NEWS RELEASE
MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY
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TORONTO – Six Pints Specialty Beer Company, Molson Coors Beverage Company’s craft division in Canada, officially enters a multi-year and multi-brand partnership with Duvel Moortgat effective immediately. The partnership grants Six Pints license to import, market, distribute and sell six of Duvel’s world-renowned brands, with a focus on Duvel Belgian Blonde brewed out of Puurs, Belgium. The Duvel brands join the Six Pints portfolio as the division’s first-ever European partnership, adding authentically crafted brands to a Canadian local lineup consisting of Creemore Springs, Granville Island Brewing, Le Trou du Diable, and Brasseur de Montreal.
Duvel brands have been available in Canada for many years with distribution limited to and within Ontario, some parts of Western Canada and Quebec. The partnership with Six Pints will now allow Duvel brands to expand their footprint and awareness in Canada (excluding Quebec, where Duvel remains with its existing distribution partner), a move that is lockstep with the Belgian brewer’s international strategy. Duvel’s family of brands is enjoyed across 65 countries and counting, and with room to grow in Canada.
The addition of Duvel’s brands will allow Six Pints to respond to the increasing demand in Canada for imported above-premium craft beers. Adding Duvel’s hero Belgian Blonde, along with Abbey, Old Bruin and other unique styles, will broaden the Six Pints competitive offering to customers and consumers alike. Curious Canadians are increasingly interested in craft beer exploration, as the segment continues to see year over year growth. “Six Pints, and by extension Molson Coors, is equally excited and prepared to lead the Duvel brands through their commercial journey in Canada,” said Frederic Landtmeters, President of Molson Coors Beverage Company – Canada. “This division is known for respecting and nurturing what beer lovers love about craft beer – its roots. Six Pints will maintain Duvel’s homegrown positioning but will use its market expertise to bring it to life to more Canadians.”
Despite the pandemic, 2020 has been a fairly positive year for Six Pints, highlighted by Creemore Springs maintaining its spot as the #1 craft beer sold in 6-packs at Ontario’s LCBO chain of retailers, the division unlocking direct-to-consumer delivery/curbside pick-up capabilities and henceforth driving over $1.5 million in sales to-date, Le Trou Du Diable returning decorated from the 2020 World Beer Awards as World’s Best Pale Beer and World’s Best Sour/Wild Ale, Brasseur de Montreal achieving consistently strong performance – specifically with its Amer IPA variant, and more. It’s a momentum-filled time to join Six Pints.
But the partnership was born from more than just good business sense. Both companies feel a connection in their shared values, largely influenced by the respective legacies left by generations of family brewers. Six Pints, as a division of Molson Coors, carries values dating back to 1786 when John Molson began his brewing and entrepreneurship journey in Canada. John Wiggins of Creemore Springs Brewery, Mitch Taylor of Granville Island Brewing, Isaac Tremblay of Le Trou du Diable, and Marc-Andre Gauvreau and Denise Merineau of Brasseur de Montreal each left their marks anchored in quality, community, and entrepreneurial spirit. Duvel’s Jean-Leonard Moortgat started Duvel Moortgat in 1871 and today it remains an independent family of authentic crafted breweries and a successful story of self-made leaders in specialty beers.
“As fourth-generation brewers, Duvel Moortgat is delighted to announce our recent partnership with Six Pints to bring our iconic Belgian beers to Canada,” said Michel Moortgat, Chief Executive Officer for Duvel Moortgat NV. “Like Duvel Moortgat, Six Pints shares our strong commitment to quality and the art of authentic craftsmanship. Therefore, this partnership is an excellent opportunity for Duvel Moortgat to deliver our legacy of great-tasting beers to Canada with a partner who shares our core values and long-term ambitions.”
By early November, Six Pints will have already secured incremental distribution for Duvel’s brands within the regions where they are currently available and in new provinces. The initial focus will be at the retail channel, with plans for availability in restaurants and bars in the future.
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