M&A activity in the food and beverage space remained robust during 2021 against the backdrop of surging Covid cases. Emerging CPG brands capitalizing on large traditional categories, especially chocolate confectionery, snacks, and beverage, with a health and wellness focus were snapped up by consumer giants in historic deal values. Analysts expect a rosy outlook for
Food & Drink
The biggest stories in beer this year weren’t mergers and acquisitions (though Bell’s selling to Kirin was a pretty big … if not entirely surprising… one) or even necessarily the pandemic. Although the fate of beer ultimately relies on the health of its dollars and cents, the true shift to craft beer in 2021 emerged
While zero-ABV beers and spirit-free liquors continue to command more attention, there’s one segment of the non-alcoholic category that holds a huge amount of potential according to experts: functional beverages. “Over the next few years we’ll see the non-alcoholic beverage sector grow in the RTD category and on-premise with a heavy emphasis on functionality,” says
Made with a golden pastry enveloping a tender beef and vegetable filling, Cornish pasties have humble origins. Originated as a portable lunch for workers and notably miners, everything in a pasty — from the pastry dough to its fillings — is made to withstand a journey underground without falling apart. For more, visit: Home MORE
Resident at Palm Heights Hotel in the Cayman Islands, where she shares the beauty and the bounty of West Africa through the world-famous flavors of her Fulani Kitchen that she pairs with stories of her nomadic people and the rhythm of African beats, I am introduced to Chef Fatmata Binta. “Binta” as she has asked
Colby Frey grew up on the 1,200-acre ranch his family owned in Fallon, Nevada’s Churchill County, a beautiful landscape in its golden vastness. In 2001, his dad began planting wine grapes, and the Gewurztraminers, Semillons, and Rieslings the property produced were highly regarded. But when Colby and his wife Ashley became the new generation to
There isn’t much middle ground when it comes to Champagne Henriot’s Cuvée Hemera 2006. As a vintage Champagne that has just become available on the market this month, at $185 SRP, it’s here to make a statement. The composition of the wine reads like a straight-from-central-casting portrayal of what we imagine a historic Champagne house’s lineage to
Most revelers have a longstanding date with sparkling wine or Champagne on New Year’s Eve. However, as supposed shortages (reading about it more than seeing it) impact what brands and styles are available, putting the bubbles you find into a cocktail does two things: stretches your supply and provides a fun, colorful, and creative drink
When her father, Gianni, passed away suddenly in 2008, Miriam Lee Masciarelli assumed his role of Winery Administrator. Enrolled at the time in a program that would earn her a degree in Economics and Management at Rome’s Luiss University, the 18-year-old student also became a Junior Brand Ambassador for Masciarelli Tenute Agricole, the winery started
Outside the door to one of the wine shops in our neighbourhood is a small inconspicuous box. Here you can put your cork stoppers for recycling. We do it. And many French people also, because France is the leading cork stopper recycler of the world with around 45 million stoppers handed in and recycled every
When asked if he would drink Champagne out of a plastic glass if trapped on a bus in a snow storm, Georg Riedel, Owner of Riedel Wine Glass Company, quickly responded, “Yes, I would open the bottle, pour it into plastic glasses and share it with everyone on the bus. Nothing in life is better
Your favorite bottle might be hard to find, but you can still pop the cork on New Year’s Eve (or any eve!) when you look to other regions If the current and predicted Champagne shortage has you reaching for your smelling salts (or CBD stress reliever), don’t despair: there are plenty of other options for
Kopi Kenangan has raised $96 million in a Series C funding round that valued the company at more than $1 billion. The round was led by Hong Kong’s Tybourne Capital Management, with participation from existing investors that included Li Ka-shing’s Horizons Ventures and Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital, among others. Kopi Kenangan said it plans to
Julien and Sarah Launois made their first champagne in 2015, and they already export 90% of their production. We visited Julien and Sarah in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and tasted their delicious champagnes around harvest time this past season. We also discovered that you can spend the night here at their B-and-B, buy a bottle of whisky
Iranian officials have signed an agreement with Sri Lanka which will enable the South Asian country to pay off its debt to Iran via tea exports. Iran’s deputy trade minister Alireza Peymanpak signed a memorandum of understanding on the proposal with the Sri Lankan plantations industries minister Navin Dissanayake earlier this week in the Sri
Yellow Tail, the family-owned Australian wine brand that is the number one imported wine in the US, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021. According to Wine Intelligence, Yellow Tail is the Most Powerful and Most Loved Wine Brand four years running (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021), far exceeding founder John Casella’s vision when he
If you’re reading this right now (the eve of Christmas Eve), you might be one of those folks who like the hunt—the hunt being, of course, the Christmas gift you forgot to buy before now. But relax, you have 1.5 more shopping days and if you have a wine lover in your life, your task
The last two months of the year are traditionally a season of increased sales for wine and total alcohol in general, as consumers rush to purchase holiday beverages. For 2021, it is predicted that holiday alcohol sales will surpass those of 2020, according to a new NielsenIQ.com report. And wine and Ready-to-Drink (RTD) wine cocktails/seltzers
The most universally recognized craft brewing darling in Africa has massive plans for the coming year but is falling desperately short of the money it needs to realize the totality of its dreams. Almost entirely owned and operated by women, Rwanda’s Kweza Craft Brewery aims to open a stunning destination brewpub in July and quickly
From Peking duck to Mapo tofu, there’s a wine to go with your favorite Chinese dish. A tradition begun in New York City more than 100 years ago by Lower East Side Jews, eating Chinese food on Christmas day remains a popular convention—so much so that this hand-lettered sign, posted in the window of a