StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q September/October 2014 46 Vermont ceded the top spot to Angry Orchard between 2012 and 2013, though Woodchuck enjoyed a respectable 22% increase in sales. "When the fi rst cider makers con- ference met, there were 35 of us, Rowell said. "Last time, in Chicago, we had to cut people out at 450 — and there were a lot more at the entrance. Commercial ciders are getting the distribution, new ciders are coming into the category, and consumers want to try different things. But we're confi dent they will come back to us." Far from being worried about the abruptly ultra-com- petitive environment, cider makers swear they welcome the newcomers, making for an unexpected esprit de corps among rivals. "We spent 23 years trying to convince retailers to carry a cider," Rowell adds. "We don't need to convince them anymore. They believe because the big guys believe." And the big guys agree. "Ideally, we're supporting the growth of the entire cat- egory, and we're hoping to bring more drinkers to cider," A-B's Aguilera says. "Choice and variety are the new rules of the game, and they're not going away. We intend to prove that hard ciders aren't a fad." What's going mostly unspoken in all the camarade- rie is the general consensus that, once the dust settles, there will be two viable subcategories of hard cider left- -economy brands and premium brands. The alcohol be- hemoths can afford to hedge their bets by introducing lines in both groups, while smaller makers believe that their decades of experience and loyal followings will help them weather the chaos and come out with their reputa- tions as premium brands intact. And maybe, just maybe, say the older cider houses, being top dog right now isn't a great idea, with so many giants suddenly in the mix. "They're going to saturate the hell out of it — they're all trying to beat up Angry Orchard," says House, whose family-owned ACE Cider is currently the No. 8 brand. "They're just jealous of the growth Jim's [Boston Beer Chairman Jim Koch] getting, so they want some of that. We just want to be the top-shelf brand for the 10% of people who want quality, not quantity." Not All Upside If all that's the sweet, then there's still the sour to con- sider. Though cider makers openly say that there's plenty of (000 2.25-Gallon Cases) Brand Supplier 2012 2013 % Chg Angry Orchard .......................................... Boston Beer Co. ....................................................... 2,200 .................... 5,800 .................. ++% Woodchuck .............................................. Vermont Hard Cider Co. ............................................ 2,250 .................... 2,750 .................. 22.2% Crispin ..................................................... MillerCoors ................................................................. 710 .................... 1,215 .................. 71.1% Strongbow ............................................... Vermont Hard Cider Co./Heineken USA ........................ 880 .................... 1,240 .................. 40.9% Hornsby's ................................................ C&C Group ................................................................. 850 ....................... 895 ....................... 5.3 Magners ................................................. C&C Group ................................................................. 650 ....................... 720 .................. 10.8% Michelob Ultra Light Cider ...................... AB InBev ..................................................................... 350 ....................... 570 .................. 62.9% Ace Cider ................................................. California Cider ........................................................... 275 ....................... 320 .................. 16.4% Wyder's ................................................... Vermont Hard Cider Co. ............................................... 240 ....................... 265 .................. 10.4% Original Sin .............................................. Original Sin Corp. ........................................................ 150 ....................... 200 .................. 33.3% Total Leading Brands 8,555 13,975 63.4% Others 1,565 2,795 78.6% Total Cider 10,120 16,770 65.7% Source: The Beverage Information Group To learn more go to www.bevinfostore.com Leading Brands of Cider