Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Diageo invests £105m in Cameronbridge distillery

06-Jun-2011 - Diageo has dramatically upped efficiency and production in parallel with a £105m investment programme at its Cameronbridge distillery, which makes leading Scotch whisky and white spirit brands.

New report helps combat threats to brewery sponsorship, says organisation

31-May-2011 - A new report into the role of brewery sponsorship of community and public events could help the industry fight against potential legislative threats, according to The Brewers of Europe.

Dry weather leaves brewers with malting barley supply crisis

31-May-2011 - A dry spring in much of Europe has sent malting barley prices shooting upwards – adding to the woes of brewers already under pressure from weak beer demand, according to analysts.

News in brief

Irn-Bru maker reports strong quarterly sales

24-May-2011 - AG Barr, the Scottish manufacturer of Irn-Bru, has reported a 6.3 per cent increase in sales revenue in the latest quarter despite higher promotion spending from rivals.

IFF reports strong Q1 growth aided by beverages and confectionery

11-May-2011 - Double-digit growth in the beverage, savory and confectionery sectors helped International Flavors & Fragrances to achieve revenue of $714m in the first quarter of this year; nine per cent up on the same period of last year.

Carlsberg CEO downplays threat of Russian PET beer bottle ban

11-May-2011 - The head of Carlsberg has downplayed a proposed ban on PET beer bottles in Russia, adding that he thinks it is not likely to become law.

News in brief

Nestle Waters buys up organic and natural tea company

10-May-2011 - Nestle Waters has agreed to buy Sweet Leaf Tea after investing $15.6m in the Texas-based iced tea company in 2009.

Diageo and Pernod Ricard enjoy strong sales start to 2011

09-May-2011 - Spirits rivals Diageo and Pernod Ricard are toasting a successful start to 2011, having beaten market expectations for the first three months of the year.

Pricing protects AB InBev from stagnant quarterly beer volumes

05-May-2011 - Higher prices have helped AB InBev post a 5.6 per cent increase in quarterly revenue despite bad weather in Brazil and persistent unemployment in the US.

EU gives the okay to big Brazilian orange juice merger

05-May-2011 - The European Commission has approved the merger of Citrovita and Citrosuco - two orange juice businesses that together process 40 per cent of the orange juice from Brazil.

Foster’s wine and beer split could pave way for bidders

03-May-2011 - Investors in Foster’s have voted overwhelmingly for a wine and beer demerger that analysts say could spark off a round of M&A bidding.

Coca-Cola is recovering better than PepsiCo in beverages, says analyst

29-Apr-2011 - PepsiCo has beaten analyst expectations for first quarter profits but Morning Star analyst Philip Gorham believes that in beverages Coca-Cola is recovering better from the recession.

Coca-Cola estimates financial fallout of Japanese earthquake

28-Apr-2011 - Coca-Cola has put a figure on the likely impact on its finances of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan after publishing first quarter results that fell slightly below Wall Street expectations.

Coffee prices reach highest point since 1977

21-Apr-2011 - Speculative demand has pushed coffee prices up through the $3 a pound barrier, taking them to their highest level for over 30 years.

SABMiller faces final demand for huge Indian tax bill

14-Apr-2011 - India’s regulatory authorities have issued a final demand for beer brewing giant SABMiller to pay a $39.5m (£24m) tax bill following its acquisition of Australian brewer Fosters’ assets in the country five years ago.

SABMiller invests $15m in South Sudan operations

12-Apr-2011 - SABMiller subsidiary Southern Sudan Beverages (SSBL) is investing $15m to expand production capacity at its two-year old brewery in Juba.

SABMiller improves guidance for Africa

24-Mar-2011 - SABMiller has increased its medium term guidance for its Africa division following significant capital investment in 2009 and 2010.

Regulator blocks Asahi's soft drink plans in Australia

10-Mar-2011 - Asahi’s proposed acquisition of P&N Beverages has met with opposition from Australian regulators, which are eager to maintain competition in the country’s highly concentrated soft drink market.

Brazilian rains dampen an upbeat AB Inbev

03-Mar-2011 - Persistently high unemployment rates in the US and heavy rains in Brazil are expected to dampen AB InBev volumes at the start of 2011.

Coffee commodity prices head towards all-time high

24-Feb-2011 - Coffee commodity prices are edging towards highs that were last seen in 1977 as carry over stock from last season runs low.

Carlsberg volumes slip on tough Russian comparison

22-Feb-2011 - Carlsberg has reported a sharp drop in organic beer volumes in the fourth quarter as the hike in Russian excise duties makes for a tough comparison with 2009.

Asian spurt prompts higher Pernod Ricard profit forecast

22-Feb-2011 - Pernod Ricard has upped its profit guidance for the full year as first half results indicate that sales momentum is building.

Diageo signs £1.3bn Turkish acquisition deal

22-Feb-2011 - Diageo has agreed a £1.3bn price tag for the Turkish spirits maker Mey Içki as the company works to deepen its presence in emerging markets.

Comment

Arab Revolt underlines the need for action to remedy high food prices

21-Feb-2011 - When Tunisian street vegetable vendor Mohamed Bouazizi chose to end his life in fiery suicide, no one could have foreseen the firestorm his death would unleash across the Arab world. But, two months later, as the Arab Revolt shows no sign of fading, the lessons to be drawn about food security are becoming abundantly clear.