Cincinnati Beverage Company owns some of the region's most iconic names in beer. Having gone through a few different ownership situations, the new ownership group was prepared to build the portfolio for long-term success. We were brought in to the lay the foundation for all of their assets, while giving them a roadmap to future acquisition, marketing, and business development.
To build a portfolio for current and future success, you first need to know what it stands for in the first place. Through exhaustive auditing, ideation and exploration, we discovered that every brand in the portfolio had irresistible character: from the quirky Little Kings to the regal Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, each beer in the portfolio had undeniable draw.
Although we had a uniting story, we needed to ensure our products didn't cannibalize one another. Through extensive consumer analysis, trend mapping, and forecasting, we identified a target consumer, price point, brewery production rollout, and more for each individual brand.
With a functional understanding of who our customers were and the products we were going to deliver, we then set out to give each product in the portfolio its own story and reason for existing. Moerlein was our local import, drawing inspiration from European breweries and styles, Hudy Delight was our life of the party, delivering a crisp taste at a tastier price, and Little Kings was our quirky odd ball. Each story stood alone and stood apart.
After building all the brands in the portfolio, our strategic framework enabled the organization to go after critical partnerships for their brands. Hudy Delight (life of the party) had football, Moerlein (our import) had soccer, and Little Kings had the local bar scene. This framework led to innovative partnerships, which led to product development, which led to acquisition, with Cincinnati Beverage Company acquiring a local craft brewery that fit their vision.
A portfolio is only as good as the legs it stands on. To encourage and achieve growth, scale, and ideation, business foundations like the ones we developed for Cincinnati Beverage Company are critical for building a lasting success.