With craft breweries selling for as much as $1bn, Steve Hindy, Brooklyn Brewery co-founder and chairman, said the “thrilling” show has allowed him to “dream a little”. But does he plan on getting in on the action?
When large multinational brewers buy small independent craft brewers, it often prompts an outcry among beer fans. But do consumers really care who owns their favourite beer brands?
Press’d – an Arabica coffee liquid concentrate in a pocket-sized squeezable bottle – says it sees a gap in the market for a better quality convenience option.
Brands often fall into the trap of thinking that consumers in emerging markets only want cheap, generic products. But these consumers are just as savvy as those in developed markets and value a good brand, says AJE.
Treasury Wine Estates will acquire the majority of assets from Diageo’s US and UK wine operations for $552m, including Blossom Hill in the UK and Beaulieu Vineyards in the US.
Dispatches from Canadean Innovation in Non-Alcoholic Beverages, London
Handing out free samples is not a new marketing strategy: but it’s an important one that’s been a key part of building Vita Coco coconut water and Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, say the CEOs behind the brands.
The official ground breaking ceremony for Brown-Forman’s $50m Slane Distillery in Ireland took place today, representing its entry into distilling Irish whiskey.
Transparency on sustainability needs to go beyond data on packaging if it is to really engage consumers, says Nescafé, as it partners with Google to launch a virtual reality coffee experience.
Hoping to build on the momentum driving up sales of tea in the US, manufacturers are offering new flavors and delivery platforms that keep consumers engaged. At Expo East, companies showcased innovated tea bags, ready-to-drink options and even a tea consumers...
Exotic imports take on local brews in craft beer scene
Whilst demand for locally brewed craft beers is reaching saturation point, consumers are thirsting for exotic imports, according to Icelandic craft brewery Einstök.
The opening of a CHF 300m ($307m) Nespresso plant demonstrates Nestlé’s trust in the brand, said Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke at the launch of the new plant in Romont, Switzerland, today.
'As awareness grows, more people get the chance to taste it and have that ‘aha’ moment'
With several new ready-to-drink cold brew coffee products in the pipeline and a growing retail footprint, private equity-backed Stumptown Coffee Roasters is betting on a big future for the hottest thing in cold coffee.
Brown-Forman acknowledges increased competition in the American whiskey and flavored whiskey categories, but is determined Jack Daniel’s can power through the challenges.
Nestlé says Nespresso innovations – such as a further expanded Grand Crus range, additional cafes and boutiques, and even automated outlets – are keeping the coffee business in good shape against increased competition.
Bolthouse Farms is advancing its on-trend mission to make fresh products more available by expanding its fresh juice and salad dressing offerings under a new president and general manager.
Falling biscuit sales may have repercussions for tea consumption, with trouble brewing for a long-upheld British tradition: a cup of tea and a biscuit.
As craft cocktails grow in popularity, so too are bars’ and consumers’ shopping lists to include a laundry list of necessary specialty ingredients. To help simplify professional and home mixologists’ experience and minimize shopping costs, high-end mixers...
Exclusive Wimbledon bubbly supplier Champagne Lanson is running a ‘military operation’ to keep the Grounds well-stocked, particularly in the run-up to the finals this weekend.
Global perceptions of Australian wine fall short of the high-quality reality, says Wine Australia, as it prioritises increasing appreciation of the country’s products.
Scotch whisky producers are hoping to follow French champagne makers and win United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) world heritage status for their products.
Dispatches from the Nespresso Coffee Conversation, Portugal
The taste and flavour of the coffee you drink is important – but the quality of the experience is far broader than the first sip, said coffee experts as they explored the definition of quality at a Nespresso forum.
Dispatches from Nespresso Coffee Conversation Symposium, Portugal
Coffee and wine are both complex drinks with strong followings among their respective connoisseurs, but wines tell a stronger tale - connecting better with consumers, say industry experts.
M&M’s peanut thick shakes, sweet and spicy Ginger Nija juice, and art-inspired vodka: just some of the beverages springing onto shelves across the globe.
Dispatches from Canadean International Beer Strategies Conference, Amsterdam
Look beyond the headline figures and there are promising prospects for beer, according to Canadean. Opportunities include the African market, premiumisation, non-alcoholic beers, and the continued popularity of craft.
Functional beverages are now less about fortification, and more about honing in on the natural health benefits of their ingredients, according to Innova Market Insights.
Coffee company Keurig Green Mountain will bring back the reusable My K-Cup pod at the behest of a small, but passionate group of consumers in a move that ostensibly undermines its high-tech efforts to force consumers to use only licensed pods.
Major soft drink players are turning their attention to tea as a focal point for innovation and volume growth, delegates at World Tea Expo will hear this week.
Mars Drinks has sealed an agreement with Taylors of Harrogate to include its premium coffee and tea in Mars Drinks’s UK-wide portfolio of workplace products.
Sinking whisky exports underline the need for the next government to press for more open markets and ambitious Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), urges the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).
‘Consumers have an insatiable appetite for new experiences’
SAB Miller has stressed the importance of Chibuku and ‘affordable clear beer’ made using local ingredients as ‘bridging beers’ to trade Africans up to mainstream and premium brands.
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire could replicate the success of Tennessee Honey, Brown-Forman says, as it pushes the cinnamon-flavored whiskey out across the US.
Brown-Forman boss Paul Varga insists that Scotch and vodka are less versatile than American whiskey, as the distiller of Jack Daniel’s and Southern Comfort revealed its Q3 fiscal 2015 results.
The South African wine industry is keen to raise the country’s reputation as a premium wine producer by shifting its export emphasis from bulk to bottled.
George Clooney’s tequila, a fire at Diageo’s Burghead Maltings and why a latte is less likely to spill than a standard coffee. Just some of the news nuggets in this week’s ‘Beverage Bites’.
