Boston Beer Welcomes Back Jon London as Angry Orchard Brand Director
Jon London has returned to Boston Beer Company as brand director of Angry Orchard, the hard cider brand he helped launch more than a decade ago.
London originally joined Boston Beer in 2006 and held various marketing positions over the next decade, departing in 2016 as head of marketing, cider division. For the last three years, he has served as chief marketing officer at Mass. Bay Brewing Company, the parent company of Harpoon Brewery, Long Trail Brewing, UFO, Clown Shoes, and Arctic Chill Hard Seltzer.
London’s most recent project at Mass. Bay was the launch of Harpoon’s Rec. Weed, a THC-infused non-alcoholic beverage. London oversaw “all aspects of development” of Rec. Weed and negotiated a third-party manufacturing deal to produce the cannabis beverage, according to his LinkedIn page. London departed Mass. Bay in December, two months shy of Rec. Weed’s release.
“Jon was an early and beloved member of BBC, and spent 10 years (2006-2016) leading each of BBC’s brands at that time,” Boston Beer wrote in an internal memo. “He actually launched the first ever Sam Adams summer variety pack, then moved to lead Twisted Tea, and then launched Angry Orchard in 2011.”
London’s appointment comes as Angry Orchard and other national brands struggle to maintain share of cider, while regional brands grow, now accounting for more than half of the segment’s dollar sales.
Regional cideries held a 54% of total cider dollar sales in the 52-week period ending December 31, growing dollar sales +7% year-over-year (YoY) in NielsenIQ-tracked off-premise channels, 3 Tier Beverage consultant Mary Mills shared during CiderCon last month.
In the on-premise, regional brands accounted for 52.8% of total cider volume in the 52 weeks through November 5, increasing volume +22.3% YoY in the channel. National brands increased volume +11.9% in the period, but lost -2.2% share of segment dollar sales in the channel.
Angry Orchard is still the No. 1 hard cider brand in off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm IRI. However, in the 52-week period ending January 30, dollar sales for the brand declined 8.9% versus the previous period – a loss of more than $17.7 million – while volume declined 13%, according to IRI.
In the last 52 weeks (ending February 12), the total cider segment posted more than $475 million in dollar sales in IRI-tracked channels, a -2.6% YoY decline. Volume in the period declined -8.1% YoY.
Angry Orchard was barely mentioned during Boston Beer’s Q4/FY earnings call last month. The company reported a -3.8% decline in shipments and -5% decline in depletions in 2022, citing declines in Angry Orchard, Truly Hard Seltzer, Dogfish Head and Samuel Adams for the negative volume trends.
Tilray Brands Hires Tom Ryan as VP of National Accounts
Beer industry veteran Tom Ryan has joined global cannabis firm Tilray Brands as VP of national accounts, U.S. beverage brands.
Ryan will help build national accounts relationships for Tilray’s growing bev-alc portfolio, including SweetWater Brewing Company, Montauk Brewing Company, Alpine Brewing, Green Flash Brewing and Breckenridge Distillery.
Ryan has more than two decades of experience working in bev-alc, with a focus on chain and national accounts. He spent seven years at Molson Coors Beverage Company (then MillerCoors) in various sales positions, including chain account executive, followed by more than a decade at Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Company. Most recently, Ryan worked at hard kombucha and hard seltzer maker Flying Embers, departing as VP of national accounts.
“The beer industry is a tight community and thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our distributor partners to bring innovation to the beer industry,” Ryan wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“Many thanks to the Flying Embers team for all the support and friendship over the past 2+ years,” he continued. “Honored to have been part of a great chain team and have so much gratitude to the team for their dedication developing a new segment in the beer world. Your future is bright and excited to see all of your continued success.”
Tilray has been rapidly building its bev-alc portfolio since merging with Canadian cannabis company Aphria in late 2020. The company’s most recent acquisition, New York-based Montauk Brewing Co., closed November 7 for an initial purchase price of $35.11 million. Ryan’s hiring comes as Tilray plans to strengthen SweetWater’s nationwide infrastructure in 2023, and leverage it to expand distribution of some of its other brands.
Tilray’s bev-alc portfolio generated $21.4 million in net revenue in Q2 2023, a +56% increase YoY compared to Q2 2022 ($13.7 million).
Ricardo Dalmas Appointed SVP Strategy, Insights and Analytics at Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands has hired Ricardo Dalmas as senior VP of strategy, insights and analytics (SIA).
