Brandon Reichardt

🍺 The beer category’s summer selling season arrived with a whimper, according to the latest Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA). The June BPI points to a broad industry-wide contraction, signaling continued headwinds for brewers and distributors alike. 📉 https://lnkd.in/g_8SUdiv #BeerIndustry #CraftBeer #BeverageTrends #AlcoholBeverage #IndustryInsights

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MOLSON COORS MISSES EARNINGS, MOVES GUIDANCE LOWER AS ALCOHOL MARKET REMAINS SOFT Molson Coors reported earnings this morning with sales declining -2.3% YoY, Americas shipments down 6.5% YoY Revenues have still not crossed 2Q23 levels

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#2CentsTuesday 🚨 This is a Brand Wake-Up Call from the Secondary Market! 🚨 The surge in CPG liquidation activity isn't just a blip—it's a glaring signal of deeper issues in the CPG industry. According to Modern Retail, platforms like Sotira and Martie are inundated with premium products, including energy drinks and better-for-you snacks, that are being offloaded at unprecedented rates. 📉 Overproduction Pitfalls: Brands riding the wave of viral social media activity, especially in the energy drink sector, are now grappling with excess inventory as consumer interest wanes. 💊 Consumer Habits are Shifting: The rise of GLP-1 medications is altering appetites, leading to decreased demand for traditional snacks and beverages. 💸 Economic Pressures: Inflation and tighter consumer budgets are pushing shoppers toward private labels and discounted options, leaving premium brands with unsold stock. How might you mitigate your brand from becoming a victim to this death swirl? ❇️ Strategic Promo Pricing: Avoid aggressive markdowns in primary channels that can devalue your brand. Instead, consider controlled promotions and value-added bundles to maintain brand integrity. ❇️ Demand-Driven Production: Align production closely with actual demand forecasts. Overproduction, especially based on fleeting trends, can lead to SLOB (slow moving & obsolete) inventory. ❇️ Channel Harmony: Ensure pricing strategies are consistent across all channels to prevent retailer conflicts (i.e. pricing wars). Modern Retail said it and I agree! The liquidation surge is a symptom of broader challenges in the CPG landscape. This presents an opportunity to reassess your strategy. Need help, DM me and let's talk! #My2Cents #CPGInsights #BrandStrategy #ConsumerTrends #PricingStrategy #SupplyChainManagement

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Big distribution news for American Rebel Light Beer. American Rebel Light Beer has signed a new Missouri distribution agreement with Wil Fischer Distributing—one of the state’s most respected Anheuser-Busch heritage wholesalers. This partnership expands our footprint across south-central, southeast, and northwest Missouri—reaching roughly 900,000 residents and accelerating availability across retail and on-premise. Why it matters: we’re building a Distributor-First growth engine by partnering with execution-proven, top-tier wholesalers—market by market. Next up: major 2026 brand-reach opportunities, including planned activations at Black Oak Amphitheater. Learn more in today’s release (American Rebel Light Beer adds Top Tier Missouri Distribution with Wil Fischer) and visit www.AmericanRebelBeer.com for product and availability updates. #AmericanRebel #AmericanRebelBeer #Distribution #Missouri #BeverageIndustry #RetailExecution #WilFischerCompanies #BlackOakAmp

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As shared with Nate Rosen & Express Checkout The energy drink category is entering its “craft-beer” moment For years, energy has been a high-velocity but narrow category — dominated by legacy brands with little flexibility in pricing, placement, or innovation. Distributors carried volume, but not always variety. Now, emerging brands are stepping into that white space: offering modern branding, differentiated functionality, and a level of partnership that the big players rarely provide. It’s less about chasing another “energy drink” and more about balancing portfolios with scalable, story-driven products that can reach new accounts and younger consumers. Distributors aren’t just looking for cases that move — they’re looking for brands that evolve with the market. #beverageindustry #beverages

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As we head into Expo Target just dropped Q4 earnings and if you are an emerging CPG brand, you need to pay attention. $2B+ in incremental store investment. $1B of that going directly to Food & Beverage. Store reflows. Remodels. Expanded shelf space. F&B has averaged 8% annual growth at Target since 2019 and they are doubling down. Here's the signal that matters most: Target's CMO Cara Sylvester said explicitly they are NOT trying to be an everyday grocer. Instead, they are leaning into emerging brands, wellness, NA beverages, trend forward food, and removing synthetic colors from cereals. Eric Barajas 👀 Read that again. A top-5 US retailer is building its food identity around the exact categories where natural and emerging brands live. 👊 For emerging brands, Target is actively creating space for innovation, newness, and differentiation. The capital is committed and the strategy is clear. The question is, will this strategy work? For the first time in a long time, I'm bullish on Target. What are everybody else's thoughts will Target get is mojo back? #Target #CPG #EmergingBrands #NaturalFood #Grocery #RetailStrategy #FoodAndBeverage #BetterForYou

