- The beverage business blog -
Olly Wehring's unique web log on the global beverage industry, key events, people and his own daily experiences. If you would like to offer your comments, opinions, suggest topics or just have a good rant, please feel free to email: Olly Wehring. |
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Monster mission fails for Red Bull?
2nd November 2009 14:45
It seems Red Bull has had its feathers ruffled after the company’s loss of a contract by supply pub chain JD Wetherspoon in the UK.
So much so that the energy drink maker has embarked on a ‘secret mission’ aimed at undermining rival energy drink Monster.
According to Marketing magazine, Red Bull planned to visit JDW sites stocking Monster and “smuggle” some cans of Red Bull into the venue to consume on site.
Repeated calls by just-drinks to Red Bull's UK office have gone unanswered.
Perhaps the team is busy out and about...
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IndSpirit 2009 – Day Two
31st October 2009 8:08
We're back with you, here in Mumbai, for the second and final day of this year's IndSpirit alcobev conference and exhibition.
Yesterday evening afforded us the opportunity to make the most of the networking dinner laid on at the hotel, overlooking the Powai lake.
Following Thursday's severe case of jetlag, a good night's sleep last night was pretty much guaranteed, aided by beers, whiskies and rums – all, as ever, in strict moderation.
Today, the emphasis is on the technical side of the industry. Already, we've had a presentation on energy saving options available for brewers and distillers, and a look at manufacturing execution systems for the brewing industry.
Outside of the conference hall, the All-India Bartending Competition is in full swing: I've just seen the winner of the Goa heat concoct a 'Love Devil'. Not a sentence I thought I'd write on a Saturday morning.
Things are also hotting up as we edge closer to this evening's awards ceremony. Although the nominations have now closed, take a look here for a list of the categories. If last year's show is anything to go by, I'm really looking forward to the Bollywood dance troupe shaking their collective thangs.
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IndSpirit 2009 – Day One
30th October 2009 10:59
We're approaching the business end of day one of IndSpirit here in Mumbai. The morning session was taken up with an opening speech from the head of Radico Khaitan, Dr Lalit Khaitan, and an overview of the Asia Pacific spirits market from Euromonitor. We've also taken a closer look at the alcobev retail scene in India – a country where, of around 4,000 supermarkets, less than 50 offer alcohol for sale. Why? Here's why.
The first afternoon session saw two state excise commissioners, one from Goa, the other from Bihar, face the country's drinks industry to consider the state of India's wildly fragmented duty systems when it comes to alcohol.
What is frustrating to see is that this conversation – also forumed at last year's event - appears to have barely moved forward. Indeed, in 2008 we had four state commissioners to take to task. What remains clear is that the commissioners are open to the idea of broader harmonisation. The dialogue seems to remain anchored, however, to talking about talking.
Where will we be on this matter in 2010? We live in hope.
Elsewhere at the exhibition, the Mumbai leg of the all-Indian bartending competition grows ever more raucous. Tomorrow sees the final, with contenders from across the country looking to mix - and spin – themselves into Indian bartending immortality.
In the exhibition hall, pride of place goes to United Breweries, which has a Team India Formula One car on display. If I keep asking, hopefully they'll finally relent and let me behind the wheel.
Another one for the album awaits, then.
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IndSpirit 2009 - we are go
30th October 2009 5:30
We're back in India.
just-drinks is coming to you live from 2009's IndSpirit alcobev conference in Mumbai. This year's two-day exhibition and conference is about to kick off here at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Centre in Mumbai.
This being India, the weather is excellent (36 degrees and rising), the organisation is... exhausting to observe and, after last year's terrorist attacks in the city, security is tight.
Like 12 months ago, we also have the All-India Bartending Competition running alongside the exhibition. If last year is anything to go by, then, we can look forward to another all-nighter, trawling the top-end bars of Mumbai, something that wore us out both physically and financially.
Coming up this morning, we have the “Inauguration of the Exhibition” by a “Guest of Honour”, joined by “other industry stalwarts”.
Sounds motley.
So, keep your eyes peeled for as much India-news as we can garner – and as many adventure stories as our spirits allow us - from this year's show.
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Windmills and vodka
29th October 2009 14:44
Diageo and The Nolet family certainly appear to have gelled well together in the first year of their joint venture.
