Beer distributors have been adapting to changes in the marketplace, on one level or another, for decades. When retailers asked distributors for greater levels of service, the merchandising department was created. As on-premise accounts added more draft lines, distributors were asked to clean the lines and assist with repairs or new installations. So what makes the SKU proliferation of the past decade, and the level of associated changes, different from the above-mentioned service layers?
Popular craft beermaker Trillium Brewing is planning to relocate its original brewing facility in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston to a larger space just a few blocks away, Brewbound has learned. The new space, according to brewery co-owner Jean-Claude Tetreault, will span more than 15,000 sq. ft. and will include a full-scale restaurant as well as outdoor patio seating. The company is also looking into the feasibility of building a roof deck bar, Tetreault added.
Kary Shumway is the founder of Beer Business Finance, an online resource for beer industry professionals. He has worked in the beer industry for over 20 years as a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Clarke Distributors, Inc. in Keene, New Hampshire. In part I of his two-part column for Brewbound Voices, Shumway describes the inner workings of a beer distributor and begins to explain how these organizations are evolving to accommodate an onslaught of new craft SKUs.
What’s life been like for Virginia’s Devils Backbone since it was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev? Revenue is up 18 to 20 percent over the previous year, according to the News and Advance, which recently profiled the brewery.
Colorado craft beer wholesaler Elite Brands has obtained the distribution rights to Wicked Weed Brewing, Maui Brewing Company and several import brands, Brewbound has learned. In a joint press release issued on December 23, Elite Brands and Wicked Weed, a popular Asheville, North Carolina-based craft brewery, announced the new distribution agreement.
Anheuser-Busch InBev is making a number of sizable investments to grow its acquired craft beer brands both domestically and abroad, according to recent reports. The world’s largest beer company is planning a large-scale international expansion for its biggest craft offering, Goose Island, and making significant investments to scale production capabilities for its Blue Point and Karbach Brewing brands in their respective home markets of New York and Texas.
A group of five German craft breweries working with Brooklyn-based import manager Liquid Projects LLC plan to make their U.S. debut next week, launching in Philadelphia, Rhode Island and New York with a trio of wholesalers. Operating under the “Reinheits Boten” moniker, derived from “Reinheitsgebot,” the German beer purity law, the five German breweries include: Distelhäuser, Zoller-Hof, Friedenfelser Brauerei, Riedenburger Brauhaus and Himburgs Braukunst Keller.
It’s been a newsworthy couple of weeks for Austin, Texas-based Jester King Brewery. The company last week announced that it would take an ownership stake in Fair Isle Brewing, a yet-to-be-opened Seattle brewery. That news was followed by word that Jester King’s head brewer Garrett Crowell — whose last day was Wednesday — would depart to open his own brewery. And earlier this week, the company promoted brewery production manager Averie Swanson to head brewer.
The world’s biggest beer and soda makers struck a deal Wednesday, but the transaction wasn’t a long-rumored merger of the two companies. Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to sell its 54.5 percent equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa to the soda-making goliath for $3.15 billion. ABI had acquired the business in October as part of its $100 billion takeover of rival SABMiller.
As many craft brewers continued a shift toward brewing with more aroma hops in 2016, the average hop yield per acre declined even as total U.S. hop production hit a five-year high, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2016, farmers reported 87.1 million pounds of hops harvested, an 8.3 million pound increase over last year.
The gypsy brewers are finally settling down. Lured by increased revenue from taproom beer sales, a growing number of nomadic brewers are deciding to build their own brick-and-mortar operations.
Boulevard Brewing Company has hired former Zevia Zero Calorie Soda executive Natalie Gershon as the Kansas City brewery’s new vice president of marketing.
Craft Brew Alliance today announced it has signed a letter of intent to purchase a 24.5 percent stake in Miami upstart Wynwood Brewing Company. The deal, which is valued at less than $30 million, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.
Pabst Brewing Company has inked its first official U.S. craft partnership, announcing plans today to invest in the marketing, sales and distribution of products from New Holland Brewing. Specific financial terms of deal, which was signed this morning and is slated to begin during the first quarter of next year, were not disclosed.
