The latest A Round With features a familiar face for Brewbound Live 2024 attendees. The Brewbound Insider-exclusive Q&A is a conversation with Meli founder Samara Oster, who made it to the finals in December’s Brewbound Pitch Slam. 

Meli is made with 100% organic quinoa, making it an easy-drinking gluten-free offering. Brewound Insiders are reading the full Q&A, including details on how Oster discovered quinoa beer, the importance of having gluten-free beers, Meli’s distribution strategy and more. 

In today’s full version of the Brewbound Newsletter, Insiders are also:

• Learning about a new project from 3 Northeast breweries;
• Getting details on Brown-Forman’s new distributor lineup after leaving RNDC;
• Reading headlines from the BA, Imperial Beverage and Armed Forces Brewery;
• Finding out why Almanac’s CEO hates the word “taproom;”
• And checking out a new spirits-based offering from AriZona. 

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

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Samara Oster would prefer consumers to meet Meli with “no expectations” of how it might taste.

Meli (4.4% ABV) is brewed with 100% organic quinoa sourced from small farms in Bolivia, making it gluten-free.

The beer is “designed to be an easy drinker – pleasing to beer aficionados, but also approachable to those who typically prefer other categories,” Samara said during the semi-final round of the Brewbound Pitch Slam during the Brewbound Live business conference last December. 

Meli’s go-to-market strategy for its June 2024 launch was to target top restaurants and hotels to drive trial in its home state of Massachusetts, and then funnel those drinkers to off-premise accounts.

Brewbound caught up with Samara in the latest edition of A Round With – our Insider-exclusive Q&A with industry leaders. Insiders can read the full conversation, including insights on Meli’s target demographic, its channel strategy and what’s next.

The country’s second-largest distributor, Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) has been shedding suppliers at an alarming rate, with another major national loss announced Thursday.

Following Brown-Forman’s exit from RNDC in California this month, the whiskey giant will now follow suit in other states.

Beginning August 1, 2025, Brown-Forman will move its portfolio across 13 markets (all open states), a transition that will involve 7 new distributor organizations.

Insiders can read all of the details of the exodus and implications in their wake.

3 East Coast craft breweries have teamed up to launch a new multi-facility contract brewing platform.

B3 Beverage Company is a joint venture from Two Roads Brewing (Stratford, CT), Yards Brewing (Philadelphia) and Bald Birds Brewing (Jersey Shore, PA). 

Bald Birds founder Joe Feerrar said in a press release: “We recognized a substantial opportunity in today’s shifting beverage landscape. When the Two Roads and Yards teams saw the potential, they also got excited about leveraging our respective strengths to grow our core businesses and offer even better service and a wider array of options to existing and future contract partners.”

Insiders can read more about the new partnership.

In a companion piece to 3 Up 3 Down, the team at 3 Tier Beverages breaks down hot trends in bev-alc heading into the summer selling season on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast.

3 Tier Beverages founder Donn Bichsel, consultant Danelle Kosmal and CGA VP Matthew Crompton share a complete look at trends in the off- and on-premise, including continued momentum for non-alcoholic beer, hard juice’s rocketing growth and the growing simplicity movement within craft. 

Kosmal also covers why craft lagers are working, how flavored lagers such as lime are performing and what opportunities still exist in the space. Kosmal and Crompton explore why ABV and style remain among the key factors driving consumer purchases. They also cover the three pillars of innovation growth – NA beer, flavor and craft line extensions.

Before the conversation, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall and senior reporter Zoe Licata analyze 2024 craft brewery production data, which the Brewers Association released last week, including New Belgium leapfrogging A-B's craft portfolio, big losses for Boston Beer, big gains for Athletic Brewing and the regional craft breweries leveling up. 

Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform. 

Less than 2 weeks left until BevNET Live NYC (June 11-12) 550+ attendees from across the beverage ecosystem including brands, investors, retailers, operators and service providers are already registered!

The BevNET Live NYC speaker lineup has shaped some of the most influential brands. On stage they'll share actionable insights on the trends and strategies driving the beverage market today. From leadership lessons to retail channel success, these sessions provide expert perspectives and real-world strategies you can implement immediately to stay competitive.

Beverage brands also have the opportunity to meet one-to-one with retail buyers, including Top Ten Liquors, Stop & Shop, Whole Foods Market, Circle K, H-E-B, Casey’s and The Goods Mart.