Bernie Quinlivan

Today’s food & beverage market is as competitive as ever. More brands, with more ways to access those brands, equals more choices for consumers and more competition for producers. Contract manufacturing is a viable option for brands to flourish in this volatile market. Learn about some of the benefits of having an effective food contract manufacturer and what to consider when selecting a contract manufacturing company. https://lnkd.in/e9Ck5mUe

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Two hot topics within the current beverage alcohol industry are Gen-Z and Ready-to-Drink (RTD). According to Circana’s State of the CPG Beverage Alcohol Industry report, RTD reached $10.3 Billion in 2023. Part of that growth is due to Gen-Z members' strong preference for higher ABV offerings and unique packaging. But what are the top RTD cocktail brands among Gen-Zers according to Circana? 🔥 Buzzballz, LLC / Southern Champion 🎵 BeatBox 🍸 LIQS Cocktail Co. 👑 Crown Royal & Whiskey Cola 🍹 Monaco Cocktails 🥃 Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Read more about the State of the Alcohol Industry here: https://hubs.li/Q02xggvP0 #ReadyToDrink #GenZ #BeverageAlcohol #Circana

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🔥 Our 2023 Plant-based foods in US foodservice report is hot off the press! Download now: https://bit.ly/3KUdXw8 Highlights and key insights below: 🥛 The plant-based milk segment has expanded over the last five years, with pound sales up 55% and dollar sales up 81% since 2019. 🌭 In 2023, plant-based meat analogs — products designed to recreate the taste and texture of conventional meats — represented 50% of plant-based protein pound sales, up from 39% in 2019. 🏫 Plant-based protein purchasing from educational institutions has surged in the last three years, growing 36% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. 📈 Consumers in 2023 paid an average of 25% more for food than they did in 2019, before the start of the pandemic. As inflation eases in 2024, plant-based manufacturers and operator partners should prioritize closing the price gap to drive trial and repeat purchases within these categories. 🍽️ An August 2023 survey showed 39% of respondents had never tried plant-based meat products. The foodservice sector can play an impactful role in delivering unique, accessible, and often elevated experiences and can move the needle on growing awareness and acceptance of the larger plant-based category. Dive into our full analysis of category sales, comparisons to the conventional meat market, emerging segments, pricing, consumer insights, and future opportunities: https://bit.ly/3KUdXw8 In July, GFI will host a webinar about this report featuring a panel of experts to answer your most pressing foodservice questions. Have questions for our panel? Submit them here: https://bit.ly/3VxrKOi

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Tequila!   Many large players such as White Claw, and The Boston Beer Company (maker of Truly) are expanding their offerings and releasing tequila-flavored ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails as consumers are increasingly turning to tequila offerings in the beverage alcohol sector.   I had the opportunity to share my insights and thoughts on this surging trend with The Food Institute. In the article, I emphasized how innovations in ready-to-drink (RTD) formats, including tequila-based seltzers and margaritas, are meeting consumer demand for novel flavors. Additionally, I pointed out that tequila production has remained stable despite global supply chain disruptions and highlighted the increasing consumer preference for high-quality artisanal spirits.   Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gB9f-3Ci   #Tequila #BeverageIndustry #MarketTrends #ConsumerInsights #RTDCocktails

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Top 5 tips on building and maintaining strong relationships with retailers to secure shelf space and drive sales: 1. Meeting initial item set-up timelines with incredible accuracy 2. Updating the Retailer on any changes in the supply channel 3. Once establishing the cost of the shelf space, promote and invest to drive sales. Makes no sense to say “ I don’t have enough left to fund the requested programs.” 4. Be smart and be able to frequently review ROI on any tool or program that is used to be sure you are spending marketing dollars efficiently. 5. Continuous Evaluation, Continuous Improvement: The journey doesn't end with a deal. #cpg #retail #shelfspace

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At our Annual CMA | SIMA Conference this past February, we had the privilege to learn what books inspire our admirable panel of women leaders during our Women’s Leadership Panel and Luncheon. Among them, Lauren Nalls, Manager, Category Management Advancement and Capability Building at The Hershey Company, expressed her appreciation for "The Scout Mindset" by Julia Galef. This book goes into the two mindsets: Soldier Mindset and Scout Mindset. Lauren emphasized the importance of differentiating between the two, and how they relate to Category Management. She shared how especially in a category management role, it is crucial to utilize a scout mindset and search for the truth, while recognizing that the reflection of the truth is not a reflection of oneself. #CategoryManagement #ScoutMindset #BookRecs #Leadership