At the company’s headquarters in Schiedman, Holland, a number of journalists were invited to listen to marketing heads talk about the success of the Smirnoff, Ketel One and Ciroc vodka brands.
Philip Gladman, Smirnoff’s global brand director was present, as was Peter Fairbrother, Ketel One’s global brand director and Marc Strachan, director of brand marketing for Ciroc, amongst many others.
Strachan talked about plans to launch two new flavours to the Ciroc brand – Coconut and Red Berry – in the US in January.
An interesting lunch of salmon lasagne and a number of vodka tastings broke up the day, while Bob Nolet, vice president of the Nolet Distillery spoke enthusiastically of the company’s plans to expand the global reach of the vodka brand.
Of the 50-50 joint venture between the Nolets and Diageo, he enthused: “We are very very happy with the partnership and we see that Diageo is the same.”
A full interview with Bob Nolet will be published on the just-drinks site on Monday (2 November).
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Reborn in the USA
29th October 2009 12:38
The world's largest economy, the US, has emerged from recession in the third quarter of 2009, figures released today show.
US gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annualised rate (that's how the Americans measure it) of 3.5% in the third quarter of the year.
That is the best growth rate in the US since autumn 2007 and will fuel optimism that global economic prospects are looking brighter for 2010.
Second quarter (GDP) figures from Japan, France and Germany show that these countries have also emerged from recession. The UK remains in decline, shrinking 0.4% in the third quarter of the year.
However, with relatively high unemployment and public debt levels, question marks remain over how quickly, and to what extent, the world's major economies will recover.
Chris M. Deputy Ed.
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just-drinks returns to India
27th October 2009 11:16
With the clocks going back an hour here in the UK last weekend, I, like most sane (and presumably rich) people, am making a break for the sun.
Last year, I escaped the arrival of Autumn by heading to Mumbai for the IndSpirit alcobev conference. And quite a successful trip it was too.
So successful, in fact, that I'm returning to India this week for IndSpirit 2009.
So, if you're going to be at the conference too, and you'd like to meet up, drop me a line at news@just-drinks.com. And if you're not attending, but you have some questions about the Indian drinks market, give me a shout and I'll ask on your behalf.
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Stock up on Czech whisky
26th October 2009 14:38
Word has reached just-drinks ears that Stock Spirits, the UK-based company that operates mainly in Eastern Europe, is set to launch a Czech single malt whisky.
Stock Spirits intends to released "limited volumes" of the single malt whisky, matured in Czech oak barrels, a senior company bod told just-drinks at last week's TFWA expo in Cannes.
Stay tuned for more details on our news pages.
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UK economy shrinks, again
23rd October 2009 9:53
Put the Champagne on ice. The UK economy remains in recession after wrong-footing analysts by shrinking in the third quarter of 2009.
While neighbouring France and Germany this summer returned to growth in gross domestic product, the UK reported today (23 October) that its own economy shrank 0.4% in the three months to the end of September.
Most analysts had expected a small return to growth, albeit of around 0.2%.
The news makes the current recession the worst since UK records began in the 1950s. Coupled with this, the UK jobless rate is around 8%, at 2.47m unemployed.
A timely reminder that, despite renewed optimism from some corners of the drinks industry, we are far from out of the woods.
Chris M.
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Minimum pricing - goodbye to all that?
22nd October 2009 16:01
Could that be it for the minimum pricing argument, then?
Today's opinion from the European Court of Justice Advocate General, that setting a minimum price on products is illegal, suggests that the death throes have begun for the idea.
What is most interesting is the language used in the opinion.
“The Commission takes the view in the light of the Court’s previous case-law that those rules infringe Article 9(1) of Council Directive 95/59/EC ... on taxes other than turnover taxes which affect the consumption of manufactured tobacco.”
Basically, the Advocate General is saying: “We've told you before, so we'll tell you again.”
Naturally, the industry would like to see this as a precedent-setting case that applies to all products, as well as tobacco.
While we have three to four months of wait until the final ruling is handed down, there will be many in our industry tentatively breathing a sigh of relief today.
To read the full opinion, click here.
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What's this?
Your Comments
There is way more to that one than meets the eye given lots of ex Red Bull people are at Monster - can we hear axes being ground?
anon