Retailer Updates

Modelo Especial recently became the 3rd import in the United States to sell over 40 million cases. Corona & Heineken are the only other imports that can make that claim. For the last several years we have been preaching how on fire Modelo is & our message isn’t changing. There are no signs of Modelo slowing down. It’s growing rapidly & in 2012 Redding Distributing experienced a 35.5% growth in sales volume making it our 2nd largest import behind Corona. Interestingly enough, Corona is exactly what Modelo wants to be. The goal of Crown Imports is for Modelo Especial to become the 2nd US import to eclipse the 100 million case mark. That means Modelo needs to grow an additional 60 million cases to reach their goal. A goal I believe they will achieve & along the way everyone involved with this hot brand will be making more profit. Modelo Especial is stealing thunder from Bud & Bud Light in Hispanic markets & in broad markets it’s rising fast. If your store, market, bar, etc. doesn’t have Modelo Especial then you are asking your patrons to pass on one of their favorites brands. Modelo is in the same league of Corona & Heineken so make sure you’re not missing out on potential profits & the next 60 million cases this brand plans on selling!
 

It is that time of year again where I get to take on the task of planning Redding Distributing’s Open Warehouse. After the success of our first Open Warehouse we decided to make it a bi-annual event. Our date is set this year for April 6th, 2013 from 12-4pm. Please mark your calendars now & make sure you don’t miss this one of a kind event!

What is RDC’s Open Warehouse?

Essentially our Open Warehouse is a giant trade show, but it also has the feeling of an exclusive beer festival that we host for all of our retail partners. It is a jam packed day of sampling beer, listening to music, learning about our products & scarfing down delicious BBQ. In 2011, we welcomed over 500 people into our warehouse to enjoy live music by Lagunitas’ owner Tony Magee & Redding’s local band The Billies. In addition, we served up some mouthwatering Tri-tip & gourmet sausages as well as sampled over 100 different beers. To top it off we had the Shasta Society of Home Brewers on hand brewing onsite at our warehouse. This year you can expect much of that same, but only better! We are raising the bar even higher & will have over 30 suppliers, 150 beers & wines to sample, live music, amazing food, an RDC Gear Store, multiple beer educations stations as well as multiple educational seminars you will have the opportunity to sign up for in advance. Please set aside time to come visit us & celebrate our world class portfolio of beers.
 
New Features
 
Educational Seminars – We will host (3) short 15 minute educational seminars during the event. Please sign up with your sales professional in advance for the seminars you’d like to attend so you can assure a seat!

Maximizing Your Profits in the On Premise - The Perfect Pour, Proper Glassware, Beer Pairings & More

Maximizing Your Cooler Profits – How to make the most $$ out of your coolers

Industry Review – The Race for Space, Craft Beer Renaissance, Red Bull Revolution & More
 
RDC Gear Store – We will have a Gear Store where you can find unique gear, growlers, specialty items, etc. from our suppliers. Please bring cash if interested since we cannot legally give away gear! A perfect chance to shop for family & friends!
 
Beer Stations – We will have an entire area of Beer Stations focused on education & an opportunity to learn more about the world’s greatest drink…beer!

Cooking w/ Beer – learn amazing beer recipes, jot down some recipes from our suppliers, learn some basic information on beer & cheese pairings & try some great beer & food pairings!

Off Beer – learn the difference of what fresh beer tastes like compared to beer that has been influenced by the 3 main enemies of beer; Heat, Light & Oxygen!

Blind Beer Tasting – We will be blind taste testing multiple of our beers against each other from a variety of different styles including IPA’s, Porter’s & American Wheats! Discover your personal favorites!

Shasta Society of Brewers – Redding’s favorite S.O.B.’s will be brewing onsite at our warehouse filling the air with the wonderful aroma of hops & malts! Learn from the brewing wizards themselves on how to brew & see what their club is all about!
 