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Spirits are the only alcohol category still growing — and that growth is solely fueled by RTDs. Here’s the twist: the largest spirits distributors aren’t reaping the rewards. The fastest-growing RTD brands aren't using SGWS or RNDC. 📊 Fastest-Growing RTD Brands & Distributor Alignment: BuzzBallz +69% → Reyes, Johnson Brothers, Breakthru BeatBox +20% → AB Network Cutwater +61% → AB Network Nutrl +15% → AB Network Surfside +485% → Mixed beer network Sun Cruiser +474% → MC network Carbliss +50% → Mixed beer network Takeaway: To win in RTD, partner with the best athlete in every market — and that’s often the beer distributor.

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In food safety programs, speed, traceability, and chain of custody are just as important as the test results themselves. SGS is now offering daily courier pickup in the Kansas City metro area, helping facilities reduce shipping delays while maintaining controlled sample handling from site to lab. This means: • Faster turnaround on results • Stronger traceability • Fewer disruptions to your food safety program Contact us today to learn more!

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Here's a recap of what happened in the alcohol industry this week: 1. Diageo cuts $500M and will divest non-core assets 2. Doom scrolling, not wellness, could be tanking alcohol sales 3. Warren Buffet doubles down on Constellation Brands & Modelo 4. Avaline Wine signs a major distribution deal with SWGS 5. Trumps threatens 50% tariffs on EU, LVMH, Pernod Ricard, Diageo at risk (To stay up-to-date every day on what's going on in the alcohol industry, considering signing up for my daily newsletter - the first 30 days are free to try! - thealcoholreport.com)

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Question for CPG teams… who manages travel for your company? When your team travels for things like: • Expo West • retailer meetings • distributor visits • factory tours • leadership offsites who actually coordinates everything? Flights Hotels Rental cars Dinner reservations Schedule changes Do you have someone managing this for the company… or does everyone just book their own travel? Curious how most teams handle this today.

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Anheuser-Busch has completed its $490 million acquisition of ready-to-drink beverage brand BeatBox, strengthening its position in the fast-growing Beyond Beer category.  The transaction, first announced in December, gives the brewer an 85% stake in the Austin, Texas-based company, with an option to acquire full ownership after five years. The move expands Anheuser-Busch’s portfolio beyond core beer brands such as Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra, adding to a Beyond Beer lineup that includes Cutwater Spirits, Nutrl Vodka Seltzer and Phorm Energy. Chief Executive Officer, #BrendanWhitworth said: “We’re excited to formally welcome BeatBox into our Beyond Beer portfolio. I’m confident that their entrepreneurial spirit, their commitment to consistent innovation and their ability to connect with their consumers will be a strong complement to our existing team and capabilities. “Anheuser-Busch has a proven playbook for building winning brands, and I look forward to embarking on the next phase of dynamic growth together.” #BeatBox recorded nearly 50% growth last year and ranked as the No. 5 fastest-growing brand by dollar sales in the US hard beverage industry, according to data from #Circana. #AnheuserBusch

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Woodstock Goods first sampling at Total Wine & More - in their brand spanking new store in Brookfield CT… We have THREE more samplings at this store. Yes CT has a low 3mg potency cap - but what I love about the market is that: 1/ the category is STILL growing FAST - proving that there is a large market for low-dose. CT has a legal rec market - so high dose customers have ample options for higher dose products. 2/ we’re pulling in canna curious - everyone I run into the aisles tends to be new. And because the ENTIRE section is microdose, it’s all approachable for newbies. We still need better education - I’m running a training / sampling session for Brookfield staff this Saturday. Trying to work with TW&M to understand how the mix of customers in CT compares to other states with higher caps (TW has an internal cap of 10mg in its chains). I’m all for a higher dose cap (10mg is prob appropriate IMHO), but I believe CT model shows a micro-dose section can be successful and could be a good model for how to merchandise by potency - with some stores having 4-6x more THC SKUs.

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What does a Whole Foods national rollout launch strategy look like? Amy Zitelman shared what this looked like for Soom Foods on Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast. Check the comments for the full episode.

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“🤔 Is there still opportunity in CPG?” I get asked this all the time and the answer is always the same: “Absolutely.” Last week’s Conagra–Chef Boyardee news is a great example: A legacy brand getting sold for $600M because the parent company has bigger priorities. Billions of dollars are tied up in countless tired-but-trusted CPG brands. Many of these aren’t adapting to new consumer trends or tastes and are slowly bleeding away $ and share. The $ has to go somewhere. Obviously some of it goes to other big brands in the same or competing portfolio, but much of it us up for grabs with emerging CPG. Agree? Disagree?

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