Tilray launches THC drinks in the United States

USA | Cannabis and beverages firm Tilray has been teasing for months that it would dive into the hemp-derived delta-9 THC (“HDD9” they call it) space. As of this month, its newly formed Tilray Alternative Beverages business unit will roll out a series of these beverages in key markets across the United States.

Brazil’s billionaire investors resign from Americanas board

Brazil | The Brazilian retailer Americanas was rocked by a major accounting fraud and sunk into bankruptcy protection last year, after a debt hole of USD 4 billion was discovered in early January 2023. How could this happen, many wonder.

USA | It is a watershed moment. Molson Coors said it has scrapped its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and is taking a “broader view”, in which all employees know they are welcome. The beer and beverage firm is the latest addition to a growing list of US companies turning their back on woke capitalism.

After Molson Coors deal Tilray lays off 10 Barrel’s innovation team

USA | Is Tilray Brands the latest roll-up of surplus craft breweries? On 3 September, the firm completed its previously announced acquisition of Molson Coors’ remaining craft breweries Hop Valley from Eugene, Oregon, Terrapin from Atlanta, Georgia, Revolver from Granbury Texas, and Atwater from Detroit, Michigan. The transaction makes Tilray the 5th largest craft brewer in the US with forecasted 2024 sales of 1.3 million hl.

Boston Beer’s Jim Koch on industry headwinds, innovation and on-premise

USA | Boston Beer’s founder, Jim Koch, took to the Barclays conference on 5 September. Chatting amicably, he offered several pertinent insights into the state of beer and beverage alcohol, his company and beyond.

Constellation warns of USD 2.5 billion writedown on wine woes

USA | Constellation Brands will write down the value of its wine and spirits business and take up to a USD 2.5 billion charge in the current quarter, the Corona brewer said on 3 September, following several quarters of weak demand in the United States.

Tilray buys four craft breweries from Molson Coors

USA | Tilray Brands seems to have become the go-to firm for the Big Brewers’ craft beer leftovers. Having already bought eight beer and beverage brands from AB-InBev for USD 85 million in 2023, it has now entered into a definitive agreement to acquire four craft breweries from Molson Coors, the company said on 13 August.

Molson Coors’ second quarter: cautious outlook

USA | As it lapped the gains made in the wake of the Bud Light boycott last year, which made its US market share spike dramatically, Molson Coors’s second quarter 2023 was its strongest in years. This made the comparison for its second quarter 2024 very tough.

Boston Beer is now a Twisted Tea story

USA | In a soft set of second quarter results, only Twisted Tea delivered bright results for Boston Beer. The hard iced tea accounted for 57 percent of Boston Beers’s volumes in the latest Nielsen data (Truly Hard Seltzer at just 28 percent), wrote Nadine Sarwat of Bernstein on 25 July. She noted that two years ago those percentages were reversed. These days, Twisted Tea is Boston Beer’s “only meaningful source of growth”.

Bud Light drops to number 3 spot

USA | Bud Light’s star is still falling – more than a year after a consumer boycott turned the US beer industry upside down. Modelo Especial, Michelob Ultra and Bud Light: Those are the recent sales rankings of the top three beers in the US, according to data by Bump Williams consulting firm.