AB InBev – Keep It Overproof!

On-Premise Closed for Business

Dear Client: The on-premise is now shut down in more than half the states in the U.S. In our latest tally, we identified 28 states that have ordered bars and restaurants to shutter. Here’s what the updated list looks like: California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida (bars, nightclubs shut down, but restaurants can still operate for now at 50% capacity) Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Utah* Vermont Washington West Virginia Wisconsin AND...

AB InBev buys Argentine winery Dante Robino

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Argentine brewery Quilmes, which is owned by AB InBev, has acquired the Dante Robino winery with plans to double the producer’s share of the domestic market in two years. According to reports from Argentine media, the sale was agreed on 17 February. The sale includes the winery’s 5ha estate and vineyards in the Perdriel area of Luján de Cuyo. While the financial terms have not been disclosed, Martin Ticinese president of Quilmes brewery, told Los Andes that all 74 jobs would be retained and María Soledad Buenanueva would remain as head winemaker. He also told the publication...

Felipe Dutra Out as ABI CFO

Posted in Beer, Industry.

Dear Client: AB InBev announced last night that longtime CFO, Felipe Dutra, will step down. Fernando Tennenbaum will take his place, and former A-B sales exec Dave Almeida will become Chief Strategy and Technology Officer; and Nelson Jamel has been appointed Chief People Officer. ABI says “they will be part of the company’s Senior Leadership … Continue reading “Felipe Dutra Out as ABI CFO” You are unauthorized to view this page. Read the full article

Top drinks marketing campaigns and news in January

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Diageo launches Seedlip’s first ad campaign Drinks giant Diageo has led the fight to keep sales buoyant during January by launching its first advertising campaigns in the UK and US for non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ brand Seedlip. It is the first time that Diageo has set up an ad campaign for Seedlip, after upping its investment in the popular non-alcoholic brand to a ‘significant’ majority stake in August 2019. Developed by Seedlip’s EU marketing director, Ben Thomson, alongside creative agency And Rising, it features the strapline: ‘Drink to the Future’,...

Top 10 food and drink trends for 2020

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Zero waste restaurants Silo in Hackney claims to be the world’s first zero waste restaurant Last year saw the rise of the closed-loop cocktail, with bartenders like Duck & Waffle’s Rich Woods and Dandelyan’s Ryan Chetiyawardana making use of ingredients most chefs and bartenders would throw away, from avocado stones and burnt toast to lemon husks. Cub champions closed-loop cocktails This year chefs will be following their zero waste lead in a movement pioneered in the UK by Doug McMaster, head chef of Silo in Hackney, which markets itself as the world’s first zero...

The biggest drinks acquisitions of 2019

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

As 2019 draws to a close, we round up a year of acquisitions which has seen two prominent British brewers snapped up by foreign investors, Constellation Brands agree a wine sale worth over US$1 billion, and the break-up of retailers Naked Wines and Majestic. Constellation Brands has certainly been one of the most active in the acquisitions scene this year, taking both majority and minority stakes in a number of companies. Its sale of just under 30 wine brands to E&J Gallo, however, was one of the biggest in the drinks industry this year. In the UK, if 2018 was the year of the Conviviality...

UK beer trademarks reach record high

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The number of beer names trademarked in the UK reached a record high last year, as the beer market becomes increasingly diverse. Beer trademarks have almost doubled in five years. (Photo: RPC) The number of beers trademarked in the UK rose 6% in 2018 to 2,519, up from 2,372 in 2017*, according to London law firm RPC. BrewDog, for example, now has over 130 trademarks registered in the UK, while brewers such as Heineken, Guinness, and Ab InBev have added more beers to their portfolios in recent months. Registered trademarks for beer have almost doubled in the last five years, rising 89% from...

New data reveals drinks industry deals valued at over US$12bn this summer

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Mergers and acquisitions in the drinks industry between July and September were valued at more than US$12 billion, according to new figures. Research from analyst firm Global Data found that drinks brand sales were valued 328% higher in the three months to September 2019 than they were in the previous financial quarter. The analyst said that the overall highest value acquisition came was Asahi Group’s purchase of Carlton & United Brewers for $11.3bn. The proceeds from the deal are being used to pay off AB InBev’s debt. It said the biggest spirits deal of the three-month period was...

Heineken is scrapping plastic packaging

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Heineken is phasing out plastic rings on millions of multipack cans and replacing them with cardboard. Heineken’s cardboard toppers will hit UK shop shelves in April next year. (photo: Heineken) Heineken has invested £22 million at its UK sites to replace the plastic rings that hold together cans of Foster’s, Heineken and Kronenbourg 1664, from April 2020. Instead of plastic rings, the beer sold in the UK will be held together with cardboard “toppers” strong enough to carry their weight. These toppers will then be introduced to Heineken’s wider portfolio, including...

db’s second pressings

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

db‘s round up of drinks headlines that should be on your radar. In the Guardian, Zoe Williams has taken a deep dive into the hard seltzer category, and asks why alcopops are being sold to us as health drinks… Campaign Live has covered a spooky stunt from Bacardi involving a haunted bottle of rum. Rare whiskey continued to outperform other luxury asset classes during the 12 months leading up to June, according to a report from Knight Frank, from Barrons. In the Evening Standard, Joanna Bourke reports that Irish drinks company C&C group is performing well in a challenging drinks...

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