Beer Marketer's Insights
Keurig Dr Pepper, which unlike its Big 3 brethren Coke and Pepsi hasn't made a meaningful foray into the alc biz, is making a statement move into a booming alc-adjacency with $50 mil investment in NA beer leader Athletic Brewing. Don't know about you, but we sure didn't see that one coming!
Time is running out to join us for this year's Beer Insights Seminar, with a reception Sunday and program all day Monday, Nov 14 in midtown NYC. Our stellar agenda features a line-up of top industry execs and thought leaders. Learn the latest industry insights, dig deeper into hot topics during in-depth discussions and reconnect with other beer biz movers and shakers. Register for this year's Seminar today! We look forward to seeing everyone next week in NYC.
Athletic Brewing is at it again, changing the way one views what's even possible for NA beer as it now partners with major NA bev player Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP 2021 revs $12.8 bil, mkt cap at $53 bil). KDP will invest $50 million for an unidentified "minority equity stake" in Athletic and gets a seat on Athletic's board. Athletic first talked to KDP yrs ago. At same time, Athletic is also raising another $25 mil from "over 20 of our existing investors" including "current lead investors" TRB Advisors and Alliance Consumer Growth, plus a buncha celebs including newly onboard tennis star Naomi Osaka and model Karlie Kloss; football's JJ Watt will up his investment.
Time is running out to join us for this year's Beer Insights Seminar, with a reception Sunday and program all day Monday, Nov 14 in midtown NYC. Our stellar agenda features a line-up of top industry execs and thought leaders. Learn the latest industry insights, dig deeper into hot topics during in-depth discussions and reconnect with other beer biz movers and shakers. Register for this year's Seminar today! We look forward to seeing everyone next week in NYC.
Athletic Brewing is at it again, changing the way one views what's even possible for NA beer as it now partners with major NA bev player Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP 2021 revs $12.8 bil, mkt cap at $53 bil). KDP will invest $50 million for an unidentified "minority equity stake" in Athletic and gets a seat on Athletic's board. Athletic first talked to KDP yrs ago. At same time, Athletic is also raising another $25 mil from "over 20 of our existing investors" including "current lead investors" TRB Advisors and Alliance Consumer Growth, plus a buncha celebs including newly onboard tennis star Naomi Osaka and model Karlie Kloss; football's JJ Watt will up his investment.
Just a few wks after UK's Big Drop Brewing struck a deal with Destihl to scale up its US production and sales (see Oct 26 issue) the alcohol-free brewer is seeking additional funding with plans to expand in UK as well. After raising £6.5 mil in equity finance over the past 5 yrs, including Series A round of £3.5 mil 18 mos ago, co's looking to raise an additional £2 mil to build out its presence in UK supermarkets and pubs, The Drinks Business reports. Rounding out the brewer's board of advisors are industry vets (and investors) including Mark Hunter, former global CEO of Molson Coors, and Stefan Orlowski, past European prexy at Heineken. Co's currently
Several sizable brewers are expanding into new locations, while Mikkeller is now down to just 1 remaining US taproom. NC's Sycamore Brewing is officially up and running in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, venturing outside city's South End for the first time, co announced yesterday. Move comes shortly after "Charlotte's top beer producer" shut down its only/original taproom in preparation for 4x larger space opening next door by end of winter (see Sep 14 issue). The 1,828 sq-ft airport location, created in partnership with global restaurateur HMSHost, is now open from 6AM-10PM in Concourse E, serving Sycamore beers plus a new dining menu. "Since we first opened for business eight years ago, we have grown an exponential amount with 2022 on pace to nearly double 2020 retail distribution sales," co-owner Sarah Taylor Brigham said in release.
American Canning, an aluminum can and packaging provider based out of Austin, TX, signed a supply agreement with Ball Corp as an "official distributor of blank (brite) and printed aluminum beverage cans," co announced last wk. Deal allows American Canning to offer printed cans in single truckload increments for 1st time, granting its customers "access to lower minimum order quantity requirements for Ball printed cans." That's likely a welcome relief for some craft suppliers, following Ball's min order hikes in Mar from 1 truckload per SKU to 5 truckloads (~200K cans to ~1 mil cans) plus its decision to close 2 plants last qtr. CBN previously reported Ball backtracking some requirements, tho co never publicly announced a policy change (see Aug 16 issue).
The state of Washington epitomizes a handful of longtime truisms about the US craft brewing industry, always worth a reminder. The first: most breweries are small. In WA, most breweries are very small. Of the 373 WA brewers that published 2021 production data with the Brewers Assn, just 8 shipped over 15K bbls and only 26 more topped 2K bbls. Last wk, at the state fair grounds in Puyallup, when the WA State Beer Awards handed out their "brewery of the year" honors to the outfits who racked up the most individual medals, any brewer over just 1,800 bbls was eligible for the "large brewery" award.
CORRECTION: Craft Maine Portfolio
Altho these brands were listed on Sheehan Family Cos website yesterday, turns out Craft Maine no longer sells Firestone Walker, Bells, Bold Rock, Wachusett, Founders or Stone, which either moved or left the market. Craft Maine is "mostly comprised of more local brands," said source, including Maine Beer Co, Orono, Oxbow, Banded Brewing, Bunker Brewing and others. That's in addition to natl brands like Lagunitas, CanArchy, ABV (ex-Bold Rock). We're not certain whether list of NAs like Liquid Death and Nova Kombucha may be similarly out of date tho hydration brand Revitalyte is part of CanArchy portfolio that remains in mix.