There is no doubt a “Race for Space” is brewing within the craft & import segments. With a craft beer renaissance in full swing the battle for space has heated up tenfold. Redding Distributing alone has 31 high end beer suppliers with hundreds of brands & 600+ unique craft & import packages. Unfortunately, for the high end segment all of those packages are trying to be squeezed into one or two doors. Space on tap & in coolers is more precious than ever & as retailers it’s important you have the right brands in order to maximize your profits. Consumers are looking for variety & as a retailer you are either addressing their needs or not. As craft & imports continue to progress it is imperative your establishments mature with the high end movement. There is no telling what the beer business will look like 10 years from now, but you can count on the high end segment being a considerably larger portion of your business. If your business is not expanding space right now for craft & imports then be cautioned that you might be falling behind the times. The days of 5 taps are long gone, while 12-20 taps is more of the norm. The days of 1 cooler door dedicated to high end beers are long gone. Consumers are shopping in stores that offer more variety & support the high end segment. I encourage everyone to take a deep look at their business & ask whether or not they are prepared for the craft renaissance taking place. If you are ready to invest more in the high end talk with one of Redding Distributing’s beer experts & we will work with your business to help maximize your profits. It’s evident that “We are the Beer Guys” & offer our retail partners not only 3.25x more variety than our competitors, but also the best-selling craft & import brands on the planet. We are excited for the opportunity to grow with your business & invest in the high end together. 

Why are we “The Beer Guys”?

Corona is the #1 import in the US
Heineken is the #2 import in the US
Modelo Especial is the # 3 import in the US
RDC has 9/10 top imports in the US
Blue Moon is the #1 craft beer in the US
Boston Beer Co. is the #1 craft brewery in the US
Sierra Nevada is the #2 craft brewery in the US
New Belgium is the #3 craft brewery in the US
Gambrinus is the #4 craft brewery in the US
Deschutes is the #5 craft brewery in the US
Mikes Hard Lemonade is the #1 P.A.B. company in the US
Smirnoff is the #2 P.A.B. company in the US
Sierra Nevada is the #1 local brewery
Lost Coast is the #2 local brewery
Lagunitas is the #3 local brewery
Deschutes is the #1 Oregon brewery
Full Sail is the #2 Oregon brewery
Ninkasi is the #4 Oregon brewery
RDC carries the top 3 cider companies in the US

We are the Beer Guys!

There is no wonder why our retailers say, “We are the Beer Guys, and they’re Just the Bud Guys”. Redding Distributing arguably has the best beer portfolio in all of California & it just got better. Despite already having a robust beer portfolio of some of world’s finest crafts, imports, ciders, P.A.B.’s, & domestics we just recently added three new exceptional breweries to our beer family. We would like to extend a warm welcome to Ninkasi Brewing (Euegne, Oregon), Green Flash Brewing Company (San Diego, California), & Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego, California).

All three breweries add another special dimension to our portfolio & provide us with a great opportunity to sell more boxes of beer! We are excited to partner with you & execute these brands in our marketplace. Each brewery has unique character & an amazing selling story. Below are three facts about each new brewery! .

Ninkasi Brewing

1.) Ninkasi is the #1 Craft Brand in Portland & has only been around for 6 years! 2.) The ancient Sumerians worshipped the beer they made & praised the goddess Ninkasi! 3.) Ninkasi has a program called “Beer is Love” that is centered on donating product to local 501c non-profits. If a local nonprofit you know is in need of beer for an upcoming event look no further than Ninkasi!

Green Flash Brewing Co.

1.) Green Flash won 2 Gold Medals & 1 Silver medal @ the 2012 Great American Beer Festival! 2.) Only under perfect weather conditions, for a split second, the days last rays of sunshine turn a blindingly brilliant green on the horizon…hence the name, Green Flash! 3.) Green Flash is rated the 21st best brewery in the world on Ratebeer.com!

Karl Strauss

1.) Karl Strauss is only available in California & is just now launching into Northern California! 2.) Karl Strauss is named after the godfather of brewing who began his career @ Pabst. His cousin started a small microbrewery & decided to name it after the godfather of brewing, Karl Strauss! 3.) Red Trolley Amber ale, the flagship at Karl Strauss, won a Gold Medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival & gold at the 2012 World Beer Cup!

Pabst Brewing Company is 186 years old & it has managed to remain one of the hottest brands on the planet. At this year’s Great American Beer Festival, Pabst Brewing Company took home some serious hardware including a GOLD medal for Pabst Blue Ribbon & the “Large Brewing Company of the Year” award.

