Economy Watch: Why Consumers Are Anxious

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

“Global food prices are up 30% year-on-year. House prices have jumped a record 21% in that same period. Oil has doubled,” says Bernhard Weber of Fortune. “You get the picture. And wages? Meh, paychecks are roughly 5% fatter in 2022. You don’t have to be a quant whiz though to see pay is well undershooting the rising cost of living.”

And that’s the problem facing President Biden and Democrats this fall.  It’s also a problem for bev/al execs.  When will consumers decide to trade down from super-premium and decide that plain old premium is good enough?

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Who & What —

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Fun Wine names Christina Aguilera, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, “chief culture officer.”

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Sonoma County Program Faulted for Endangering Ag Field Workers

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

A Sonoma County, Calif., program that allows agricultural employers to bring their workers into mandatory evacuation zones to work during wildfires. A new study from the University of California Irvine details the dangers posed to workers by the program and makes 10 recommendations to improve worker safety.

For the LNU Fire, the Ag Pass program allowed 41 worksites and 115 workers within the fire perimeter. During the Glass Fire, the Ag Pass program allowed 37 worksites and 178 workers within the fire perimeter. However, the number of workers is likely larger, in particular for the LNU Fire, since 233 of the approved Ag passes did not list the number of workers.

Significant improvements need to be made to ensure health and safety, especially for socially vulnerable workers, the study says, including but not limited to:

  1. Post-Incident Accountability and Data Accuracy
  2. Clear Protocols for Identifying Workers and Location
  3. Participation by Farmworkers in Ag Pass Program
  4. Require Employer Emergency Plans
  5. Verify Employer Insurance Coverage
  6. Post-Exposure Health Screenings and Hazard Pay
  7. Emergency Training for Workers
  8. Real-time Monitoring of Air Quality
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Nevada Beverage Taps DistpatchTrack to Improve Deliveries

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

DispatchTrack, a leading provider of right-time delivery management software, said it has been selected by Nevada Beverage Company, a large Las Vegas-based beverage wholesaler, to improve delivery efficiencies and ensure orders are consistently delivered on time.

With DispatchTrack’s AI-powered hybrid routing, which factors in weight, travel time, traffic, inspection time, and more to seamlessly combine static and dynamic routing, Nevada Beverage Company is able to make more stops a day, DispatchTrack said.. It also benefits from highly efficient coordination between sales, merchandising, and delivery, facilitated by a dedicated salesperson app to ensure easy coordination with each delivery. Among other benefits and capabilities, DispatchTrack’s configurable SaaS technology provides automated delivery costing to help identify which stops are profitable.

“The beverage industry is grappling with a host of challenges including staffing shortages, supply chain delays, volatile fuel costs, and increasing demand. To be successful, wholesale distributors have to be more efficient and deliveries have to be made on time if they want to keep customers happy,” said Satish Natarajan, DispatchTrack co-founder and CEO. “We share and admire Nevada Beverage’s unwavering commitment to customer service and we’re proud to help them keep their promises to their customers by ensuring deliveries are always received at the right time.”

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Hacker-Pschorr Munchner Gold Lager Now in Cans

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

For the first time Münchner Gold Lager is now available in the U.S. in 16.9 oz cans. The new lightweight cans are available in a convenient 4-Pack, making it easy to bring to a BBQ, tailgating event or even the beach, and feature the brand’s unique heritage, tradition, and superior taste.

“Just in time for summer gatherings and events, we are pleased to introduce the Münchner Gold Lager, one of our most popular recipes, in our convenient and portable cans,” says Steve Hauser, CEO of Paulaner USA, the U.S. importer of Hacker-Pschorr. “Preserving the taste and integrity of this centuries old recipe has always been our number one priority. Our cans are perfectly designed to protect the flavor of the beer and its lightweight design makes it ideal to take along to parties.”

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Calif. Bill Seeks to Restore DtC Shipping by Calif. Distillers, Brewers

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

A pandemic-era program that allowed craft distilleries to ship products to legal age consumers across California ended in March.  Now, a bill in the California Senate seeks to allow craft distilleries and breweries to ship to California customers, as well as increasing the limits on amounts that are allowed to be shipped from 2.5 liters per day to customer, to 4.5 liters.

Supporters note that California wineries saw sales increase to $57.6 billion last year from 4000 wineries, up from $5.5 billion in 1986 when 700 wineries were first permitted to ship within California.

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