Adam Carr

🚨 Anheuser-Busch Announces It Will Close Two Breweries and Sell Another Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) will close two of its breweries and sell another, Brewbound reported today. ABI is selling its Newark, New Jersey location to property developer Goodman Group and will end operations at its Merrimack, New Hampshire and Fairfield, California facilities next year. The shutterings will lower the beverage conglomerate’s brewery count to nine. ABI cited updates to production at other facilities as the reason for the consolidation. More details at the link in comments...

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Here's a recap of what happened in the alcohol industry this week: 1. Diageo cuts $500M and will divest non-core assets 2. Doom scrolling, not wellness, could be tanking alcohol sales 3. Warren Buffet doubles down on Constellation Brands & Modelo 4. Avaline Wine signs a major distribution deal with SWGS 5. Trumps threatens 50% tariffs on EU, LVMH, Pernod Ricard, Diageo at risk (To stay up-to-date every day on what's going on in the alcohol industry, considering signing up for my daily newsletter - the first 30 days are free to try! - thealcoholreport.com)

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In this episode, Michael LaVecchia, vice president, operations at fourth-generation LaMonica Fine Foods, and Danielle Rauso, his niece and sales manager at LaMonica, trace their family seafood business from a Brooklyn fish store founded in 1923 to a multigenerational operation in New Jersey that remains one of the last independent clam processors in the country. This episode also features part 2 of our conversation with John Gaither and Joe Gaither, brothers and co-leaders of second-generation performance sock brand Feetures, who discuss how their family’s entrepreneurial roots shaped the brand. In addition, we continue our conversation on stewardship and values with Matthew Powell, fourth-generation CEO of safety and security service provider Century Companies. To hear more from Matthew on these topics, subscribe to his free newsetter, “The Steward’s Journal.” https://lnkd.in/erCTv99h In the clip below, Michael LaVecchia discusses how part of keeping LaMonica's legacy alive will depend on building out the company's bench of non-family talent and leadership. #familybusiness #familyenterprise #legacy

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Moments like this mean a lot to Christopher Alspach and me. Looking at today’s KeHE Distributors Connect report reflecting yesterday’s sales and seeing reorders from partners like Earth Fare and Natures Pavillion Natural Food Market is meaningful for a growing coffee company. These opportunities never come out of thin air. They happen because buyers, store teams, and distribution partners create space for emerging brands and give them the chance to prove themselves with customers. Christopher has spent years refining these Pacific Northwest style light roast profiles. Seeing shoppers discover Oval Coffee Roasters and come back for another bag is incredibly rewarding. Women-Grown coffees. Naturally processed coffees. Half caff blends. All roasted here in New York City. Grateful to the retailers who continue supporting emerging brands and to the customers whose daily coffee routines keep this work moving forward.

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🚨 Northeast Freeze-Drying Market Alert: Opportunity Amid Industry Turbulence The recent abrupt closure of Thrive Foods' Albion, NY facility highlights a critical reality facing our industry. Combined with ongoing challenges at established players like Van Drunen Farms (who've dealt with distressed operations and supply chain risks) and the mounting pressure from tariffs on imported freeze-dried ingredients, the Northeast is experiencing a significant supply chain disruption. But here's the opportunity: While others struggle, Wellness Croft is scaling UP to fill this gap. 🔹 Our Competitive Edge: • Only large-scale continuous IQF producer in the Northeast (5,000 lbs/hr capacity) • Advanced freeze-drying with AI integration and 24/7 support • Energy-positive operations with solar + battery storage • 100% regional sourcing network (34 food hubs, 100+ growers) • HACCP, GMP, FSMA certified with onsite PCQI professionals 🔹 Market Reality Check: The Northeast has been severely underserved for high-scale freeze-drying and IQF processing. Most facilities are limited to small batch operations (1/2 ton/day vs. our several tons/day capability). 🔹 Strategic Partnerships: We're actively collaborating with Western Mass Food Processing Center, Black Earth Compost, and regional food hubs to create a resilient, sustainable supply chain that keeps processing local. The Bottom Line: When established players face headwinds, agile, regionally-focused manufacturers with advanced technology thrive. We're not just filling a gap – we're building the Northeast's food processing infrastructure for the next decade. Manufacturers, distributors, and food brands: The supply chain disruption is real, but so is our solution. Let's talk about securing your Northeast freeze-drying and IQF needs. #FoodManufacturing #SupplyChain #FreezeeDried #Northeast #FoodSecurity #VeteranOwned

