🏀 Shaq Attack: BeatBox's Newest Investor

Brewbound Insiders and getting details on party punch maker BeatBox’s new product plans, shared Wednesday during the company’s first national sales meeting held in Houston. Plus, Brewbound editor Justin Kendall has all the color on the events psychedelic displays and energized presentations.

Insiders are also:

• Checking out the latest A Round With Q&A, featuring Sneaky Spirits co-founder and CEO Rachel Kiley (also the first ever employee at Monday Night Brewing);
• Learning about layoffs at New Belgium affecting sales and marketing staff;
• And reading why Berstein analyst Nadine Sarwat still sees Boston Beer Company’s stock as “in limbo.” 

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access.

Party punch maker BeatBox hosted its first national sales meeting earlier this week in Houston, which had the feel of a Meow Wolf, with a faux convenience store decked out in neon, a trippy giant mushroom-covered hard tea garden, a Las Vegas-themed area with casino games, a lab for new innovations with “scientists” that looked strikingly like Rick of Rick and Morty Adult Swim fame and the usual presentations about the coming year. 

The meeting had a high-energy, upbeat tone as BeatBox is averaging triple-digit sales growth in 2024 and is the No. 1 ready-to-drink single in U.S. convenience stores tracked by NIQ over the latest 13-week period (ending June 13) when the brand’s wine- and malt-based single-serve businesses are combined.

Brewbound Insiders can read more, including a new product partnership and investment from a sports megastar, how the company's depletions are tracking going through July and the company's new product additions for 2025.

New Belgium Brewing eliminated the roles of seven employees Thursday as part of a reorganization of its sales and marketing structure, a spokesperson told Brewbound.

A spokesperson said: “The new, simplified structure aligns leadership across the teams and streamlines current communications and processes to better serve and support distributors and national retailers moving forward.” 

Insiders can read more about New Belgium and Bell’s restructuring plan and the roles affected, as well as the companies' recent performances in scan data.

Rachel Kiley was the first-ever employee at Atlanta-based Monday Night Brewing when it opened in 2012, joining as sales director and working her way up to chief operating officer. 

After helping lead the brewery’s expansion to six locations across four states and 21,000 barrels of beer produced in 2023, Kiley has stepped down to become CEO of Sneaky Spirits, the brand she co-founded with her husband, Peter, who is Monday Night’s brewmaster.

Insiders can read the full Q&A, including the nuances between craft beer and craft spirits, the relationship between Monday Night and Sneaky Spirits and how entrepreneurs can shrug off the doubters in the latest edition of A Round With – exclusive feature for Brewbound Insiders.

Beverage-alcohol’s growing “fourth category” of flavor-first offerings are quickly becoming a “mega category,” NIQ VP of alcohol industry thought leadership Jon Berg shared on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. 

Berg explains how the collective of ready-to-drink offerings such as flavored malt beverages, canned cocktails, hard seltzers and other flavor-forward offerings have shifted the fortunes of bev-alc for the year, while the best case scenario for beer, wine and spirits is likely a flat year. He also dishes on the tension between value and volume, slumping craft sales, channel outlooks and brand life cycles.

Plus, Zoe is back with a beer report from the Bahamas. She and Justin discuss their travel schedules, the decline in attendance for this year’s Craft Brewers Conference and Monster’s bev-alc struggles. 

Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform. 

While many annual business plans over the next couple months will likely include fourth-category innovations, Sierra Nevada is focused on continuing to innovate with “beer-flavored beer.”

Sierra Nevada leadership shared their plans with wholesalers Wednesday at its brewery in Mills River, North Carolina. The company’s top three priorities for 2025 include continuing the growth of Hazy Little Thing, revitalizing Pale Ale and strengthening the company’s non-alcoholic portfolio.

Insiders can read details on what's to come in 2025, including new non-alcoholic offerings, and a craft lager challenger.

And look out for further coverage of the event, including Sierra Nevada’s 2025 goals and why the company still believes in investing in craft.

At Brewbound Live in Marina del Rey on December 11 + 12, beer and beverage-alcohol companies can participate in retailer One-to-One meetings with ExtraMile Convenience. The buyer will be available for private, pre-scheduled meetings, and brands will be selected at the retailer’s discretion.

ExtraMile Convenience is a successful, industry-recognized c-store brand with more than 1,000 franchised convenience stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Alabama, and Mississippi. The growing ExtraMile network leverages experience and efficiency of scale to deliver “extra” value.

Meet with Michelle Abdollah, the Category Manager of Alcoholic Beverages, during Brewbound Live. Michelle is a seasoned retail expert with over 15 years of experience in merchandising and operations. With a proven track record of driving growth and profitability, Michelle has honed her skills through various leadership roles at 7-Eleven and Target. Her expertise has earned her recognition as one of the Top Women In Convenience by Convenience Store News in 2024.

Beer and beverage-alcohol professionals attending Brewbound Live can also meet with Whole Foods beer category buyers, with additional retailers to be added soon!

You must be registered for Brewbound Live to be considered for a retailer meeting. Once you register for the event, you will receive an email with instructions for signing up.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024.