Venturing further into the mainland, Kona Brewing Co. today announced it has added Mississippi to its distribution footprint, which now covers 40 states.
Earlier this month, the island-themed beer brand owned by Craft Brew Alliance tapped retail channels in the key markets of Jackson, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, and Biloxi, through its network of Anheuser-Busch wholesalers on its way into the Magnolia State.
The full list of distributors the brewery is working with is as follows: Mississippi Distributors Inc. (Batesville), Mitchell Beverage LLC (Columbus, Tupelo), Delta Distributing Co. (Greenwood), Rex Distributing Co. Inc. (Gulfport), Southern Beverage Co. Inc. (Hattiesburg, Laurel, Richland, Vicksburg, Yazoo City), Mitchell Delta Distributing (Leland, Meridian), Southwest Distributors Inc. (Natchez, Summit), A&B Distributing Co. Inc. (Olive Branch).
“Mississippi is a great state for handcrafted beer, and it’s amazing to see how excited Mississippians are about Kona’s arrival,” said Aaron Marion, the brewery’s brand manager in a press release. “The warmth and openness of Southern hospitality goes perfectly with the Liquid Aloha lifestyle.”
Kona led the CBA portfolio (which also includes Widmer, Red Hook, Omission and Square Mile Cider), with total depletions of 11 percent for the first quarter of 2014.
The brewery also just unveiled its first major advertising campaign, with a 30-second spot entitled “Dear Mainland.” Those ads target more urban beach communities, such as San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orlando.
The full press release on Kona’s foray into Mississippi is below:
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii — Kona Brewing Company has announced it has added Mississippi to its distribution lineup, rounding the Hawaiian craft brewer’s total offering up to 40 US states. As of early May 2014, bars, restaurants, specialty beer shops, liquor stores and regional grocery store chains have been making Kona brews available in key cities including Jackson, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, and Biloxi. Craft beer lovers can find Liquid Aloha nearest to them by going to www.konabrewingco.com and clicking on the beer finder link.
Longboard Island Lager, Kona Brewing Company’s flagship beer will be available in 12oz bottles and on draught throughout the state. In addition to Longboard Lager, Kona Brewing offers Big Wave Golden Ale, Fire Rock Pale Ale, as well as the newly available Castaway IPA, which made its debut on the mainland in April, 2014.
Aaron Marion, Kona Brewing brand manager said: “Mississippi is a great state for handcrafted beer, and it’s amazing to see how excited Mississippians are about Kona’s arrival. The warmth and openness of Southern hospitality goes perfectly with the Liquid Aloha lifestyle.”
The Hawaii-based brewery is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2014, and is proud to be one of the fastest growing craft brewers in the country, at double the growth rate of the craft beer category.
About Kona Brewing
Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, who had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. It is Hawaii’s first and largest craft brewery and is best known for flagship beers Longboard Island Lager and Big Wave Golden Ale. The Hawaii-born and Hawaii-based craft brewery prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market. This helps to minimize its carbon footprint by reducing shipping of raw materials, finished beer and wasteful packaging materials. The brewery is headquartered where it began, in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. For more information call 808-334-BREW or visit www.KonaBrewingCo.com.