J. Robert Hall

Performance has been particularly challenging in the U.S. wine and spirits industry since the post-pandemic “normalization”. But the headwinds impacting distillers and winemakers are not transitory; rather, they are grounded in structural shifts in consumer attitudes and behaviors that are here to stay. The financial challenges across the industry are real, and the time to act is now. In this article, our AlixPartners beverage sector experts discuss why wine and spirits companies should embrace (or enhance existing) financial fitness programs. We also discuss how to do it, in an effective way, while being sensitive to the company’s culture, heritage, image, and market position. #wine #spirits #alixpartners

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"Thanks Kaleigh Theriault, great play by play on the first half, let’s take a look at what’s going to be needed to win the year." 🏈 Halftime Report: Preparing for the second half in the Beverage Alcohol Industry! 🏆 As we take a breather at the halfway point of 2024, it's clear that the beverage alcohol industry has seen some major plays and strategic moves. Let's huddle up and look at the game plan for the rest of the year: 🍺 Beer: The price increases in 2023 are putting pressure on consumers, with long-term inflation effects and multiple drivers pointing to lower volumetrics. To stay in the game, deeper price subsidization for core Beer categories is essential. However, Imports show potential for a positive finish. Maintaining consumer loyalty will be our MVP move here. 🍷 Wine: The $15-$25 range continues to be the sweet spot, driving consumer interest. But to achieve positive trends by year-end, we need to capitalize on Q4 gifting. A big comparable period is coming up, so some price adjustments might be necessary, especially for infrequent Wine shoppers. 🥃 Spirits: We're seeing a continued shakeout as consumers transition from traditional products to RTDs. Flavor and turn-key cocktails are the winning plays, making Q4 critical for gifting and entertaining. Price discounting is already in motion to boost revenue. 🍹 RTD (Ready-to-Drink): RTDs remain a game-changer this year. With their share of total Alcohol growing, we expect more stability in growth rates as the shift from Seltzers slows. Building consumer brand loyalty for Spirits RTDs is crucial, and we need to watch out for potential flavor fatigue in the second half. Let's get ready to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead! Here's to a successful second half of 2024! 🥂 "Why did the football team go to the bank at halftime? To get their quarterback!" 🏆 #BeverageIndustry #AlcoholTrends #Beer #Wine #Spirits #RTD #MarketInsights #SecondHalf #HalftimeReport Note: This report looks at the 26 week ending period thru July 6th, 2024

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Everyday operative business tends to occupy the vast majority of one’s time, and making time for true reflection can often be surprisingly difficult. The top management of Paulig just spent five mind-blowing days workshopping the future of the company at Harvard, being exposed to global thought leaders on a host of topics ranging from high performance organizations and international expansion to leadership and strategy. This was hands down the best set of workshops I’ve had in my 30 years in business, with lots of concrete actions to follow. Onwards and upwards! #harvard #mypaulig

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"What we do now is good enough..." Well, is it really? Beer glass rinsers were good for their time, because it was the best of what was available to clean bar tools. They were repurposed to clean bar tools because there was a definite need in the market. But when you use equipment for something it was never designed for, you end up with problems. Beer glass rinsers: ❌ are inconsistent ❌ waste a lot of time ❌ require manual operation ❌ only rinse one vessel at a time ❌ do not rinse the outside surfaces of vessels And the list goes on and on. That's why I invented a custom, bespoke solution to clean bar tools. Auto-Rinse™ is everything a beer glass rinser is trying to be: ✅ fast ✅ durable ✅ automatic ✅ easy to clean ✅ rinses 2 tins and a strainer simultaneously And the list goes on and on... If you really want the most efficient way to rinse bar tools, you need to consider Auto-Rinse™ for your operations. Saving seconds per drink build = getting your servers back on the floor so they can sell. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/et9MuYD #bars #restaurants #cocktails #specialtycoffee #bubbletea