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Michael Schrob, Director of Food Sourcing and Procurement   How SNAP cuts would reshape food sourcing for New Jersey's food banks     As Director of Food Sourcing and Procurement at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, I manage the acquisition of food from three main sources: purchased products through grants and private financial donations, government programs, and food donations from NJ retailers, food industry donors, and local farms. If SNAP benefits are reduced, more families will turn to food banks to bridge the gap - but our food sourcing capacity won’t automatically increase to meet that demand.     ⚠️Every purchasing decision would change. CFBNJ carefully budgets for different food categories - fresh produce, frozen protein, shelf-stable items, and more. If benefits decrease and demand rises, we may have to adjust the mix of products we source to serve more people. For example, we may need to reduce purchases of fresh produce and protein items to purchase less expensive shelf-stable items in order to serve more families. The goal remains nourishing New Jersey families with healthy food, but when every dollar needs to stretch further to meet increased demand, the variety and mix of what we can offer may change.     ⚠️We'd rely more on donated food and private financial support. Our partnerships with food retailers and distributors would become even more critical, as would the individual donors and community groups who provide donated items and the funding to purchase food. If SNAP benefits are reduced and we have more families to feed, these donations would need to fill a much larger gap. Government budget cuts put the responsibility on individuals, companies, community groups, and foundations to help ensure that our neighbors are fed.     ⚠️The operational reality is challenging. Food banks are already managing reduced government food supplies with less Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) this year. The termination of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA) directly impacts fresh produce and protein purchases from NJ farms and producers.     ➡️The bottom line: We're committed to addressing food insecurity in New Jersey, but SNAP cuts may mean sourcing food for many more families without additional resources to work with.     SNAP cuts don't just affect recipients; they reshape how food banks operate and what we can provide to our communities. Join with others to make your voices heard before Congress votes on policies that would strain the entire food assistance system: cfbnj.org/protectsnap

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On this week's CPG Vibes we featured HiTouch Libations DSD and the executive team: Czar Daniolco, James Boyer, and Matthew Antonacci. In this clip from the show, James talks about how they are distributing fast moving products and what consumers are looking for on a daily basis

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COGNAC ISN’T LOSING ITS EDGE — IT’S REWRITING ITS PLAYBOOK 🥃🔥 Cognac volumes in the U.S. are slipping, and the big houses know it. 5.1 million cases in 2024… and now heading downward. So what’s the move? Culture. Not heritage. Cognac marketers are shifting hard toward: Music collaborations Nightlife partnerships Social media creators Cross-genre luxury moments Diverse representation Contemporary storytelling over old-world mystique Because younger drinkers aren’t buying a chapter from French history — they’re buying identity, community, and the moment the bottle fits into. This isn’t new for Cognac (hip-hop built half the category), but the intentionality behind the strategy now is different: Stay relevant → stabilize volume → protect the premium price. And honestly? It’s smart. Because spirits aren’t just competing on flavor anymore — they’re competing on cultural real estate. If your brand doesn’t live where culture moves, you quickly become the bottle people used to talk about. Here’s the bigger signal: The next decade of beverage marketing won’t be won by who has the oldest story… but by who tells the right story for the audience they want. #BeverageIndustry #Cognac #Spirits #Marketing #Culture #GenZ #DrinkCulture #BrandStrategy

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