Vol 7, No 30   Jul 27, 2026

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A New Route to Mkt Forming in CO? Stateside Movin’ to MC Network Plus Reyes Bev Group in CDC Territory  Colorado is proving to be a particularly interesting ground for change in the distribution landscape as a direct result of Reyes Beverage Group’s massive purchase of RNDC ops earlier this year and Southern Glazer’s pending purchase of Eagle Rock. Following Sazerac’s move of most of its portfolio from Eagle Rock of CO to Reyes’ new CO operation, Surfside parent co Stateside Brands is the next big supplier to move from Eagle Rock to Reyes, INSIGHTS learned and both Stateside and Reyes confirmed. But Stateside’s paving a new path in CO, signing on with the MC beer network except for MC’s wholly-owned Coors Distributing Co in Denver area, where it’s moving to Reyes.


Changing of the Guard at Yerba Madre as CEO Mand Departs, Succeeded by Nike & North Face Vet Lesnard; Ex-Essentia Chief Miller Joins Board BEV INSIGHTS – Jul 21  Ben Mand, who oversaw Guayaki’s risky rebranding to Yerba Madre while building out its new DSD network, is exiting the yerba mate leader after barely 2 years at helm, succeeded by longtime board member Steve Lesnard. Also joining board is Scott Miller, the Snapple and Tampico vet who led Essentia Water to its Nestle exit and in recent yrs has teamed with Essentia founder Ken Uptain to develop functional water called Yesly. Tho no specific reason was given for change, the switch seems to swap out an ops-oriented leader in favor of one with long experience in aspirational marketing via stops at Nike, North Face, Sephora and Godiva.


STAT News Series Misses Connections in Focus on Industry, Trump Admin Alcohol Issues – Jul 21 Though slated as “coming soon” in mid-May, it took longer for STAT News to complete its “Deadliest Drug” series on alcohol. Industry influence is the unsurprising alleged culprit for what the STAT authors perceive as a lack of progress on enacting alcohol policies and reducing harm. But just as the outlet’s intro piece played fast and loose with key data points, two later articles that attempt to link industry action with government inaction don’t quite seal the deal, leaving connections between some of these dots up to the reader’s imagination.


Long-Awaited Hemp Bill from Reps Barr, Craig Drops with Alcohol-Like Structure; 7 AGs Seek “Certainty” EXPRESS – Jul 22 When Republican rep from Kentucky Andy Barr promised a bill to regulate hemp bevs like alcohol including a 3-tier structure and all the trade practice bells and whistles, he meant it. The Lawful Hemp Protection Act (LHPA), announced Jul 22 by Barr and Minnesota Democrat Rep Angie Craig, contains among the most robust proposals for a hemp-derived THC regulatory structure seen to date, including lots of near identical regs to those governing alcohol, according to bill text shared today by the US Hemp Roundtable. Some of those proposed provisions contain major concessions, especially on packaging, labeling and marketing, to allay concerns about appealing to youth. Facing existential threat of a Nov deadline at which point current law would essentially prohibit the entire hemp-derived THC market as currently formulated, large swaths of the hemp biz may be willing to take whatever it can get. Plenty of alc bev industry members allied themselves closely with hemp bev bizzes and remain just as eager for regulatory clarity from the feds.


Indie Craft Production Off 4% in 1st Half, BA Estimates, as Dip in Brewery Count Steepens to 1.8% CRAFT – Jul 22 First half volume trend for Brewers Assn-defined craft volume moderated a bit from this time last yr, down around 4%, the org estimated last Wed. That’s on par with revised full yr trend org reported for 2025 and about a pt better than 1st half of last yr. However, org’s operating US brewery count in June dipped 1.8% from just over 9,500 to 9,344. And that’s almost a pt steeper than 1% decline seen from mid-2024 to mid-2025, according to post from BA economist Matt Gacioch. Brewpubs may be most insulated lately as their number slid just 1%, compared to taproom count -2% and 3% drop in significantly smaller number of regional and microbreweries.


