (DGY) and Molson Coors Beverage Company, announced it will enter the Texas market this fall through Molson Coors-aligned wholesalers.
Matagrano, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. alleging the Chico-headquartered craft brewery breached the companies’ contract when it terminated its relationship with the South San Francisco-based wholesaler on April 2. In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court of the state of California on April 23, 20 years to the day after Sierra Nevada signed on with Matagrano for distribution, the wholesaler alleged that “as a result of defendant’s breach of the distributorship agreement, Matagrano has been damaged in an amount not yet ascertained, but which exceeds $8 million.”
The loss of higher-margin on-premise consumption cost the beer industry more than $20 billion in 2020, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones reported yesterday during a webinar. “Volumes went up a little bit, maybe 0.5-1% up, but spending shifted dramatically,” Jones said. “
Canadian cannabis firm Canopy Growth announced today a partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to distribute its portfolio of CBD-infused beverages in the U.S.
Even as suppliers rush to produce hard seltzers, ready-to-drink canned cocktails and other so-called “fourth category” offerings, traditional beer remains a priority for Whole Foods Markets, according to Mary Guiver, the natural food chain’s global senior category merchant for beer and spirits.
Atlantic Beverage Distributors’ fight to keep Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers from terminating their wholesaler relationship hit a roadblock this week when a judge denied the distributor’s motion for a preliminary injunction against a pending arbitration hearing.
Sierra Nevada has announced it will reopen its breweries in Chico, California, and Mills River, North Carolina, to the public in May after what will be a 14-month hiatus from on-site service, according to a report in the Chico Enterprise-Record. Philadelphia-headquartered, on-demand delivery platform goPuff announced the completion of a $1.15 billion fundraising round earlier this week.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced most Americans to stay home except for essential errands last spring, on-demand alcohol delivery e-commerce platform Drizly’s sales skyrocketed. “We saw years’ worth of growth — five years’ worth of growth — in just a three-month timeframe,” Drizly chief operating officer Cathy Lewenberg said.
On the heels of the NCAA tournament’s opening week, Buffalo Wild Wings beverage product and program innovation manager Jason Murphy joins a special 60-minute “Retail Pulse” edition of Brewbound Frontlines to discuss the chicken wing chain’s 2021 mandate program, the importance of local beer to the sports bar’s menus and the increasing presence of hard seltzers and beyond beer offerings in the company’s stores.
Some Kentucky craft brewers will soon be able to distribute their own products and terminate wholesaler contracts more easily after Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 15 into law on March 18. The new law will allow breweries producing fewer than 50,000 barrels of beer annually to self-distribute up to 2,500 barrels per year.
Independent San Diego wholesaler Scout Distribution will add statewide distribution in Arizona, starting April 5. The company will start operations from a warehouse in Phoenix, with plans to add a second in Tucson in the next 12 to 18 months.
Hard tea and wine-based spritzer producer Loverboy is attempting to split from its Massachusetts wholesaler, Chelsea-based Night Shift Distributing, according to documents filed with the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers is attempting to sever its relationship with Atlantic Beverage Distributors, its Massachusetts wholesaler. The Framingham, Massachusetts-based craft brewery provided Atlantic with notice on January 14, two days after franchise law reform was enacted in the state.
Boochcraft, the country’s #1 selling hard kombucha, announces major East Coast distribution expansion to New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The five-year-old hard kombucha company, which prides itself on using whole organic fruit and fair trade ingredients for its 7% ABV beverages, is a staple at retailers like Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, and other national chains.
