ARVADA, Colo. –– CERIA Brewing Co., the Denver-area brewing company founded by the creator of Blue Moon beer, Keith Villa, Ph. D., and his wife Jodi Villa, has announced selection of its first group of distributors for CERIA’s line of non-alcohol (NA) craft beers.
In early 2020, the company launched its two NA styles, Grainwave Belgian White Ale and Indiewave IPA, at over 200 Total Wine & More retail locations in 24 states.
Now the brand is expanding to groceries, liquor retailers and on-premise restaurants and bars through its new distributor partnerships with: Burke Distributing Company, (Boston area); Atlas Distributing, Inc. (central and western Massachusetts); Commercial Distributing Company, Inc. (Massachusetts); LT Verrastro, Inc. (Pennsylvania); Frank Beverage Group (including Beer Capitol Distributing, LLC – Milwaukee, Frank Beer Distributors, Inc. – Madison, and La Crosse Beverage, LLC – La Crosse, Wisc.); Banko Beverage Co. (Lehigh and Northampton, Pa.); Wilson-McGinley, Inc. (Pittsburgh area), and Muller, Inc. (Philadelphia).
“These are our first distributor relationships for our NA craft beers and, as such, represent a substantial step forward for CERIA Brewing,” says Dr. Villa. “The time is right to deliver great-tasting, non-alcohol products in a variety of new channels.”
Adds Bill Burke, President of Burke Distributing, “Keith Villa is a legendary figure in the international world of brewing. We knew once he focused on the NA category, our market would respond well to a premium quality craft brew that could be enjoyed all day long, any time, any place including working lunches, out on the golf course, after exercise, or in the evening at dinner. As an NA, it offers a great choice for those restricting their consumption of alcohol but love the great taste of beer.
“CERIA products will allow us to sell into an independent market a product that retains flavors like the hops and malts found in a standard beer,” Burke said.
Commercial Distributing President Mark Placek says, “Every day, retailers have more consumers looking for ‘better for you’ and ‘alcohol-free’ beverages to fit their lifestyle. Many of these consumers would still like to enjoy a craft beer, but don’t because of the alcohol or calorie count.
“CERIA offers these retailers and ultimately the consumer a quality craft beer without the guilt or alcohol. Commercial Distributing currently does not have a product like this in our portfolio – CERIA checks all the boxes,” according to Placek.
Jon Salois, VP of Sales for Atlas Distributing comments, “We are excited to partner with CERIA Brewing to launch the brewery’s great-tasting non-alcoholic craft beers in central Massachusetts.”
Adds John McGinley, President of Wilson/McGinley, “We are thrilled to partner with CERIA Brewing Company and excited to expand our portfolio to include their unique product offerings in the ‘better for you space.’
“The NA beer category is on fire and CERIA’s new NA will play a major role in the category’s success.”
According to Greg Miller, VP Business Development for CERIA Brewing Co., “The non-alcohol beer category increased 44.4% in sales through May 9 according to Nielsen reporting, which was one of its strongest weeks of the year. And if you look back just two years ago, NA beer represented about 0.5% of the total beer business and is projected to be 1-1.5% by 2025. We look forward to becoming the leader in this strong performing category that has a very bright future ahead of it.”
Grainwave and Indiewave will be supported by POS displays, in-store sampling, a strong digital media and social media presence, and its dedicated website: www.na.ceriabrewing.com.
Grainwave NA Belgian-Style White Ale is a refreshing, medium-bodied Belgian-Style White Ale brewed with blood orange peel and coriander, with less than 0.5% ABV, and contains only 77 calories.
Indiewave NA West Coast IPA is a flavorful IPA that perfectly balances Cascade, Citra, and Amarillo hops with light caramel malts for a smooth citrusy character, and contains less than 0.5% ABV and 99 calories.
About CERIA-NA, LLC
CERIA-NA, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company, dba CERIA Brewing Company, is headquartered in Arvada, Colorado. CERIA, Inc. was co-founded in January 2018 by Keith Villa, Ph.D., creator of Blue Moon craft beer, and his wife and CEO Jodi Villa. In late 2019 the company won the prestigious Food Dive “Startup of the Year” Award presented by Food Dive, a leading industry news publisher. For more information: Ceriabrewing.com, na.ceriabrewing.com @ceriabrewing #ceriabrewing
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