Reyes Chairman Ray Guerin to Retire in April
Ray Guerin, chairman of Reyes Beverage Group, announced his plans to retire, effective April 30, in an internal memo Monday.
Guerin worked at Reyes for more than 25 years, holding various executive positions including COO and CEO.
“While this moment is bittersweet, I can tell you that I look forward to spending more time with family, including my beautiful wife of 45 years, my sons and their lovely wives and my four amazing grandchildren,” Guerin said.
Since his start at the company, Reyes grew its employee base from 700 people to 31,000, across 46 states and 18 countries. Co-founders Chris Reyes and Jude Reyes and Reyes Holding CEO Duke Reyes noted in the memo that “much of that growth and success can be attributed to Ray’s steady hand, tireless efforts and commitment to doing the right thing while treating everyone with respect.”
Reyes has not announced who will take Guerin’s place as chairman, but said that he has “prepared diligently for his retirement,” and worked with the executive team to “ensure a seamless transition.”
In March 2019, Guerin announced the appointment of Diageo exec Tom Day as CEO of the Reyes Beer Division, replacing him as the organization’s chief executive as Guerin shifted to chairman
Beer Purchasers’ Index: February Reading ‘One of the Lowest’ in 8 Years
The National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) February 2022 Beer Purchasers’ Index hit “one of the lowest” readings over the past eight years, the trade group said Monday.
February 2022’s overall reading of 43 coupled with an “at-risk” inventory reading of 64 hit “pre-pandemic trends” and was “reminiscent of when inventories were too high, and order indexes were typically at or below 50,” the NBWA said.
“Following a solid comparative reading in 2021, expect 2022 index readings to show signs of weakness,” the trade association continued.
The FMB/hard seltzer BPI fell to 34 in February 2022, down from 95 in February 2021. Premium lights (46), regular premium( 32), below premium (30) and ciders (33) all were below 50, indicating contraction.
The craft segment eked out expansion with a reading of 51, while imports (69) were “the only segment to report a significant expansionary index” last month.
Constellation Brands Hires New Beer Division VP
Constellation Brands has appointed Matt Lindsay as senior VP of brand management for its beer division, the company announced Monday.
Lindsay will report to Jim Sabia, EVP and president of Constellation’s beer division, which includes Mexican import brands Corona, Modelo and Pacifico.
Lindsay, who started February 28, will be tasked with overseeing brand management for the beer portfolio. His role will include “driving innovative marketing strategies that support Constellation’s strategic imperatives to continue to drive growth, expand market share, and engage today’s consumers.”
Lindsay is a beer industry outsider but brings 20 years of marketing experience with major CPG firms General Mills and Kellogg’s.
“I am thrilled for Matt to join the Constellation family and introduce him to the beer category through our iconic brands,” Sabia said in a press release. “Matt has an impressive background within the CPG space as both a brand marketing leader and general manager. He has a successful track record of managing consumer-loved brands as well as launching new-to-world innovation reflective of consumer trends. I look forward to working closely with Matt and our team of best-in-class marketers to continue the incredible growth trajectory of our beer brands as we lead the high-end segment.”
Reyes’ Florida Distributing Company Adopts BeerBoard’s SmartOrders for On-Premise
Florida Distributing Company (FDC), the Orlando-headquartered subsidiary of the Reyes Beer Division (RBD), has begun using SmartOrders, a business-to-business portal that facilitates and tracks orders for on-premise retailers, the companies announced today.
“We are thrilled to work with RBD and expand use of the industry’s best three-tier compliant technology, starting with their operations in Orlando, Florida,” BeerBoard CEO Mark Young said in a press release. “Reyes Beer Division recognizes the value of BeerBoard’s agnostic platform and approach to support the entire ecosystem in a three-tier compliant manner.”
SmartOrders offers a “consolidated ordering solution for beer, liquor and wine, and also automation and intelligence insights to improve overall operations,” according to the release. A small group of wholesalers and retailers have been testing SmartOrders, which is now rolling out nationwide. So far, its launch to about 1,000 wholesalers and thousands of retailers is underway, a BeerBoard spokesperson told Brewbound.
FDC sells about 16 million case equivalents annually to 6,800 retailers in six counties in central Florida from its 292,000 sq. ft. warehouse. RBD acquired it in 2011.
Molson Coors to Stop Using Plastic Rings for Coors Light 6-Packs
Molson Coors is beginning the process of eliminating plastic rings for 6-packs of Coors Light cans and across its portfolio globally, the company announced today. As part of the effort, the company is investing $85 million to transition Coors Light to “recyclable and sustainably sourced cardboard-wrap carriers later this year.”
The investment will allow the company to transition its portfolio in North America to cardboard wrap carriers by the end of 2025. The change will save 1.7 million pounds of plastic waste annually, according to the company. Last year, the company eliminated plastic rings across its top brands in the United Kingdom, moving to recyclable cardboard sleeves. In Canada, the company transitioned to sustainable plastic rings last year and will move to eliminate plastic rings entirely.
“Just as Coors led the way by pioneering the recyclable aluminum can, Coors Light will lead the way by moving out of single-use plastic rings in North America,” CEO Gavin Hattersley said in a press release.
Chicago’s Twisted Hippo Raises $164,000 One Week After Fire
Donors to a crowdfunding campaign for Twisted Hippo Brewery have raised more than $164,000 to help the Chicago brewery recover after a fire last week.
The fire started early February 21, and caused enough damage that Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office said the building will likely need to be demolished, NBC Chicago reported.
A crowdfunding campaign was immediately created on GoFundMe to “assist [Twisted Hippo’s] staff, business, and with any recovery needs,” according to the campaign page. In 24 hours, the page raised half of its $200,000 goal and has reached $164,440 from more than 1,800 donors at press time.
Top donors to the fund include Bridgman, Michigan-based Transient Artisan Ales, Chicago-based Goose Island Beer Co. and Woodridge, Illinois-based Skeleton Key Brewery, which each donated $5,000. Skeleton Key itself is still recovering from a tornado that caused severe structural damage to the brewery in June. The brewery has been closed since, but is set to reopen this spring, What Now Chicago reported.
Chicago-based craft beer bar The Green Lady also donated more than $5,000 to Twisted Hippo from a fundraising event on February 22.