It’s Monday, Day 1 of the NBWA’s Annual Convention and Product Showcase in Orlando. Justin, Jess and Zoe are on the ground in Orlando to cover the news. 

Zoe has a preview of what’s coming up and what we’re watching for (see the Top Story), including how the NBWA addresses recent supplier terminations in CO, the supplier shuffle in the wake of RNDC’s collapse and recent federal actions taken against Southern Glazer’s.

Plus, we’ll be counting hard sports drink brands on the Product Showcase floor and seeking what’s next.

Also on tap this week: the NBWA’s Making Moves conference and the release of the September Consumer Price Index, plus our regular weekly scan data analysis.

Undoubtedly, the most anticipated topic during the 2-day NBWA Annual Convention will be wholesaler consolidation, which kicked into another gear this year as the industry continues to clean up the fallout from RNDC’s collapse, including RBG’s biggest acquisition in company history.

Learn more about what we’re paying attention to this week

Brewbound Live's 1:1 Meetings program returns to Brewbound Live 2026 (Dec. 9 & 10 at the Marina Del Rey Marriott Hotel), connecting beer and bev-alc brands with the retailers and distributors who decide what makes it onto shelves, into restaurants, and onto trucks.

Confirmed hosts so far include Heimark Distributing’s Peter Heimark, a third-generation distributor and past chairman of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, along with category and beverage leaders from Whole Foods Market, Global Partners, Eureka! Restaurant Group and Sunset Distributing.

Learn more

Catch up on the top stories of the last week. Become a Brewbound Insider to get full access to these stories and more.

• Constellation Brands Acquires SpikedAde in $75M Deal, with $278M Performance-Based Contingent

• Sierra Nevada Terminates Coors Distributing Co.; Will Move to Reyes in Denver Area

• Deschutes Tags Into Hard Sports Drink Segment with Firelyte

• Feds’ Southern Glazer’s Bribery Probe Could Serve as ‘Template’ For Future Investigations

• Health Claims Pose Potential Regulatory Hurdle for Hard Sports Drink Makers

Price fixing investigations are so hot right now and not just in the U.S. beer biz, Brewbound Insider’s Week in Beer newsletter writer Sean McNulty notes in his latest weekend recap. 

Japanese regulators are looking into the country’s largest beer manufacturers – Kirin, Sapporo, Asahi and Suntory, which account for more than 90% of beer sales in Japan – for allegedly violating anit-monopoly laws. This is another to watch in the wake of the Southern Glazer’s deal with the FTC. 

Catch up on this and more GIF-worthy headlines.

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