Mr. Ian Freedman reports
MOLSON COORS CANADA LAUNCHES SIX PINTS SPECIALITY BEER COMPANY;
NEW, INDEPENDENT BUSINESS MODEL CREATED TO SEED, NURTURE AND GROW
SPECIALTY AND CRAFT BEER BRANDS
Molson Coors Canada Inc. has created a new stand-alone
division, the Six Pints Specialty Beer Company. Craft and specialty
beer represent the fastest-growing segment of the Canadian beer
industry. To better participate in this segment, Molson Coors Canada
acquired the Creemore Springs Brewing Company in 2005. Creemore then
acquired the Granville Island Brewing Company in 2009. The
establishment of the Six Pints Speciality Beer Company signals a
further step in Molson Coors Canada's continuing commitment to
participating in this growing segment. The new division will be led by
industry veteran Ian Freedman, who has been with Molson in a variety of
senior positions since 2002.
"The skills and the business model required to be successful in seeding,
nurturing and growing specialty beer brands is very different from
those required to build powerhouse brands like Coors Light and Molson
Canadian," said new Six Pints president Mr. Freedman. "And Six Pints
will provide these additional capabilities, along with assets and
people dedicated to serving the unique needs of consumers and customers
in the specialty and craft category."
Six Pints' core business will focus on providing a menu of tailored beer
and business solutions to customers, including category engagement
through education, training, industry and consumer insights, product
knowledge, and quality standards. It will offer a compelling portfolio
of craft and import beers, built on the foundation of two historic
craft brands, Creemore Springs and Granville Island. Eventually, Six
Pints will represent a wider selection of specialty beers from Canada
and abroad that maintain the high standards of distinction set by
Creemore and Granville.
"We are on the verge of a beer renaissance in Canada. Beer lovers across
the country are taking their drinking occasions into exciting, new
territory with specialty and craft beers," said Mr. Freedman. "Six Pints
Specialty Beer Company is here to champion this renaissance with a
single-minded mission -- to create beer enthusiasts and encourage people to be passionate about beer through the efforts
of our brands."
The brands in the Six Pints portfolio, and the company itself, will
operate separately from Molson Coors and develop its own unique
strategies around price, product, distribution and promotion.
The company's initial priorities are to build a dynamic internal beer
culture based on authentic beer reverence. Once the core team is in
place, the company will turn its attention to developing strong
national sales capabilities, in order to help expand Creemore and
Granville geographically into new markets across Canada.
"Specialty and craft brewers are adding to the category in profound ways
and opening up a world of opportunities to turn consumers into beer
advocates," said Mr. Freedman. "The Six Pints Specialty Beer Company will
help lead that wave of change, celebrating distinctive beer experiences
and old-world craft."
Why the name Six Pints?
Six Pints is a tip of the hat to a lesser-known bit of Canadian
trivia. In the late 1700s, British soldiers stationed in what would
eventually become Canada were entitled to six pints of beer per day as
part of their compensation. Beer has been part of the country's constitution
since before this country had one. Not surprisingly, it was eventually
decided that paying soldiers with beer might not be the best idea. But
to this day, Canada is a nation that has never stopped loving its beer.
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