Constellation’s SIA is its “internal strategic consulting and execution partner” that provides the company with “actionable insights, counsel and data,” according to a press release. Dalmas will be responsible for leading the “SIA function” at Constellation “leveraging data and consumer-centric thinking to inspire what is next for Constellation’s brands, innovations, channels and investments.”
Dalmas has more than a decade of consumer insights experience, spending time at Nestlé, McDonald’s Corporation and PepsiCo, according to the release.
“Our SIA team embeds the voice and understanding of the consumer into everything we do, using data-driven insights across beer, wine and spirits to fuel our strategy,” Mallika Monteiro, Constellation EVP and chief growth, strategy and digital officer, said in the release. “Since consumer-led decision making drives all aspects of our business, Ricardo’s notable success in this area makes him an exemplary steward of our strategic principles and leader for this team within our organization.”
Stephan Jannuzzo Departs Sierra Nevada for BeatBox Beverages
Stephan Jannuzzo has departed Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. after more than a decade, and has joined BeatBox Beverages as director of national accounts.
Jannuzzo led Sierra Nevada’s national accounts strategy for the convenience channel for more than 11 years. Prior to joining the Chico, California-based brewery, he spent time as VP of national accounts at Phusion Projects (Four Loko, Mamitas Tequila Seltzer, High Gravity Lager) and president at Mokum Wine and Spirits, a wine and spirits broker. He also worked for more than a decade at Molson Coors in various sales leadership roles, according to his LinkedIn profile.
BeatBox, the wine-based hard fruit punch brand from Future Proof, has doubled its volume for three consecutive years, shipping about 2 million cases in 2022. Since its founding in 2011, the company has grown to $40 million in revenue, more than 100 employees and works with more than 250 beer distributors, co-founder and CEO Justin Fenchel said during Beer Business Daily’s Beer Industry Summit in January..
In October, BeatBox closed a $15 million funding round, led by private equity investment firm Concentric Equity Partners, intended to help the company expand its national retail partnerships. The company expects to reach 100,000 barrels in 2023.
Thomas Peters Promoted to Head of Production at Belching Beaver
Oceanside, California-based Belching Beaver has promoted quality manager Thomas Peters to head of production, as well as quality manager.
Peters has spent nearly a decade at Belching Beaver, starting with the company in 2013 as a keg washer and volunteer brewer. He served as head brewer at the company’s two Vista, California-based taprooms at various times, before being appointed quality manager in August.
“After 10 years in the Belching Beaver family, I couldn’t think of a more qualified and deserving candidate to uphold our standard of excellence going forward,” Belching Beaver co-founder and CEO Tom Vogel said in a press release. “No beer leaves our facilities without Thomas’ stamp of approval, and consumers will always remain accustomed to getting our very best product.”
Peters will now oversee production at Belching Beaver’s manufacturing facility and its three brewery/retail locations in Vista and San Diego. The company distributes its beers to 12 states, producing 43,006 barrels of beer in 2021, according to the Brewers Association (BA).
Beer Institute Names Fred Matt Chair of Inaugural Brewers’ Council
F.X. Matt Brewing president and CEO Fred Matt will serve as chairman of the Brewers’ Council, a newly formed advisory group of Beer Institute (BI) members.
The Brewers’ Council has been “designed to increase the constructive and substantive engagement of all brewer members of the Beer Institute, ensuring greater alignment on key policy issues facing the industry,” the BI said in a press release.
“I am honored to be elected to the Beer Institute board and look forward to working with my fellow board members to create new energy around beer — America’s favorite alcoholic beverage – for the more than 6,600 breweries in America,” Matt said in the release.
The council consists of presidents, CEOs or co-founders of the BI’s member breweries, a BI spokesperson told Brewbound.
Matt – who formally joined his family’s Utica, New York-based company in 1989, more than a century after it was founded, according to a Syracuse.com profile – was elected to the chairmanship by his fellow BI members.
“The Brewers’ Council represents an integral component of the Beer Institute’s mission of promoting and advocating for the $331 billion beer industry and the two million Americans it employs,” BI president and CEO Brian Crawford said in the release. “There are very few leaders in the beer industry that have more experience and insight than Fred Matt. His family has owned and operated their brewery since 1888, and as such, he is uniquely positioned to drive meaningful results for the Brewers’ Council. We are grateful for Fred’s unwavering commitment to the success of beer and look forward to working with him.”