-
Home
-
International Report
- The Americas
Canada | Drinks firm Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., in February next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the US and bottling for Canadian consumers to its plant in Valleyfield, Quebec, the company announced on 28 August. The decision is part of its USD 625 million cost-saving programme, Accelerate, over the next three years.
USA | AB-InBev wants to tidy up its red network, its system of 500 nominally independent distributors, separating the good distributors from the bad ones, observers say. To that end, AB-InBev is willing to divest a big asset. On 20 August, the brewer announced it had sold its New York City distribution operation to Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Privately-owned Southern Glazer’s is the largest wine and spirits distributor in the US, operating in 47 states with an estimated revenue of USD 26 billion in 2024.
Canada | The Canadian government has removed all tariffs on goods from the United States, including alcohol, that are covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) on 1 September.
USA | Is Jim Koch, 76, becoming the Warren Buffett of the craft brewing industry, going on and on? Despite his advanced years, he returned to Boston Beer’s C-suite in mid-August, after the firm’s CEO, Michael Spillane, stepped down due to personal reasons. Mr Spillane has served on Boston Beer’s board of directors since 2016 and became President and CEO in April 2024. He will remain on the board as a nonexecutive director.
USA | The Spaghett, a combination of Miller High Life beer and Aperol, signals weaker consumer spending, which could push the economy into a recession, says the website Business Insider (27 July). Also known as the “NASCAR spritz”, or the “trailer park spritz”, it is a way to fancy up your drink without fancying up the price tag too much. Considering that a typical Aperol spritz could cost anywhere between USD 15 and USD 20 in New York City, the cheaper price of the beer version is a big part of the appeal.
USA | The Brewers Association’s 2025 Midyear Report, published on 23 July, shows an industry still facing strong headwinds. Yet, some craft brewers fare better than others, especially the smallest on-site brewers. As of June 2025, 9269 craft breweries were operating in the US, down 1 percent from a year ago.
USA | After a nudge from President Donald Trump to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup in its beverages Coca-Cola quickly complied. A new product line will be launched in the autumn, media reported on 22 July. However, Coke has made it clear that the new cola line will just be an additional offering. Corn syrup will continue to be used in its core range.
Canada | The increased competition from stores allowed to sell beer for the first time has forced the Ontario-based beer retail chain The Beer Store to shrink. It has already shuttered around 50 stores this year, with an additional ten stores closing in August and another ten in September.
USA | Missouri has signed a law that will cut taxes on US beer to lowest in the nation. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, a Republican, signed the American Beer Act into law on 10 July, in a bid to support the malt industry, manufacturing and jobs overall. The ceremony took place outside AB-InBev’s St. Louis Brewery.
USA | Some marijuana companies and trade groups are pushing US Congress to close a loophole that allows the production and sale of intoxicating substances derived from legal hemp. The hemp industry, however, wants to leave the federal definition of hemp unchanged. The current Farm Bill is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year 2025. This means Congress will need to reauthorise or revise the existing legislation.
Most Read
BRAUWELT on tour
