Category: Uncategorized
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A lot of very competent people sometimes make errors.
In the last 35 years, no brand has come close to the growth of Corona. The brand went from being in a position of not even having a hand full of distributors who could sell a layer of the beer, must less a pallet, to the current situation of now selling over 150 million cases of Corona. The […]
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Happy Anniversary…..year 7!
And now, on to year number eight….
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Money and salary is not a particularly good motivator in the long term.
In a conversation several years ago with a distributor who had recently sold his large, successful operation, the distributor commented on the challenges he encountered trying to train and maintain company employees. As an illustration, he referred to the tradition of sports teams and the amount of training and preparation, often a full five days, […]
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If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?
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If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Over the years, we have visited various beer industry shifts in consumer preferences. Many changes have been the result of the consumer altering the beer segments and brands. Such swings have included the rise in light beers and the growth of imports, led by the Mexican beers, primarily Corona. In the last 20 years, we […]
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Careers are made in times of “crisis”
Last week’s post highlighted the story of the Mark Anthony Group. The account of Mark Anthony is not as much about their hot product, White Claw, as it is about how the company made a complete turn-around. This is a bit of an anomaly in the industry as most turn-around stories are about the brands […]
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Culture eats strategy for breakfast
An article in Beer Business Daily last week focused on the Mark Anthony Group and their hot brand, White Claw. As a company, the Mark Anthony Group could be considered the personification of what it means to move from insignificance to viable vendor, for yet the second time. In the 1990’s, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, a […]
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Not listening results in misunderstanding and conflicts.
When Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1990s, Texas Stadium was not owned by the football franchise; therefore, the venue was not subject to the rules of the NFL corporate sponsorships. After Coors passed on the offer, Jones sold the beer-pouring rights to Miller. Today, Miller Lite remains the beer sponsor of […]
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May 27, 2019.
Jim Koch celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday, May 27th, and as a tradition with these pages warrants, we annually revisit Jim and Boston Beers on this date. Because this is Jim’s 70th, this year is most relevant in the future of Boston Beers. The company has evolved into one that is perhaps more in-tune-with the […]
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My inspiration comes from my real life experiences.
As the title of this blog states, the subject matter for my writings is truly limitless! The inspirations come from my real life experiences of more than 50 years in the beer industry, providing fodder for the inspiring topics covered over the past seven years. Frequently when asked about my knowledge of the industry, I […]