LOS ANGELES--Cerveza Minerva (“Minerva”), Mexico’s oldest and largest craft brewer, announced today that it has selected Pabst Brewing Company (“PBC”), North America’s largest privately held brewer, as its exclusive importer in the United States.
“We are thrilled to partner with Pabst Brewing Company to extend our distribution to the U.S.,” said Michele Barbosa, Minerva’s Co-founder and Sales Director. “The U.S. has seen tremendous growth in Mexican imports, and we are eager to leverage Pabst’s strong sales platform and innovative grass roots marketing efforts to introduce our brands to American consumers. PBC is an iconic beer company, and we look forward to joining their diverse portfolio of distinctive brands.”
“A critical piece of PBC’s strategy is to build our international brand portfolio with high-end, innovative craft brands,” said Simon Thorpe, CEO of Pabst. “Many of our distributors and key retailers have recommended we add a Mexican craft beer to our offerings, and Minerva’s highly specialized beer makes it the perfect fit for us. We are proud to partner with Minerva, a trailblazer in Mexican craft beer, and are eager to bring their authentic brews to the States.”
PBC will begin selling a select number of Minerva’s brands in Spring 2017. The launch will begin with a small number of test markets and then slowly increase to national distribution. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
About Cerveza Minerva
Cerveza Minerva was founded in 2002 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – the land of Tequila and Mariachi – to become the first 100% Mexican craft beer. Currently the largest Mexican craft beer brand, Minerva produces almost 20,000 hectoliters annually and distributes in twenty-five Mexican states. It also operates El Deposito, an on-premise concept store in Jalisco and Mexico City. Minerva paved the way for the rest of the country’s craft beer category and launched Guadalajara’s first beer festival in 2007. As the nation’s leader in artisan beer, Minerva founded Acermex (Asociacion Cervecera de la Republica Mexicana) to influence policy and make craft beer a larger part of the Mexican economy and culture.
About Pabst Brewing Company
Since 1844, Pabst Brewing Company has been American-owned and operated, and is North America’s largest privately held brewing company. Pabst’s portfolio includes iconic brands with deep ties to America’s heritage, such as its flagship Pabst Blue Ribbon as well as Lone Star, Rainier, Ballantine IPA, Schlitz, Old Style, National Bohemian, Stag, Stroh’s, and Old Milwaukee. In 2016, PBR won the Gold Medal in the American lager category at the Great American Beer Festival for the 4th time in a decade. Pabst Brewing Company was also named Large Brewing Company of the Year. For more information about Pabst, please visit www.pabstbrewingco.com.