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The US Beer industry landscape is changing fast. AB InBev's North America Normalized EBIT declined by over $1.3 B from 2022 to 2023. The volume market share decline (relative to Molson Coors Beverage Company and Constellation Brands) contributed to that EBIT decline by an amount of $400 Million. It has not helped that overall volumes between these three major players has declined by over 4%. It's a general sign of the headwinds facing the beer category as shopper and consumer preferences shift. For #ABInBev, that overall market decline cost them another $200M. A just less than 4% increase in Net Pricing contributed a +ve $560Million to the Normalized EBIT change, but was insufficient to mitigate the increased inflationary unit costs associated with Cost of Sales and the de-leveraging of other SG&A operating expenses. It will be interesting to track how these components of EBIT will change for 2024, given growth constraints associated with market share gains and price increase ceilings. Looks like some drastic OPEX cuts might be the only short-term remedy for now as AB InBev looks to rebuild brand equity and volume share. Send me a DM or write "send" in the comments section and I will forward you the document that also contains the related MVA operating breakdown for #MolsonCoors and #ConstellationBrands. It's interesting to see how and to what extent Molson Coors and Constellation Brands benefited from AB InBev's headwinds. You will also see why Constellation Brands might be the longer term winner here. #Beerindustry #beercategory #beerdistribution #Heineken #BeverageAlcohol #Asahi #Carlsberg #BostonBeer #beer #beverages #BudLight #MillerLite #CoorsLight #Corona #ModeloEspecial

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Keeping an eye on #ENERGY. "C-store sales surged 10.8% for the year ending May 19, according to Chicago-based research firm Circana. And while inflation of about 3% on average was part of the sales growth, energy drinks also saw unit sales grow 7.5%." The energy drink market is evolving rapidly, with convenience stores leading the way in adapting to new trends. Plant-based ingredients and brain-boosting formulations are on the rise, catering to health-conscious consumers. The demand for functional beverages offering natural energy and cognitive benefits is also growing. Convenience stores are responding by offering a diverse range of innovative energy drinks to meet these changing preferences. This shift underscores a focus on health, functionality, and convenience in the energy drink industry. C-Store Dive Read more: https://lnkd.in/eZDjjKgW #beverage #functionalbeverage #convenience

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In light of Goldman Sachs Equity Research's recent analysis of NielsenIQ retail scanner data, some interesting insights about the non-alcoholic beverage industry emerge. Here are the key points to note: •   The industry's overall dollar sales grew by +3.5% in the two-week period, although these figures slowed down from +4.2% in the four-week period. •   Carbonated soft drink sales grew by +3% in the two-week period, with a slight drop in volume sales at -2.9% and a spike in average pricing by +6%. • Energy drinks faced declines, with dollar sales down by -1.1% while volume sales fell by -2.3%, and average pricing remained consistent at +1.2%. •   Bottled water saw noteworthy growth of +5.2% in the two-week period with fairly consistent volume sales at +6.1% and a decline in average pricing by -0.9%. •   Sports drinks emerged as a positive area with an increase of +9.1% and growth in volume sales by +6.3%. The average pricing also saw a significant rise of +2.6%. •   The coconut water category sustained robust growth, up +24.4% in the two-week period, supported by a rise in volume sales and a decrease in average pricing. A few brands that stood out: Vita Coco is leading the fast-growing coconut water category and grew +21.7%. Keep your eyes out for 100 Coconuts. They are making some impressive waves. Spindrift Beverage Co, Inc. was up +24.2% in sparkling water sales. Hydration-focused products are doing well as a category. Electrolit USA +35.9% and PRIME -29.7% Energy Drink leaders Red Bull and Monster Energy were down, while many others are still experiencing nice growth. CELSIUS Holdings, Inc. I +15.9%, Nutrabolt +21.1%, Alani Nutrition +57.1%. poppi is not slowing down at all +154.5% and Zevia also grew their sales by +8.2% The non-alcoholic beverage sector reflects fascinating patterns in sales and pricing across different beverage categories and subcategories. These trends pose potential implications for competitive strategies, branding, and product offerings within the industry. I look forward to your valuable input as we collaborate to comprehend the evolving dynamics of the non-alcoholic beverage sector. What stands out to you? #BeverageIndustry #NonAlcoholicBeverage #IndustryTrends #Insights #InnovationInBeverages #MarketTrends

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📢 Big news! US Foods is considering selling its 90-store US Foods CHEF'STORE business to refocus on its core Broadline distribution. With limited synergies and a small contribution to overall growth, management believes CHEF’STORE would thrive under more focused ownership. Stay tuned for updates! #USFoods #BusinessNews #StrategicDecisions #RetailNews #DistributionNews #RetailStat

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The price of ice cream has risen for three straight years while demand has slowed as consumers continue to explore healthier #dessert options such as #gelato and #frozenyogurt. But reports of ice cream’s appeal melting away may be overblown. Consider that the average American eats 20 pounds of #icecream each year, generating $14 billion in revenue. For more on food #inflation, view our Rabobank #BBQ Index infographic: https://bit.ly/4cNRs8D #NationalIceCreamDay

