Barron's had a story over the weekend about how the Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams, is facing some tough times - its last quarter showed a 14 percent sales decline.
The irony, the story says, is that Boston Beer "has become a victim of the very industry it helped create: craft beer. The once-small company now brews over four million barrels of beer annually. Craft beer fans have moved on to smaller breweries."
Chairman/founder Jim Koch said that the decline in sales was part of a "slowdown in growth across the craft brewing industry," and CEO Martin Rober said that the company is "conducting a comprehensive review of our brand strategies."
There is speculation that one new strategy could be to sell the company.
The irony, the story says, is that Boston Beer "has become a victim of the very industry it helped create: craft beer. The once-small company now brews over four million barrels of beer annually. Craft beer fans have moved on to smaller breweries."
Chairman/founder Jim Koch said that the decline in sales was part of a "slowdown in growth across the craft brewing industry," and CEO Martin Rober said that the company is "conducting a comprehensive review of our brand strategies."
There is speculation that one new strategy could be to sell the company.
- KC's View:
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I hope they don't sell the company, but I also would tend to think that maybe Boston Beer Co. has perhaps gotten a little too big. Not in terms of sales, necessarily, but maybe in terms of product. I've just had the feeling lately that there were too many SKUs in the line, which diluted the brand image ... and made it seem just like any other big beer company.
Pass me a Full Sail. Or maybe a Fat Tire.