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A simple comparison of two different production and marketing mindset. TRADER JOE'S 5 CHEESE GREEK SPIRAL ROLL PASTRY   This was launched around 2014-15 at TRADER JOE'S. Trader Joe's 5 Cheese Greek Spiral includes Gouda, kasseri, kefalotyri, semi-hard cheese, and blue cheese all stuffed between thin sheets of phyllo. Its label says the pie is made in Greece and is the same as "what'd you find if you were traveling in the Greek Isles. It's also the perfect size and packaged very well for a frozen product, all you need to do is remove the top and place it in its own bottom tray in the oven, bake for 35 minutes and you have a delicious crusty, crunchy Greek börek type pastry. It's so good even the picky Greek-American grandparents like it.We have been buying this for years and all of the above are truly 100% correct, it's crunchy good and delicious! Price point: 2015 $3.99 2022 $4.49 2024 $5.99 Look at the consistency of the price over the years. We have been buying and eating this product the taste, the style, the packaging and the overall goodness of it has not changed at all. MULTIPLE PRODUCERS AND VENDORS OF LAHMACUN Now let's look at a staple that many like in Türkiye called Lahmacun. It's like an ultra thin crust minced or ground and spiced meat pizza. I know it's a crime eating this from a frozen package but, not everyone is a great cook.  So for the sake of practicality we are going to compare frozen Lahmacun to the 5 cheese Greek spiral pastry. You couldn't find mass produced frozen Lahmacun in 2015. Frozen Lahmacun started showing up on ethnic market shelves around 2019 and in very small quantities. From a price standpoint here's the shocker: For 500 to 600 gr. Frozen available now various Turkish, or Middle Eastern ethnic markets (we have not seen it in any other markets): Anywhere from $15.99, $19.49 to $29.99 (That is usually for 3, 4, 6 to 10 pieces) Some single packages sell for $5.99. We have tried almost every brand available in the Chicagoland area and unfortunately none have passed the test. Some newcomers (produced here in the US or imported) in the market taste better than others but there is no consistency, no great "wow" taste and the packaging is simply bad. In our opinion the only brand that properly adapted and branded the Turkish Lahmacun to the US market and taste is the Skinny Crust brand's Ground Beef Flatbread product, decent packaging, good market fit and positioning. It would be great if it could be a bit less expensive to attract a wider clientele.  So there you have it. Turkish food producers and distributors importing and selling in the US need to learn from their competitors. Here are some key takeaways: Proper labeling Proper marketing Importance on consistency Good price point to have an advantage over others Message understandable by all groups, not only ethnic buyers Sensible packaging We hope the above helps. Try some and enjoy! #greekfood #turkihsfood #lahmacun #flatbread #turkishpizza

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Constellation Brands Inc. saw its stock climb during premarket trading on Thursday following an upward revision of its adjusted fiscal 2025 profit forecast, surpassing analyst predictions. The company also reported a robust fourth-quarter profit, driven by the stronger-than-anticipated performance of its beer division. CEO Bill Newlands highlighted the beer business's consistent volume growth over 56 quarters, coupled with impressive margins, although wine and spirits sales experienced a decline. https://lnkd.in/ggNU_G9r Constellation Brands Bill Newlands Branded Hospitality Ventures #Technology #Business #Innovation #AI #investing #venturecapital MarketWatch

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🚨FOOD INDUSTRY NEWS🚨 Earnings highlights for Olive Garden parent, Darden: - Sales of $3 billion for the three months ended May 26, up 7% from the same period last year and in-line with analysts’ expectations. - Adjusted earnings of $2.65, beating expectations. - Net income of $308 million, down roughly 2% from last year. - Flat same-store sales across its brands, with the metric down 1.5% for its key Olive Garden division. Analysts had expected higher same-store sales. - The company said it expects total sales of $11.8 to $11.9 billion, same-store sales growth of 1% to 2%, and earnings per share of $9.40 to $9.60 for its current fiscal year. #earnings #restaurants #hospitality #foodindustry #newsletter

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