Mitchell Robertson

(PART 2) After 2025, how is California doing YoY? A Win for Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits! California - BATTLES OF THE TITANS: SGWS vs. BREAKTHRU vs. REYES Following last week’s post, today we’re looking at the cocktail share by the distributors. We saw both Reyes Beverage Group and Breakthru Beverage Group acquired various suppliers following RNDC's departure, including Brown-Forman, William Grant & Sons, Proximo Spirits, LALO Tequila, and more. Some people may say it’s a little too early but let’s look at the share by different distributors! Methodology: We compared the brand’s performance on menu YTD in 2025, assessing the Top 5 Categories: Vodka, Tequila, Rum, Gin, and American Whiskey. - Branded Cocktail Menus Only - About 50% of Cocktail Menus - Limited to brands with +0.5% share or More Here are some highlights: Total # of Brands on menu (0.5% Share or more) - Breakthru: 70 - Reyes: 55 - SGWS: 192 Overall Cocktail Menu Share Performance by Distributors - Breakthrough: 5.2% - Reyes: 18% - SGWS: 42% Winner Total Cocktail Share by Spirits Category - Vodka: SGWS - Tequila: SGWS - Rum:  SGWS - American Whiskey: SGWS - Gin: SGWS - Overall Winner: SGWS! Based on the above data, brands distributed through SGWS in total have a significantly higher cocktail menu share than the next two competing distributors. This data does not include Scotch, Cognac, or RTDs, which are all gaining share in the menu distribution. If you have any questions about the data, please feel free to send me an email directly at melki@groundsignal.ai. We also have other various resources on our website, so please visit us and download away! Ryan Stull Max Biko Lisa Maez Jeff Gollaher Keith Williams Ryan Shaw

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Something to think about with your evening glass of wine 🍷 Consumer changing drinking habits are having a disruptive effect.... and no "AI Effect" has caused this one. Gallo, the largest U.S. wine company, announced the closure of its Ranch Winery production facility in Napa Valley and planned layoffs at four other California locations. Affecting 93 jobs, this restructuring stems from a major slowdown in sales and a broader, ongoing contraction in the California wine industry. Key Details of the Announcement: Location Closures/Layoffs: The Ranch Winery (Napa Valley) is closing. Additional layoffs are planned at four other locations in Napa and Sonoma counties. Timing: The layoffs were announced in February 2026, with actions affecting staff at several North Coast locations. Impact: The move is expected to impact 93 employees. Broader Context: This is part of a larger, painful restructuring within the California wine industry, which has been hit by falling consumption, oversupply, and weak demand. This follows previous actions by the company, including the closure of locations in 2025.

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I chat with Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers where I ask her 'How Wineries Can Promote Sustainability". As sample as her insights may sound, 80% wineries don't do this. If you are a winery making Sustainability wines, its time to add that in your marketing strategy and align the story with the end consumer. Key tips from the video: 1. Elevate Stakeholder Values: Tailor messaging for different groups—customers, employees, investors—by linking sustainability to their specific concerns ⧫ think cost savings, brand reputation, employee engagement. 2. Use Cross-Functional Teams: Combine expertise across departments—like operations, finance, and marketing—to create sustainability initiatives that are practical, measurable, and aligned with business goals. 3. Set Tangible, Measurable Goals: Use frameworks like Science Based Targets to define timelines (e.g., "reduce scope 1 & 2 emissions by X% by YEAR"), and report progress transparently. 4. Coach Early Adopters: Identify internal champions across levels and empower them with data, tools, and communications strategies to catalyze broader organizational shifts. 5. Frame as Business Risk & Opportunity: Position sustainability efforts around key business drivers—like regulatory compliance, consumer preferences, and supply chain resilience—rather than just ethics. 6. Tell the Story, Don’t Just the Data: Contextualize metrics into narratives: why they matter, how they link to larger goals, and backing them with real examples—employees, customers, or partners. Karissa emphasizes moving from niche sustainability programs to fully integrating them into business strategy. Even small improvements (think decimals) matter when scaled across the supply chain. Great tips from Karissa Kruse, check it out here: https://lnkd.in/g-TxtXKQ Sommeliers Choice Awards Beverage Trade Network

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Seven months into the 2025/26 almond marketing year in California, and the supply picture is starting to stabilize while demand continues to strengthen. Receipts are essentially flat year-over-year, but February shipments came in +12% YoY and +17% over January, while new sales accelerated +11.5% YoY. That combination, stable supply with improving demand, is the kind of dynamic that tends to shape market expectations for the remainder of the season. One of the reasons we built Bountiful was to help the industry interpret signals like these earlier and with more clarity. Full February breakdown below 👇

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Spot on analysis by Damien Wilson, George Christie, thanks for sharing. The comparison to the rapid evolution of the hard seltzer and craft gin markets is a wake-up call—wine cannot afford to be static while consumer tastes shift so quickly. While the article rightly focuses on strategic agility and the "4Ps," I see Artificial Intelligence as the critical enabler to bridge this gap. If we want to emulate the speed of the seltzer market or the creative targeting of craft spirits, AI tools can help wineries analyze real-time consumer sentiment, predict flavor trends, and hyper-personalize marketing at scale. Technology can provide the data-driven confidence needed to take the innovative risks Wilson is calling for. Time to blend tradition with tech! #WineIndustry #Innovation #AI #FutureOfWine

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Latest report shows how big of an impact the wine industry has on the economy in Oregon. Drinking responsibly and locally can have a positive effect. https://lnkd.in/gBR6QGNr

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I'm so proud of the Almond Board of California, and specifically the most energetic and committed team member, Guangwei Huang, on getting GRAS approval for using almond hulls in human foods and beverages. It's been a long journey of discovery and regulatory approval, but the final result is a testament to ABC's commitment to sustainability. This will be an upcycled ingredient with multiple uses once commercialized. We at Mattson: Innovation for the Food & Beverage Industry are proud of the small contributions we were able to bring to this endeavor. And we're hoping there will be more, because we can't wait to start using this new and novel ingredient for our clients!

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