In 2012, Redding Distributing has grown the Pabst brand 129% outpacing all of Northern California. Thank you for helping build Pabst into a huge brand in our area of distribution. Pabst Brewing Companies ability to engage with the millennial consumer has cemented the fact that the 186 year old company is here to stay! The popularity of Pabst is growing at a rapid pace so please make sure you are benefiting from the momentum of this increasingly hot impact brand. Look at your cooler, draft lineup, & display space for opportunities to capture additional volume from the nation’s hottest brand!

Thank you for all of your efforts in helping grow Pabst in our market!

Wine & spirits are increasingly popular during the holiday season. I get it. I’m a huge wine consumer myself & love the almighty grape. Redding Distributing experiences a considerable lift in our wine sales during the holidays & we ride the same momentum as the wine & spirits companies. We have a small, but strong portfolio of wines that benefit greatly this time of year due to increased activity & floor space.

With that being said; don’t be fooled! Beer is still a MAJOR player during the holiday season. Beer outpaces wine & spirits in volume & it competes with both categories in $ share. In fact, beer has a higher $ share than spirits & is within 1% of wines total $ share in the grocery channel during the holidays! So why does it always look like prohibition during November & December? Out with beer & in with wine & spirits! It doesn't make sense because beer plays an imperative role at retail during the holidays & it deserves space on your floors! During Thanksgiving & Christmas, high end beers perform some of their best sales results. Consumers look to trade up to more expensive & flavorful beers during this time of year so don’t forget to take advantage of your highly profitable high end beer segment! The bottom line is beer doesn’t get the respect it deserves this time of the year! Don’t fall into the trap of thinking beer is only a summer drink & don’t let beer take a back seat at your store. Continue supporting your beer category this holiday season & watch your profits grow!

Thank you for all of the support growing your beer category this holiday season!

Red Bull's success is no secret. It's the #1 energy drink that kicked off the energy phenomenon. In the last three years, Redding Distributing has doubled our Red Bull business! One of the key contributors to our growth has been Infused Red Bull. If you own a bar, restaurant, cafe, or even a convenience store & you’re not infusing Red Bull than you’re missing out on potential profits!

In 2011, one of our largest coffee chains sold over 13,000 cases of Red Bull all because of their success with Red Bull Infusions. We have had huge success with cafes, restaurants, & even convenience stores as well as grocery stores infusing Red Bull. If your business has the capabilities to infuse Red Bull it has potential to grow your Red Bull business! Infused Red Bull has many benefits. Red Bull infusions are 1) Highly profitable, 2) Easy to execute, 3) Appeal to younger consumers, 4) Offer your consumers something they can’t buy anywhere else, 5) Increase your lunch business, & 6) They provide incremental purchases.

If you are interested in Infusing Red Bull please talk to your Redding Distributing sales professional.  Redding Distributing will be happy to provide you with information, recipes, & even a demonstration on how to infuse your Red Bull & profits!

Thank you for all of your support!

Tastes of the North is a new 360 degrees local beer campaign from Redding Distributing. We have teamed up with Sierra Nevada, Lost Coast, Mad River, Enjoy Magazine, & Marketfest to promote Northern California beers all summer long. From May through November, Enjoy Magazine will be running creative ads promoting some of the north states best breweries.

We will be conducting Tastes of the North Tap Takeovers, beer pairings & flights, & meet the brewer nights throughout the summer in your wonderful establishments! In addition, we have teamed up with our friends at Marketfest to encourage drinking local all 10 weeks of the amazing downtown street festival!

Please work with your sales professional’s on dreaming up creative ideas for marketing Tastes of the North. Redding Distributing & our local breweries would love to help execute any of your fun ideas for this awesome campaign whether it is an in store display, beer promo, tasting, local beer flights, or anything else you can think of. Tastes of the North is here to stay & we would like to thank you in advance for helping us grow the breweries that are in our own back yard. It is with your support & dedication that we are able to grow all of our amazing, mouth-watering, local beers!

Thanks for all of your support!

We are proud to launch reddingdistributing.com. Our website will be used as a platform to enhance communication with all of our retailers & special event partners. We are confident you will find our website extremely beneficial to our partnership. We are making every effort to improve our communication with all of our partners in order to be your go to distributor. We pride ourselves in being “The Beer Guys” & as you scroll through our website I believe it will beobvious as to why we wear that phrase so proud.

In addition, I’m confident you will also find our website extremely user friendly & comprehensive with regularly updated content. Our website will not only keep you up to date on important Redding Distributing information, but it will also provide useful industry insights & category information.