Welcome tO BOOZE NEWS

The Craft Brewers Conference is just a few days away, and we’re very excited to be attending, sponsoring, meeting up with old friends and getting to know new ones. If you’re headed that way, be sure to visit us at Booth 976. We’ll be serving beer – and slinging swag – throughout the entire event, and would love to either reconnect or meet for the first time.

If you’ve heard it once in the beverage industry, you’ve heard it a thousand times: You must know your customer. Great product alone isn’t enough! Customer data is arguably among the most critical pieces of information you can collect and analyze in any business, particularly in the increasingly competitive beverage industry. To succeed, you must clearly understand your customers’ needs and behavior as well as solicit their feedback. Having accurate, real-time customer data can ignite your sales processes – if you know how to use it.

The beverage alcohol industry has seen a dynamic shift over the last decade. Beer, once the leading bev-alc drink of choice, officially gave up its position to spirits in 2022. As the demand for beer went down, craft breweries began investigating ways to draw in new customers and create additional revenue streams. At the same time, distilleries recognized the many similarities between beer and spirits – such as equipment, ingredients and production – and created hybrid operations. Thus, the “brewstillery” was born: a brewery/distillery combo that’s elevating craft to a new level.

A shift has been happening in the picturesque valleys where vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see. It’s not heralded by the clamor of machinery or the bustle of harvest; it’s signaled by the click of a mouse and a brisk tapping noise on a keyboard. While the 2024 Silicon Valley Bank annual wine report paints a sobering picture of waning consumer demand and climbing production costs, there is hope for wineries willing to embrace change and leverage the power of data.

RTDs are the rockstars of the bev-alc scene. Craft beer is working on reclaiming its moment and cocktail culture is undoubtedly en vogue, but RTDs continue to steal the spotlight. Why? Convenience, flexibility and an undeniable appeal to a diverse consumer base, to name just a few reasons. According to Grand View Research, the global RTD market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 14% until 2030, making it the fastest-growing category in the industry.