• 👩‍💼 Sierra Nevada Promotes Ellie Preslar to CCO
• 🦊 Report: Foxtrot Assets Sold At Auction For $2.2M
• 🍷 Vintage Wine Estates Cuts 10% of Workforce
• 📊 Circana: Cinco Boost Higher than Expected
• 🚚 Bay City Signs with Karl Strauss Distributing
• 🚛 Spirits Distribution: Berczy Joins Hard Tea Race

Sierra Nevada VP of sales Ellie Preslar has been promoted to chief commercial officer of the California-based craft brewery. 

Preslar fills the position left vacant by the retirement of Joe Whitney in October, after 17 years at Sierra Nevada. Preslar will be responsible for overseeing “all commercial operations, including sales and marketing,” as well as “certain elements of Sierra Nevada’s newly commissioned [CanDo] co-packing facility,” according to a press release. 

Sierra Nevada president and CEO Pryce Greenow said in the release: “Our future success requires that we create a high-performing, inclusive environment with teams that are equipped to navigate the evolving craft beverage landscape. Ellie has a proven track record of leading with those principles and I’m confident she will help deliver the next chapter of sustainable growth at Sierra Nevada.”

Greenow himself began his role as CEO in February. Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman had served as interim CEO for more than six months following the retirement of Jeff White. 

Preslar joined Sierra Nevada as VP of sales in November 2021, filling the vacancy left by the departure of Nick Lundquist after 19 years. Lundquist went on to become chief sales officer of hard kombucha maker Flying Embers, and is now not directly working within the industry, according to his LinkedIn.

Prior to Sierra Nevada, Preslar spent 17 years at CPG giant Procter & Gamble (P&G). She held several sales director positions at P&G, and last served as VP of sales for the baby care division, leading sales and marketing strategies for Pampers and Luvs. 

Preslar said in the latest release: “I’m honored to be named chief commercial officer at a company with such a rich history and unwavering commitment to quality as Sierra Nevada. We have an exciting opportunity ahead of us with innovation at the forefront, and I’m optimistic for what the future holds.”

Insiders can read more, including recent production and scan data for Sierra Nevada, and details on the company’s search for a new brand director. 

The future of Foxtrot is once again in question after assets belonging to the shuttered grocery chain were acquired by Further Point Enterprises via auction for $2.2 million, according to a report from Crain’s Chicago Business.

The auction was conducted by JPMorgan Chase Bank, a debtor of Foxtrot, via Microsoft Teams. Assets belonging to Dom’s Kitchen and Market were also put up for bid but were not sold.

Further Point’s portfolio includes Boston-based taqueria Borrachito, and celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s cat food brand, Made by Nacho, among others.

The fast-delivery, upscale convenience chain abruptly shut down in April, claiming it had “explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts.” Foxtrot operated 18 locations in Texas, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., along with 15 stores in the Chicagoland area.

Insiders can go deeper into the recent changes and how its impacted brands. 

Vintage Wine Estates (VWE) has concluded another round of layoffs, the fourth time the company has done so in the past 14 months. 

VWE’s board of directors approved a 10% reduction in workforce on May 8, “as a result of the company’s financial condition,” and notified affected employees on May 10, according to a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The full rollout of cuts is planned to be completed by the end of Q4 FY2024, which is late June for the company. 

VWE’s portfolio includes more than 30 wine and spirits brands, as well as ACE Cider. It is not known how many employees were impacted, or from which brands, but at least one of the impacted employees from ACE’s sales team wrote about the layoffs on LinkedIn, and offered support for fellow affected employees.

VWE previously cut about 15% of its workforce in January, with an estimated annual savings of $7.1 million, The North Bay Business Journal reported. It is unclear how many employees were impacted in that round. However, the company had 568 full-time employees as of June 30, according to the company’s annual report for fiscal year 2023.

The move followed a 4% reduction (approximately 25 roles) in March 2023, and a 7% reduction (approximately 45 roles) in July 2023, according to a 10-K filing.

VWE and ACE did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.

Total bev-alc dollar sales were flat year-over-year (YoY) and +4% week-over-week (WoW) in Circana-tracked off-premise channels in the period ending May 5, according to the market research firm.

The week included “a bit more growth than anticipated” from the Cinco de Mayo holiday (May 5), which helped “surge beer and spirits,” Circana’s Scott Scanlon wrote. 

