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| DAILY BRIEFING: LITE EDITION | | A preview of today's news & insights for the beer industry. |
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| 🚨 What You're Missing 🚨 | | | What do early-stage craft breweries need to know about operating in today’s challenging climate? Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata breaks down a recent webinar hosted by Brewers Association (BA) staff economist Matt Gacioch.
Insiders are also: - Learning about a merger between two New York craft breweries;
- Finding out who’s going to lead the Coors Spirits Co.;
- Digging into branding strategies for RTDs;
- Seeing how bev-alc off-premise sales have fared with Labor Day officially in the rearview mirror.
Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.
Become a Brewbound Insider today! Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access. |
| | Today's Top Story | | | While “it might feel like we’re hearing more about brewery closures” since the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still plenty of craft breweries opening across the country, according to Brewers Association staff economist Matt Gacioch. Gacioch addressed early-stage and in-planning breweries in a webinar Thursday, mapping out the reality of the craft beer market right now, and what brewery owners should know before making early decisions about their business. He repeatedly clarified that while historic data can help breweries navigate trends, the industry has operated “somewhat differently” in recent years and future trends can always change. Insiders can read more, including why breweries should focus on regional trends, and why spending months designing the best brewery T-shirt may not have the best return on investment.
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| | From the Wire | | | Amid challenging industry headwinds, two New York-based craft breweries are merging, Brewbound has learned.
New York City-based The Bronx Brewery and Elmsford-based Captain Lawrence Brewing “have signed a merger agreement with the goal of enabling both companies to achieve greater scale and efficiencies to confront the growing (and at this point, well documented) structural challenges in the craft beer industry,” Bronx president Damian Brown told Brewbound. With the merger, most Bronx production will move roughly 20 miles north to Captain Lawrence, Brown wrote in an email. It is not yet clear how many employees will be retained during the shift. Insiders can read more details about the agreement to merge, including both breweries' production output and Captain Lawrence's sales and marketing relationship with portfolio company and importer U.S. Beverage. |
| | | | Across oversaturated retail shelves, bev-alc brands are under pressure to stand out. In premium spirits and canned cocktails, brands have learned that calling out unique ingredients and connecting to audiences through their own cultural stories is key to positioning. They’re also balancing bolder looks with conveying brand values, health benefits and taste without over-messaging. Many have gone back to the drawing board, honing their brand prepositions and packaging. At Santa Cruz-based West Peak Sparkling Spirits, founders Nick and Jamie Sanyal took a beat after some initial learnings at independent retailers to refine and redesign, aiming to make waves by infusing California’s coastal culture into their newly re-designed brand. Insiders can read more here.
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| | Save the Date | | | The Brewbound team is hosting a free beer industry happy hour on Sunday, September 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. PT at The Church by The Lost Abbey in San Diego! Kick off NBWA with us in downtown San Diego with industry networking, Lost Abbey beers and light appetizers. Industry professionals within the beer and beyond industries are invited to attend the free happy hour. Prior registration is required. Here are the details: Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024 Time: 4–6 p.m. PT Location: The Church by The Lost Abbey (1313 J St, San Diego, CA 92101) Learn More + Register for Free >> Headed to NBWA that week? The Brewbound Podcast hosts, Jess, Justin, and Zoe, will be recording podcast interviews on the show floor. Visit our Brewbound Podcast studio located in the Product Showcase area for a unique opportunity to connect with our Brewbound team in-person as they discuss the latest trends, industry insights, and interview key players in the world of brewing. Want to schedule some time to chat during the show? Email us at podcast@brewbound.com. |
| | | | How do you create a memorable event that will keep customers coming back? Russian River Brewing co-owner Natalie Cilurzo will share how the Sonoma County craft brewery created an annual event celebrating its Pliny the Younger triple IPA release in her opening keynote address to the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference on December 11. As creating meaningful experiences has become a bigger part of connecting to modern consumers, Cilurzo will explore what’s worked and what hasn’t for Russian River. She’ll share how the event has evolved throughout the years, how it’s connected Russian River’s fans in unexpected ways and what keeps their loyal customers coming back each year. The two-day conference will take place December 11 and 12 at the Marina del Rey Marriott and bring together leaders from all three tiers for business-focused conversations on driving the bev-alc industry forward, data presentations, networking and brand building. The speaker roster includes: - Rebecca Maisel, Gulf Distributing SVP legal and government affairs;
- Lauren Doll-Sheeder, Doll Distributing managing partner;
- Jennifer Grant, Markstein Sales general manager and VP;
- Zech Francis, BeatBox Beverages SVP of global marketing;
- Rebecca Dye Yonushonis, New Belgium Brewing CMO;
- Lindsay Kunkle, Foresight Factory director, head of U.S. Consultancy;
- Arthur Moye, owner and CEO of Full Circle Brewing;
- Kaleigh Theriault, director of thought leadership, beverage alcohol vertical, NIQ;
- Brian “BK” Krueger, VP of business development and portfolio strategies, Bump Williams Consulting;
- Peter Skrbek, CEO, Deschutes Brewery;
- Lester Jones, chief economist and VP of analytics, National Beer Wholesalers Association;
- Jennifer Hauke, founder and president, Draftline Technologies.
Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Interested in speaking? Follow this link to see our speaker guidelines. |
| | | | Brewbound’s annual Best Of Awards are accepting nominations for 2024! The awards celebrate beverage-alcohol companies for their achievements and impact throughout the last year and serve as an appreciation of notable industry members, trend setters, breakout brands, change agents and up-and-coming entrepreneurs. The awards show will take place in Marina del Rey, CA on the first day of Brewbound Live 2024, taking place December 11 + 12, 2024. 📝 Submit Your Nominations Brewbound’s 2024 Best Of Awards are currently open for nominations. Submitting a nomination guarantees that the person, company, or product submitted will be considered for the category chosen by the nominator. You may submit as many nominations as you’d like, either for your own company/product or a company/product you find deserving. You may also elect as many categories as you’d like for each nomination. Agencies submitting their clients must submit one nomination per client. All nominations will be published on Brewbound.com. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, November 1. 🧐 Nomination Criteria Below are the categories open for Brewbound Best Of 2024 nominations: - Craft Brewery of the Year
- Large Brewery of the Year
- Beyond Beer Company of the Year
- Person of the Year
- Rising Stars
- Best New Products
Submit your nominations >> |
| | ICYMI | | | Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC) founder Phil Bannatyne joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the recent announcement that the Massachusetts brewpub will shut its doors in December after 35 years in business. Bannatyne shared his thoughts on the brewpub segment, the team’s next steps and how many CBC alumni are scattered across the industry. Plus, the Brewbound team covers recent California craft beer news, including Firestone Walker’s annual business plan, Anderson Valley being up for sale, and production shifts and job cuts at Modern Times. Listen here or on your podcast platform of choice. |
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