Distribution

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.

Oregon lawmakers are considering a tax hike on alcoholic beverages that would increase taxes on malt beverages by $70 per barrel. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in the early hours of Saturday, February 27. The bill includes a $25 billion fund for grants for bars, restaurants and breweries.

The Reyes Beer Division remains a very active acquirer in the state of California. The largest beer wholesaler in the U.S. continued to add to its business in the state today as its Harbor Distributing subsidiary signed an agreement to acquire Redding Distributing Company in Northern California.