Category: Uncategorized

  MillerCoors has drawn a line in the sand over the Chesbay-Reyes issue and maybe it’s about time! I’ve read many of the comments from the industry regarding this big issue but first, let me tell you about my experiences with Reyes. I will defend their right as a wholesaler to create their own business […]

    “Heineken NV is giving its green bottle a face-lift in the U.S., hoping it will help its flagship Dutch lager and one-time leading beer import stand tall again after years of market-share losses.” reported the WSJ.   Back in the early 80’s, two of the largest and most successful brands changed their packaging […]

There is an old East Texas saying: “Are you the pig or the chicken?” This is in reference to the breakfast meal with bacon and eggs … the chicken is part of the meal but the pig is really committed. I have used this analogy many times in discussing business models with wholesalers and suppliers. […]

In professional golf it takes 72 holes to win a tournament, the Thursday round can put one in position, either to win or plan on an early exit. I’ve visited hundreds of wholesalers, and many, especially in recent years, have described their business model as “brand builders.” Really? My former Brand Director (MBA-International Marketing, 30+ years in the […]

When I purchased the 7th largest Schlitz operation located in the Rio Grande Valley in early 1981, Schlitz was still the #1 brand in the market. Over the next several years, however, the Mexican trade was lost due to a massive devaluation of the peso; the area was hit by the worst freeze in 100 […]

There is a lot of talk about the upcoming price increases and their effects on the market. I’ve have received e-mails from several of you regarding this round of increases as Nielsen All Channel scans show volumes flat, but pricing up 2.7%. In fact, volumes have dropped from +1.2% to flat over the last year. […]

Over the decades I must have sat through maybe a hundred “marketing” meetings on either the vendor or wholesaler side. I’ve seen these in all categories, domestics, imports, crafts and even PAB’s. In almost every case, during the “brand strategy” segments (always early in the meeting), they would present the targeted demographics for the particular […]

The best definition of growing old, I believe, is when “the past means more than the future!”  You can see that in the writings of the famous Dan Jenkins when he talks about golf.  Jenkins, recently elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, can’t seem to write an article without reference to the great Ben […]

After college in the early 70’s I took a job in Austin as a route salesman for Falstaff beer. At that time, Schlitz was #1 followed by the regionals, Pearl and Lone Star, with Falstaff and Budweiser not far behind. Heavy weights of today, Miller and Shiner, weren’t much back then and of course, crafts […]

I used to love getting certified letters from a lawyer representing one of our distributors informing me of a pending sale to a new distributor.  The letters always asked for my signature “approving” the transaction and had little to no details.  What is really frustrating was that the transaction was to take place at the […]