Beer dollar sales were just above flat YoY (+0.2%), while volume declined -1.7% – the same percentage as total bev-alc’s volume declines. 

Similarly, spirits dollar sales and volume were both about flat (-0.1% YoY). Unlike previous weeks, tequila failed to give spirits a boost, despite the holiday, with tequila instead declining versus 2023.

Gallo’s High Noon Sun Sips passed Sazarac’s Fireball as the No. 3 spirits brand for the week, increasing dollar sales +27% YoY and volume +26.2%. Diageo’s Crown Royal (dollar sales +7.5%, volume +2.5%) still outpaced High Noon by about $700,000 for the No. 2 spot, while Tito’s Vodka retained a heavy lead of about $2.7 million more than Crown (dollar sales +4.7%, volume +1.9%).

Constellation Brands’ Modelo remained the No. 1 beer brand by dollar sales, increasing dollar sales +10.4%, to more than $106.7 million (volume +9.7%). Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Bud Light remained No. 2, with dollar sales declining -5.8%, to more than $98.4 million (volume -7.1%).

Karl Strauss Distributing (KSD) has picked up distribution of San Diego’s Bay City Brewing across San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Bay City’s Fiesta Island Pils, Jucci Gang Hazy Double IPA, Peninsula Amber Lager, and Ron Murkundy Hazy IPA will be available in bars, restaurants, grocery stores, and Total Wine and More liquor stores.

Karl Strauss chief operating officer Chad Heath said in the announcement: “Karl Strauss Distributing was created to partner with revered San Diego breweries exactly like Bay City Brewing, which is why we are thrilled to bring them on as one of our distribution partners.”

KSD’s distribution portfolio includes Black Plague Brewing, WestBrew and Booze Brothers Brewing Company.

Spirits editor Ferron Salniker rounded up recent spirits distribution moves, including Berczy getting in on the hard tea race and ready-to-drink cocktail (RTD) brands Tequio and DIO signing deals with new distributors.

UK-based Berczy is bringing its vodka iced tea to the Northeast, just as leaders like Surfside expand their territory and other newcomers ride the hard tea wave.

Berczy, which debuted its Vodka Spritz in the U.S. in 2022, worked on a hard tea that would share the ethos of its spritz – organic ingredients, fruit-based and a brand built on “British charm” – for 18 months before launching in the U.S. The founders decided to come in a little higher on ABV to differentiate from other spirits-based iced teas.

The Lemon Tea and Peach Tea flavors are now expanding into Connecticut with Brescome Barton and into New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland and Washington, D.C., via Opici Family Distributors. 

Graham sees the U.S. market as the brand’s biggest growth opportunity and will be replicating its spritz launch strategy: running hundreds of in-store tastings and popping up at events and festivals with a team of brand ambassadors recruited from local colleges.

They’ll be pushing the product into chain retailers where the brand already has a presence including Trader Joes, Total Wine & More, and Wegmans, as well as more premium liquor stores.

Insiders can read more, including details on the latest distribution moves from RTD brands DIO and Tequio.

The Brewbound Live business conference returns December 11 and 12 in Marina del Rey, California.

Brewbound Live will feature beverage-alcohol industry leaders taking part in business-focused conversations, data presentations, networking and much more across two days at the Marina del Rey Marriott.

Brewbound announced the first speakers for this year’s conference. They include:

• Russian River co-owner Natalie Cilurzo;
• Deschutes Brewery CEO Peter Skrbek;
• National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones;
• Draftline Technologies founder and president Jennifer Hauke.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024.

At Brewbound Live in Marina del Rey, CA on December 11 + 12, beer and beverage-alcohol brands can participate in retailer one-to-ones. Leaders from Whole Foods Market will be available for private, pre-scheduled meetings. Brands will be selected at each retailers’ discretion.

As the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with a vast network spanning over 500 stores, Whole Foods holds substantial influence in the market. These meetings present a unique opportunity for beer and beverage-alcohol brands aspiring to excel in retail channels focusing on natural and organic products. 

Participating brands can gain invaluable insights and strategic guidance tailored towards facilitating growth within these specialized retail environments.

You must be registered for Brewbound Live to be considered for a retailer meeting. Once you register for the event, you will receive an email with instructions for signing up.

Register for Brewbound Live Winter 2024.