What does successful innovation look like in a year defined by a global pandemic? From big seltzer bet Bud Light Hard Seltzer in the US, to a new beer from a company-government-farmer collaboration in Ecuador, AB InBev CEO Carlos Brito highlights three...
By Danielle Jackson, Strategic Planner, ZEAL Creative
The soft drinks category has been working through a challenging year. Danielle Jackson, strategic planner at UK brand activation marketing agency ZEAL Creative, asks what lessons the industry can learn and take into 2021.
While total beverage alcohol is expected to see an 8% decline in 2020, that’s a lot less than the double-digit losses predicted earlier this year. But the long term recovery is still expected to be slow.
Launched by former SABMiller Global Brewing Innovation Director, Binary's botanical beer offers mindful drinkers a ‘lighter, beer-like alternative to a glass of wine’.
Aged just 26, two childhood friends and beverage entrepreneurs are ready to lead the charge in Canada’s lower alcohol movement with their 3% ABV premium gin soda brand, Good Sunday.
Non-alcoholic spirits: a fledgling category - but one with plenty of potential. Pernod Ricard, which is behind brands such as Ceder’s and Celtic Soul, eyes up four trends it expects to see in non-alcoholic spirits in the future.
Heineken is testing new hard seltzer brand Pure Piraña in New Zealand and Mexico; while exploring the booming US market with Mexican hard seltzer Canijilla.
Constellation Brands has acquired Kentucky-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Company, a distillery which produces American brandy, absinthe, gin and Destillaré liqueurs.
Alcohol industry organisations are calling on the South African government to provide a clear timeline of its coronavirus alcohol ban: not only because of the effect on the local economy, but also because of the constraints placed on international trade.
The alcohol beverage industry has taken a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. But shifts in consumer behavior are also opening up new opportunities: for example in RTDs, local products, and low/no alcohol drinks.
The Coca-Cola Company will launch a hard seltzer under its Topo Chico brand later this year; while Coca-Cola With Coffee will make its debut in the US in 2021.
Are consumers spending more or less on wine? Will ecommerce increase in popularity - or do wine drinkers still prefer traditional channels? Wine Intelligence looks at eight ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed – or is changing – the habits of regular...
Australia’s wine industry is setting its sights on growing in value, with a strong focus on sustainability. “The Australian grape and wine sector will change substantially in the coming decades and will look markedly different by 2050,” says the Vision...
Cold brew is making its move into the mainstream; hard coffee hopes to have the same success as hard seltzer; and carbonated coffee wants to fizz up the category. We take a look at innovations that are shaking up RTD coffee.
Nespresso is investing CHF 160m ($170m USD) to expand its Romont production center in Switzerland: creating 300 jobs and a ‘sustainable by design’ facility.
Borrago is taking its first step into the UAE with a launch in Dubai: where its steam-distillation process is particularly important for achieving 0.0% ABV.
UK gin sales reached a new record in 2019: with Brits buying 83 million bottles worth over £2.6bn ($3.3bn USD). And while the impact of coronavirus on 2020 sales remains unknown, gin has been the best-selling spirit across online platforms during lockdown....
Campari Group will acquire a 49% interest in Tannico S.p.A, an Italian e-commerce platform for wines and premium spirits: noting the online channel is set to grow strongly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hard seltzers are out in force as the US and UK look forward to summer: while functional coffee and boxed cold brew tea are among the other innovations hitting shelves around the globe.
Research from Australia has found that most sparkling wine buyers have a preference for whites, including champagne and Moscato, although almost one quarter of consumers were not familiar with Prosecco.
White Claw Hard Seltzer – ‘America’s most successful new alcohol brand in a generation’ – is launching in the UK. And the brand promises more global launches in the coming months.
Chinese’s premium baijiu brand Rong Tai He Moutai (RTH) Maotaijiu is planning to expand into Japan, South Korea, ASEAN and the US with its high-end spirit this year.
The ‘status spirits’ market – brands that retail for $100 or more – is growing ahead of the total spirits market: representing more than $8bn in global value. And while the long-term impact of COVID-19 on beverage alcohol is yet to be fully known, status...
The Specialty Food Association’s (SFA's) Summer Fancy Food Show, scheduled for June 28-30 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York (which has recently been turned into a makeshift hospital), is the latest major food show to be canceled due to the coronavirus...
Social engagement with alcohol brands has risen far more than other sectors during the coronavirus pandemic. And people are particularly keen to engage with brands that are donating money or resources to coronavirus relief efforts.
How will the coronavirus pandemic change the wine world? Wine Intelligence looks at how consumer trends are likely to shift: from a dramatic move towards off-premise sales, to a new awareness and emphasis on local origin products.
Pernod Ricard has purchased the remaining stake in ultra-premium Black Forest dry gin Monkey 47: following its acquisition of a majority stake in 2016.
New ready-to-drink cold brew from Italian coffee company illy was set to debut at Expo West this month. But despite the cancellation, plans are moving forward with the hopes of attracting younger customers to the upscale brand.
Five weeks ahead of the start date, the Brewers Association has canceled the 2020 Craft Brewers Conference and World Beer Cup events, that were set to take place in San Antonio, Texas.
New Extraordinary Coffee Workshops (ECWx) in Honduras and Guatemala are furthering Intelligentsia Coffee’s sustainability mission. They invest in and engage with smallholder farmers, improving coffee quality for the US supply chain.
An oversupply of wine in the US has producers rethinking their branding and marketing strategies to reach millennials and Gen Z drinkers. The Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division (SVB) advises wineries to tap into the ‘better-for-you’ trend and health-forward...
Pernod Ricard has made a ‘significant investment’ in KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin: which will be used primarily to build a new, state-of-the-art, distillery to meet the growing demand for ultra-premium gin.
By Ian McLaren, director of advocacy, Europe, Bacardi
Bacardi sent 7,000 employees 'back to the bar' in 100 cities worldwide last month to explore the latest cocktail trends - and one of their findings was a surge in the popularity of mocktails and low/no alcohol drinks. Ian McLaren, director of...
Germany, the UK and the US import the most wine in the world; while Italy, France and Spain produce the most. Sparkling wine is also topping trends as a favorite among younger drinkers.
In the face of health and wellness concerns and low-to-no alcohol trends, craft brewers of heavy, boozy beer are rethinking their methods. Line extensions and new packaging formats are the advice of Massachusetts-based Night Shift Brewing.
Bacardi is enlisting the help of 7,000 global employees to track new trends in cocktails and wider alcohol by sending them to local bars and restaurants. This year mindful drinking is expected to go mainstream, and natural, fresh ingredients will be at...
New Zealand wants to be number 1 in the world for lower alcohol wine: with a first-of-its-kind $17m ($11m USD) programme to revolutionise the category currently under way.
