Dear Client: Four Loko was a pop culture phenom that was seemingly everywhere around 2010, coming under scrutiny and fielding plenty of media coverage for its popular mixture of caffeine and alcohol.  These days, sans caffeine, the brand flies a bit more under the radar — unless you are shopping for 24 oz. FMB cans … Continue reading “Four Loko Back in the Spotlight”

Dear Client: One clear, pressing theme from the industry trade org heads panel at the NBWA Legislative Conference: No- and low-alcohol beer offerings are not only the wave of the future, they can also help counter the “no safe level” of alcohol rhetoric coming from the WHO (and some other players in Washington and abroad, … Continue reading “Industry Leaders Warn of “Prohibition by a Different Name,” But Suggest Solutions”

Dear Client: This week BBD is on the ground in Washington D.C., where the BREW Leadership Forum kicked off on Monday, ahead of NBWA’s Legislative Conference.  One newsworthy panel from the show saw Peter Heimark, president and CEO of Heimark Distributing, moderating a discussion digging in with some female distributor leaders. The panel was an … Continue reading “Distribution Vets Share Pivotal Moments at NBWA Leadership Forum”

Dear Client: A New York Supreme Court justice said Thursday there was “no universe” where a new “incentivizing” Gatorade warehouse delivery pallet program introduced by PepsiCo late last year doesn’t violate the beverage giant’s distribution contracts with independent bottlers for direct store delivery (DSD) services. In an hour-long court hearing on PepsiCo’s motion to dismiss … Continue reading “Judge: “No Universe” Where PepsiCo Pallet Program Doesn’t Breach Contract”

Dear Client: Put a bow on it: Constellation Beer just reported Q4 and full year fiscal 2024 results, and it was more good news for the company’s beer business.  In fiscal ’24, “Our Beer Business continued its strong growth momentum as it achieved its 56th consecutive quarter of volume growth while maintaining best-in-class margins,” said … Continue reading “Constellation Beer Finishes Another Good Year Strong”

Dear Client: We regret to report that The Gambrinus Company founder and chairman Carlos Alvarez died earlier this week. He was 73.  Gambrinus CEO John Brozovich wrote to employees yesterday to let them know of Carlos’ passing. “Over the past 13 years, Jim Bolz and I worked closely with Carlos to work on succession planning” … Continue reading “Gambrinus Founder Carlos Alvarez Passes at 73”

Dear Client: The battle of beverages at retail is looking a little lopsided. One of the most eye-catching charts in the new “State of the CPG Beverage Alcohol Industry” report from Circana is a view of the total beverage landscape and the categories inside gaining broader “share of sip” in recent years.  And when it … Continue reading “Bev Alc Losing Ground in Broader Beverage Landscape”

Dear Client: BBD recently spoke with two indie on-premise accounts who order their beer, wine and spirits every week from their respective wholesalers, and were surprised to learn they had opposite perspectives when asked about having to log into a different app/website for each wholesaler.  One buyer despises having to switch between apps and varied … Continue reading “The Battle for Retailers’ Screen Time”

Dear Client: An international craft beer exporter of a suite of Anheuser-Busch-owned (and formerly owned) brands including Kona, Redhook, Widmer Brothers, Omission and Square Mile Cider claims in a lawsuit that A-B has interfered in its distribution relationships, threatening the “total destruction” of its business. CraftCanTravel (CCT) sued Anheuser-Busch, Tilray Brands and A-B owned-Craft Brew … Continue reading “Craft Exporter Accuses A-B of “Choking Off Critical Supply” of Kona and Other Brands”

Dear Client: Molson Coors isn’t casting a wide net with its latest innovation. They’re targeting what some might consider the slipperiest school of fish in the pond… Gen Z. Indeed, unbeknownst to this new age of drinkers, the supplier has been studying their likes and dislikes, and developing a line to lure them in. Enter … Continue reading “Molson Coors Debuts Its Tailor-Made Offering for Gen Z”

Dear Client: After a St. Patrick’s Day driven spike, off-premise beer trends have reverted back to the red in the latest week of Circana scans.  Category dollars fell 1.4% in the freshest batch of Circana scans for the week ending March 24, which was on par with wine’s decline for the week, and well short … Continue reading “Scans Take a Step Back After St. Patty’s Surge”

Dear Client: “The start of April (and data trailing through March) brings with it the ability to take a VERY EARLY and STILL IN PROGRESS look at Shelf Resets,” say Bump Williams and Co. in the monthly BWC newsletter.   Before we get to the apparent brand winners and laggards at this point, one big takeaway: … Continue reading “BWC Takes Stock of Winners and Laggards at Shelf”

How one flawed study enabled a shift to scorched-earth tobacco-like strategies, and dramatically changed the public health narrative on alcohol. Dear Client: The social and mainstream media arbiters of culture are absolutely vibrating with the revelation that Gen Z doesn’t drink as much beverage alcohol as previous generations. The actual data is fuzzy depending on … Continue reading “New Generation of Anti-Alcohol Crusaders Push “No Safe Level””

Dear Client: In a fascinating overview of recent beer industry performance—jointly hosted by the NBWA and Fintech and moderated by Lester Jones, VP of Analytics and Chief Economist at NBWA, and Eric Kiser, VP—distributor strategy at Fintech, (which processes payments by retailers to wholesalers)—the dynamic duo showed an interesting slide that visually illustrates just what … Continue reading “A-B’s Slow Steady Path to Recovery”

Dear Client: While “intoxicating hemp products” continue to make their way onto wholesalers trucks and into regular retailers, from Spec’s to Total Wine (see next story), some parties are trying to reel it in. ATTORNEYS GENERAL TO CONGRESS: REIN IN INTOXICATING HEMP PRODUCTS  Last week, 21 attorneys general wrote to agriculture committee lawmakers, expressing concern … Continue reading “More Ado About Intoxicating Hemp”