Brewbound Session 2013 - Boston - Building a National Portfolio with Andy Thomas of CBA

May. 7, 2013 at 11:49 PM

Brewbound Session 2013 - Boston - Building a National Portfolio with Andy Thomas of CBA.

As craft brewers continue chipping away at a U.S. beer landscape primarily dominated by two international mega-brewers, a few rapidly expanding craft beer companies are beginning to consider national distribution models.

But building out that national footprint isn't as simple as just flipping a switch. There are numerous distributor choices and plenty of necessary considerations, including additional capacity construction, product consistency, organized and dedicated sales forces.

Craft brands hoping to turn their regional success into mainstream acceptability heard from Andy Thomas, the president of commercial operations for Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) -- which markets the Widmer Brothers, Redhook Brewery, Kona Brewing, Omission Beer and Square Mile Cider brands -- at last week's Brewbound Session in Boston. Thomas provided attendees with a glimpse of the CBA's approach to a national profile and offered strategies for smaller brands looking to expand their own distribution territories.

"If you are going to be national, I think it is important to understand that 'national' means 'national,'" he said.

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