Do wine and spirits wholesalers need to be more like beer distributors?

What happens when you move a production plant from Europe to the United States or switch from Florida oranges to Brazilian oranges? Does your product still taste the same? Has technology made it possible to replace 50% of the sugar in a beverage with zero-calorie sweetener and avoid a nasty aftertaste? John Kelly and Paul Villis from Kerry Group join us to talk through how beverage brands are changing ingredients and deciding to focus on either reformulation (i.e., cost savings) or innovation (i.e., revenue growth).  Want to sign up for our written research? Have a question, qualm or story to tell, reach out via email: [email protected]   Check out the rest of our written research: Rabobank.com/knowledge   Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services Please read our disclaimer here: https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/disclaimer/011410028/disclaimer

It’s not a fun time to work in the alcohol business. Demand is down in almost every segment and in almost every geography. Costs are rising. And most every category is in some state of oversupply. How on earth did we get here?  Erica Duecy and Scott Rosenbaum, hosts of the Business of Drinks podcast, join the RaboResearch team to debate what is driving the recent declines in the alcohol industry using our favorite debate format: a draft!  Want to sign up for our written research? Have a question, qualm, or a story to tell? Reach out via email: [email protected] Check out the rest of our written research: Rabobank.com/knowledge Check out Business of Drinks on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services. Business of Drinks is not a part of Rabobank Group. Please read our disclaimer here:  https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/disclaimer/011410028/disclaimer  

Young people are drinking less, but virtually all those declines are driven by men. If they do consume alcohol, men drink twice as much as women. In this episode, we speculate on what could be changing in the culture and in the lives of young men that is pushing them away from alcohol.    Link to our report on Gen Z drinking habits: Click here.     Want to sign up for our written research? Have a question, qualm or story to tell, reach out via email: [email protected]   Check out the rest of our written research:  Rabobank.com/knowledge Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services.

Economics power duo Jane Foley and Christian Lawrence return to give context to the first 100 days of the Trump administration, its impact on global economics, and the long-term impact of the US' changing relationship with the rest of the world.     Have a question, qualm, or story to tell, reach out via email: [email protected] Sign up to access our written research: RaboResearch sign-up   Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services.

In 2024, wine production far outstripped demand. Glenn Proctor of Ciatti and Jeff Bitter of Allied Grape Growers help us understand the unique challenges of the current crisis and how it is shaping the future of the wine business in the US and beyond.  Contact us via email: [email protected] Sign up for our research via this link: Knowledge.Rabobank.com You can find the Ciatti newsletter here: Ciatti Company | Substack Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services. Ciatti Company is not a part of Rabobank Group. Please read our disclaimer here: https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/disclaimer/011410028/disclaimer

The RaboResearch team discusses the implications of Brown-Forman and Tito's Handmade Vodka moving to a beer distributor in California. Do wine and spirits wholesalers need to change, or will change erode their competitive advantage? Will the beer guys buy wine and spirits distributors, or is the wine and spirits opportunity too limited? For brands, what is the appeal of working with a beer wholesaler, and what are the risks and limitations?  Contact us via email: [email protected] Sign up for our research via this link: Knowledge.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services   

In this episode, we review the latest earnings results from the spirits industry (Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Brown-Forman, Campari, Rémy Cointreau, Becle, and MGP Ingredients). Alongside individual company results, we discuss the impacts of declining sales in the US, the surprising health of the European market, the challenges created by aging inventory and wholesaler inventory, an evolution in pack and pricing strategy, the severe impact of a retaliatory Chinese anti-dumping investigation into cognac, and, of course, the fallout from the Trump-initiated trade wars with the US, Mexico, Canada and the European Union.  Contact us via email: [email protected] Sign up for our research via this link: Knowledge.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services This episode was recorded on March 6, 2025. Things may have changed by the time you are listening to this podcast.

As the first quarter comes to a close, we look back at the results from the largest global beer companies (Heineken, Carlsberg, AB InBev, Molson Coors, Constellation Brands, Royal Unibrew) and what they tell us about the health of the beer industry in the US, Europe, and the rest of the world. Later in the episode, we breakdown the potential impact of Trump administration tariffs for companies across the beverage alcohol industry.  Contact us via email: [email protected] Sign up for our research via this link: Knowledge.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services. This episode was recorded on March 6, 2025, and as such, things may have changed by the time you listen to this podcast. 

For distributors, managing and verifying execution and incentive programs is a complicated task. For brands, it can feel impossible. In this episode, we speak to Cory Knopp from GoSpotCheck by FORM to discuss how distributors, brands, and retailers are using their photo-based technology to bring data and transparency to one of the most hard-to-measure and burdensome parts of the business. This is the final of four episodes recorded on-site at Access LIVE, the annual conference hosted by Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.   Contact us via email: [email protected] Sign up for our research via this link: Knowledge.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services 

Jenda is a US-based tech company that uses retailer website data to offer real-time updates on out-of-stocks, competitive set, and pricing at an outlet level. Jenda’s Amanda Wolff and Harry Shulman share how they are helping brands and distributors solve some of the industry’s most persistent and frustrating problems. This is the third of four episodes recorded on-site at Access LIVE, the annual conference hosted by Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.   Contact us via email: [email protected] Sign up for our research via this link: Knowledge.Rabobank.com Note: The content and opinions presented within this podcast are not intended as investment advice, and the opinions rendered are that of the individuals and not Rabobank or its affiliates and should not be considered a solicitation or offer to sell or provide services