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The moderation trend is continuing to accelerate! The NA segment of on-premise beer sales in the U.S. jumped 33.7% over the last 52 weeks with broad-based gains in all 50 states! 💪 📈 🍻 At Partake Brewing we are seeing on-premise operators move from offering 1 NA beer option to now several with macros and craft represented in addition to house mocktails. 🍺 🍷 🍹 This is an exciting time for the non-drinker and moderator alike! Gone are the days of water, juice, milk, and soda as the non-alcoholic options. 🤩 https://lnkd.in/gibbdbPB

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I'll be at 👉 (https://lnkd.in/geS8v3aq) the NielsenIQ C360 conference in Phoenix - May 13-16 as The CPG Guys. Will you be there as a senior leader to discuss today's important #cpgindustry topics? 1.) Total store optimization in a post pandemic world? 2.) What does today's truly #omnichannel shopper journey look like? Have #retailmedia networks changed full funnel #omnichannelmarketing? 3.) Of course, all about #artificalintelligence 4.) #innovation - most large brands temporarily slowed it down over the pandemic - now its back to the mayhem. Shelf space is not unlimited - who wins, who loses and who doesn't belong on the shelf in the first place. Watch Liz Buchanan (NA, president), Jamie Clarke (NA retail), Andrew Criezis (President, #ecommerce) and so much more.

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SKU's mentor community has deep experience building brands and disrupting categories, whether that be Matthew OHayer, who upended the egg industry with Vital Farms, or Jeff Richards, who launched Mooala, which has created new innovations within the plant-based milk segment. SKU Fall '24 mentor Jill Talcott  is a passionate food and beverage lover and creator with a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. During her time as a leader in innovation, commercialization and development at Starbucks for over 16 years, working on CPG and food-service projects for the U.S. and International markets. She developed and launched coconut milk to over 15K stores, pioneered the development of alternative milks to replace traditional dairy bases and delivered a breakthrough beverage innovation through a new chocolate strategy. During her time as a leader in innovation and development at Starbucks, Jill is most proud of her work in taking the cold coffee experience to new levels through innovative thought leadership, passion, teamwork, and a devotion to finding solutions. She was the winner of Starbucks' “Trail Blazer” and “Courage” awards for Innovation (championing and driving big ideas to life). As a Food Tech Evangelist at Amazon, Jill developed and trained the team on the product development process and established trained panel to guide rapid product and packaging decision making .   In 2021 she started UpCup Creations, a beverage development consulting firm. She has helped small brands bring numerous products to market from coffee beverages to cocktails in can, and many things in between. Her specialties are beverage innovation, product development, including ingredient sourcing and Commercialization. If you would like to work with passionate founders and rocks stars like Jill, we have a small number of mentor spots left for talented CPG leaders. If you would like to learn more, fill out our Mentor Interest Form and we will schedule an interview. https://lnkd.in/grvpPD8e Michelle Breyer Buff Greebe Maddie S. Brooke Wilson #mentors #mentoring #mentorshipmatters #accelerator #cpgaccelerator #startups #cpgstartups #founders #cpgfounders #entrepreneurship #cpg #cpgs #consumerpackagedgoods #consumerproducts #foodandbeverage #innovation #commercialization #productcreation #productlaunch #coffee #coldbrew #coldcoffee #coffeeinnovation #productinnovation

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As orange juice prices remain record-high, consumers are turning to alternative options for their morning fruit intake 🍊I recently had the opportunity to discuss this trend with The Associated Press, exploring how producers can stand out and keep consumers engaged. Read the full article, “High Orange Juice Prices May Be On The Table For A While Due To Disease And Extreme Weather,” here: https://lnkd.in/gFxBDq56

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"What we do now is good enough..." Well, is it really? Beer glass rinsers were good for their time, because it was the best of what was available to clean bar tools. They were repurposed to clean bar tools because there was a definite need in the market. But when you use equipment for something it was never designed for, you end up with problems. Beer glass rinsers: ❌ are inconsistent ❌ waste a lot of time ❌ require manual operation ❌ only rinse one vessel at a time ❌ do not rinse the outside surfaces of vessels And the list goes on and on. That's why I invented a custom, bespoke solution to clean bar tools. Auto-Rinse™ is everything a beer glass rinser is trying to be: ✅ fast ✅ durable ✅ automatic ✅ easy to clean ✅ rinses 2 tins and a strainer simultaneously And the list goes on and on... If you really want the most efficient way to rinse bar tools, you need to consider Auto-Rinse™ for your operations. Saving seconds per drink build = getting your servers back on the floor so they can sell. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/et9MuYD #bars #restaurants #cocktails #specialtycoffee #bubbletea

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