Vita Coco Moves into Superpremium, Refrigerated Space with Pickup of Copra for $175M; Aims to Oust Harmless Harvest as Leader BEV INSIGHTS – Jul 23 Six yrs ago, as Vita Coco made its push to go public, it conjured concept of serving as platform for better-for-you bevs spanning multiple categories beyond coconut water itself. Tho it was in hunt over the yrs for brands like Spindrift, it was determined not to overpay and no deals ever came to fruition. Until last wk. And wouldn’t you know it, that first one is smack in the coconut water category. NY-based COCO announced it closed on acquisition of superpremium player Copra for $175 million with potential for additional earnout in 2029 of $45-100 million based on acquired co’s 2028 performance. The initial purchase price is 80% cash, the rest in COCO shares. Vita Coco also will immediately invest $11 mil in Thai plant to up its output. Acquisition will add increment of over $100 mil to Vita Coco’s topline, presaging 2026 sales in revised range of $790-805 mil as core brand continues its rapid growth, too.


Industry Orgs Standing Firm in Familiar Stances on Hemp in Response to New Legislative Proposal EXPRESS – Jul 23 Industry assns greeted new fed hemp bill, intro’d on Jul 22 by Reps Barr and Craig, with expectedly wide range of responses. While strongest alc bev industry ally, WSWA, cheered the effort, more skeptical supplier orgs like Beer Inst and DISCUS stuck to their guns, unconvinced by the proposal’s attempts at wrangling what some still view as “dangerous” products or biz practices. Orgs with members on either side of the issue threaded the needle once more, with the Brewers Assn “pleased” with direction bill takes, if not perhaps all of the details. NBWA reiterated its top priorities and thanked legislative sponsors, who clearly took wholesaler perspectives seriously in drafting a bill that includes support for 3-tier system and state autonomy, at least. In short: this bill doesn’t appear to be enough to turn opponents in the alc bev biz into supporters. As DISCUS reminds in its statement: full legislative process of committee hearings and amendments are likely necessary to get more folks on board. And there’s the rub.


Another Difficult Qtr: SAM Depletions Down 6%, Including Sun Cruiser; Down 5% YTD EXPRESS – Jul 23 Boston Beer sales-to-retailers dropoff steepened from 4% in Q1 to 6% in Q2. Its depletions now down 5% for 29 weeks thru Jul 18. That includes red-hot Sun Cruiser, so its malt bev sales substantially softer. Shipments fell 4.5% in Q2 and now down 5.6%, 213K bbls for 6 mos. This is Boston’s 5th yr in a row of shipments decline. In Q2, it got growth from Sun Cruiser and Angry Orchard brands. For the first time in several qtrs, Dogfish Head brand family didn’t grow. In absence of growth, Boston’s report placed increased emphasis on financial metrics.


Truly Mktg Missed the Mark, Driving SAM Budget Cut; Twisted Tea + Sun Cruiser Still Growin’; On-Prem Health Offset by Off-Prem EXPRESS – Jul 24 Boston Beer’s revised marketing spend for the year is “primarily” related to Truly hard seltzer as recent investments proved ineffective, execs detailed during Q2 earnings call last Thur evening. “The investments we made in new brand creative and soccer-related promotions have improved our marketplace presence, particularly in display activity,” but “the impact on consumer demand has not yet met our expectations,” founder, chairman and ceo Jim Koch allowed. “The cuts that we made were to the low-performing media, the ones where we just weren’t seeing any significant sales response…. So it was almost $20 million we cut, but it was almost all from basically nonperforming advertising.” Co’s “adjusting the level and timing of our investments in Truly as we re-assess the most effective approach to accelerating brand performance.”


Craft Beer $$ Down 2%, Vol -4% in Circana YTD; IPAs, Light Lagers & Pils Up; Rest Down Big CRAFT – Jul 24 Just over halfway thru the year, craft beer sales dipped 2% by $$ with volume down 4% YTD thru Jul 12 in Circana multi-outlet + convenience data. Trend trailed total beer by ~2 pts in these channels, leading to a 0.15-0.2 pt share loss. But keep in mind, that excludes craft non-alcs which improve category trend and share loss a bit. While it’s not the case in tracked on-prem channels, craft sales remain a tale of IPAs vs all other in off-prem scans. IPA $$ sales grew 3% YTD including +2% for the last 4 wks, gaining nearly 0.2 share of total beer and 2.7 share of craft. All other craft styles collectively slipped nearly 8% by $$ YTD, -9% for 4 wks, shedding almost 0.4 share of beer. Just 11 of the top 30 craft brands by $$ are growing YTD, all of ’em IPAs, led by New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger G Force, Juice Force and Imperial IPA, plus Sierra Hazy Little Thing, Lagunitas Little Sumpin’, Wicked Weed Pernicious, Georgetown Bodhizafa, Cigar City Jai Alai, Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug and Lagunitas IPA. Tho Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug and Lagunitas IPA each dipped for last 4 wks.


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