Diageo plc on Wednesday announced the appointment of Ivan Menezes as Chief Operating Officer. Mr Menezes is currently President Diageo North America and Chairman of Diageo Asia Pacific and Diageo Latin America & Caribbean. He will take up his new role on 1 March 2012.

As Chief Operating Officer, Mr Menezes will lead Diageo’s operating … >>>>

The volume of alcoholic beverage available in New Zealand fell by 0.3% in 2011. The decrease was due to a fall in volumes of wine, down 4.6%, partly offset by a 3.7% rise in the volume of spirits and spirit-based drinks. Beer volumes, up 0.1%, continued to contribute 63% of the total volume of alcoholic … >>>>

Continuing economic uncertainty in many developed markets, especially those affected by the Eurozone crisis, combined with competition from other beverages, is creating a challenging environment for the brewing industry. This new reality has seen a slowdown in the pace of consolidation, although SABMiller’s acquisition of Foster’s and strategic alliance with Efes, together with Heineken’s acquisition of … >>>>

Grupo Modelo, leading brewer in Mexico and producer of the best-selling Mexican beer in the world, announced that its profit jumped 48% in the forth quarter of 2011. During the fourth quarter domestic volume grew by 2.2% year-on-year while sales of imported beers decreased by 3.5%. Export sales rose by 10% to 3.8 million hl.… >>>>

Crown Holdings, Inc., a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, announced that it will build a new beverage can plant in Danang, a major port city in central Vietnam. The new plant is expected to be operational in the second quarter of 2013 and will have an initial annual production capacity of 750 million … >>>>

At its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 22 March 2012, the Supervisory Board of Carlsberg will recommend that the AGM appoints Ms. Donna Cordner, Ms. Elisabeth Fleuriot and Søren-Peter Fuchs Olesen to join the Board. Commenting on this move, Povl Krogsgaard-Larsen, Chairman of the Board, said: “Last year, we agreed that we needed to review … >>>>

The development of the alcoholic beverage business remains a core growth strategy for Coca Cola Amatil (CCA), Group Managing Director Terry Davis said on Wednesday. “We have spent the past four years developing expertise in the manufacturing, sales and distribution of premium alcohol brands which gives us a uniquely independent platform for the future distribution … >>>>

With Budget 2012 just a few weeks way, the British Beer & Pub Association on Wednesday has delivered a special ‘message in a bottle’ to MPs, warning of the dangers of another huge hike in the tax on beer this year.

The beer bottle, specially labelled “Give Beer a Break”, says 45% tax on beer … >>>>

The Boston Beer Company, Inc. reported net income for the fourth quarter of $17.8 million, or $1.33 per diluted share, an increase of $5.6 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, from the fourth quarter of 2010.  This increase was primarily due to increased core shipment volume and the favorable impact of a state income tax … >>>>

In January 2012 France introduced its new “cola tax” for all drinks containing added sugar or sweetener. Hungary has had its own “chips tax” – targeting excessively sweet drinks among other things – since September 2011. In the United States too a levy of this kind is under consideration. These and other new developments are … >>>>

After 20 year as managing director of Schill Malz GmbH & Co. KG, Dr Carl Otto Schill has decided to resign from the company to pursue new business opportunities outside the malting industry. His resignation will be effective from March 31, 2012 and as a consequence Dr Schill will withdraw from direct operational involvement at … >>>>

Stratégie Grains said in its last report that the impact of the cold weather is still difficult to assess. The analysts think that damage is not as big as some people may have feared and they are cutting their wheat forecast for the European Union only by just 600.000 tons. The revised estimate shows now … >>>>

Molson Coors Brewing Company reported 12.2% higher net sales and a 42.4% increase in underlying after‐tax income for the fourth quarter 2011, driven by positive pricing, the benefit of cost reduction initiatives and an additional week in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011. Underlying earnings per share from continuing operations increased 47% to $0.97 per … >>>>

Pabst Brewing Company announced that John Coleman, former Vice President of Sales for the West at Anheuser-Busch, has been hired as President. Coleman brings 23 years of experience to Pabst as well as tremendous knowledge of the industry, its customers and distributor relations. Coleman, a long-time veteran at Anheuser-Busch, began in a role in the … >>>>

GrainCorp provided an update at its Annual General Meeting on expected earnings for the 12 months ending 30 September 2012. “After a record 2011, financial year 2012 will be another year of high volumes and earnings, demonstrating that the fundamentals and underlying performance of the business are strong,” GrainCorp CEO and Managing Director Alison Watkins … >>>>

East African Breweries Limited, African unit of Diageo plc, announced its half-year results for the period up to 31 December 2011. The Group weathered a late year economic slowdown to deliver net revenue growth of 36% at Kshs 27.8bn and an operating profit increase of 20% over same period last year. Net profit attributable to … >>>>

In 2011, Carlsberg achieved solid results in Northern & Western Europe and continued the company’s strong performance in Asia, the Denmark-based brewer reported on Monday. In Northern & Western Europe, Carlsberg’s performance was driven by efficiency improvements and market share gains, while in Asia it was driven by growth and market share gains. The company’s … >>>>

The German Kaiser brewery and the Russian brewer Ochakovo have signed a new licensing agreement. As the Russian press reported, three of the Ochakovo brands will be brewed and bottled in Germany. The beer brewed in Geislingen will be exported to other European markets and to the United States. Ochakovo, the sixth-largest brewer in Russia, … >>>>

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) reached a milestone this month with more than 30,000 members. The 34-year-old not-for-profit organization has reached this record number thanks in part to the hobby’s recent growth in popularity, the Brewers Association reported on Tuesday. Current estimates indicate that approximately 1 million Americans are making their own beer and wine … >>>>

MillerCoors fourth quarter underlying net income increased 32.5% to $194.0 million versus the fourth quarter 2010, SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company reported on Thursday.  Despite a weak economy and low consumer confidence, the brewer reported a 2.7% increase in underlying net income for 2011.

“By raising the bar on execution, increasing net revenue … >>>>