Industry Overview
The beverage industry is divided into two major segments. These two segments are alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages includes the production, distribution and regulatory aspects of the beer, wine, and spirits industries. Nonalcoholic beverages includes the production and distribution of all other drinks containing no alcohol.
Business Publications
Industry Information
Beer & Breweries
- Brewers Association – information and resources for small and independent craft brewers
- Beer Institute Online – information on aspects of the American brewing industry
- Beer Industry Fast Facts – data from the National Beer Wholesalers Association
- Beer Serves America – sponsored by the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), representing America’s leading brewers and distributors of fine quality beers.
- Craft Beer – educational tools covering beer services, food pairings, tasting & more
- Pro Brewer – tools, materials, and supplier directory to assist trades within the beer business
- BARTH-HAAS Group – largest supplier of hop products and services
- Samuel Adams’ Brewing the American Dream Program – loan program for startup brewery
- American Mead Makers Association – news, education & resources for mead production
- US Association of Cider Makers – resources for cider makers
See also the SBDCNet Small Business Snapshots for a detailed report on the Brewery Business.
Spirits & Distilleries
- American Craft Spirits Association – education, news & advocacy for the Craft Spirit industry
- American Distilling Institute – resources, research and education for small-batch and independently-owned distillers
- Distilled Spirits Council – resource for data, policy, exports, data & more
- Drink Spirits – spirits review, news & cocktail ideas
Wine & Vineyards
- Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America – various resources to include a survey of state laws, economic impact reports, and buyer’s guide
- Wines & Vines – collection of news, information, marketing & research capabilities
- Wine America – economic impact reports
- Wine Institute – statistics specific to California wine industry
- Wine Industry Profile – data on wine production throughout the U.S., also contains links to state-specific associations.
Legal & Regulatory
- TTB Alcohol Beverage Regulations – federal resources (laws/regulations, permits, labeling & more) for the beverage alcohol industries from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
- Alcohol Policy Information System – detailed information of Alcohol related policies at the state and federal levels from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Alcohol Beverage Control Association – resources for control state systems
- State Law Database – wine, beer, and distilled spirits laws and regulations by state, issue or a combination of the two (membership required)
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
- American Beverage Association – education, research & resources about the beverage industry (more available for members)
- Beverage Digest – information and resources on the non-alcoholic beverage industry
- Fruit Processing – news, reports, & trends for the fruit juice and soft drinks industry
- International Bottled Water Association – education & resources for the bottled water industry
- National Coffee Association – news, trends & information on the coffee industry
- Specialty Coffee Association – education & research on specialty coffee (for purchase)
- Global Coffee Report – news, research & reports on the global coffee industry
- International Coffee Organization – statistics, reports & education about the global coffee industry
- Tea Association – resources & information for the tea industry
- Kombucha Brewers International – industry information and resources about Kombucha
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
