Distribution

More than two years after making a splashy acquisition of Houston-based Silver Eagle Distributors, Redwood Capital Investments will acquire another independent Anheuser-Busch wholesaler. This time, the private investment firm is set to acquire Pepin Distributing in Tampa, Florida, Brewbound has confirmed with multiple sources.

New Jersey hemp-infused seltzer brand Kaló announced today that its products are available in 10 states via 12 tier-one distributor partnerships.

The Reyes Beer Division has reached a deal to acquire Centreville, Maryland-based G & G Distributors, the company announced today.

Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and sister brand Springdale Beer Company have signed with Sheehan Family Companies to distribute its offerings statewide in Massachusetts, the company announced today. Sheehan subsidiaries Craft Massachusetts (Boston, central and western Massachusetts), L. Knife & Son (southeastern Massachusetts), and Seaboard Products (northeastern Massachusetts) will begin distributing Jack’s Abby products starting today.

Sierra Nevada has filed a counter lawsuit against Matagrano, Inc., the Chico-headquartered craft brewery’s former South San Francisco-based wholesaler, in the Superior Court of the state of California, County of San Mateo. The trademark lawsuit between Constellation Brands and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Grupo Modelo over the former’s ability to produce and sell Corona Hard Seltzer will continue, despite Constellation’s motion to dismiss, a federal judge ruled this week.

The craft segment’s slide into the red in off-premise scan data against tough year-ago comps may not be a bad thing for craft brewers, according to Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson.

A nationwide truck driver shortage is causing headaches for several industries, including the beer industry. The U.S. pool of truck drivers with commercial drivers licenses (CDL) is 50,000-60,000 workers short of where it should be.

Consumers used the long weekend to sneak in an extra round with friends and family — and many purchased those drinks online. Sales on alcohol delivery on-demand marketplace Drizly spiked 30% on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, compared to the previous four Sundays in May, the company shared. The hard seltzer segment reached a 28% share of overall beer category sales during the holiday weekend, an increase of 3% over its overall share for the month.

Sparkling hard tea and canned cocktail company Loverboy has filed a civil suit against Night Shift Distributing (NSD), citing fraud and breach of contract, in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on May 7.

Under SB 623, which was referred to the Senate law and justice committee on May 3, breweries and wholesalers would have to revisit their distribution contracts every five years. If the contract cannot be renegotiated after five years, the parties must enter mediation with a mutually agreed upon mediator or, failing that, a mediator appointed by “a court of competent jurisdiction.”

Lone River Ranch Water announced the expansion of their distribution in 21 states this summer.

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. “