NBWA Highlights Choice and Variety of Beer with Grocery Store Representatives

The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) recently participated in a national conference involving consumer affairs experts and dietitians representing nearly 12,000 grocery stores in 44 states. NBWA used the 2012 Shopping for Health Retail Dietitian Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida, as an opportunity to promote the tremendous choice and variety that beer distributors bring to market by hosting a beer pairing dinner at Yuca Restaurant.

Miami The dinner, “The Perfect Pair: Delicious Food, Delicious Beer,” included representatives from a long list of supermarket chains: Schnuck’s Markets, Giant Eagle, Meijer, Hannaford Brothers, Price Chopper, Redner’s Warehouse Markets, Shop Rite, H-E-B, Kings Supermarkets, Super Valu, United Supermarkets, Weis Markets, Hy-Vee, Wegman’s, Spartan Stores, Raley’s, Bel-Air, Nob Hill and Albertson’s.

Rebecca Spicer, NBWA’s Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, discussed the importance of America’s beer distributors in helping brewers grow by providing access to market for beers of all styles and flavors. Attendees were eager to hear about promoting beer options to customers at their local grocery stores.

“The store representatives had a great time exploring beers they had never tried before and pairing them with different food. From a cherry wheat beer to an imported hefeweizen and a coffee-based porter, these folks tasted the wide range of flavors available in the beer aisle,” said Spicer. “Several attendees told me they were so excited to go back to their stores and try a beer they’ve never had before. It was like they had discovered a brand new aisle in their stores! ”

“The supermarket dietitians and consumer affairs specialists who attended this dinner are the perfect audience for the beer industry to help educate,” Spicer added. “Since such a large percentage of beer purchased at retail is bought in grocery stores, it is helpful and important for these grocery store communicators to be well-versed and up-to-date on the vast number of beer brands and styles that they carry.”

With more than 13,000 labels of beer available across the United States – including familiar domestic brands, imports from around the world, and craft beer produced by America’s 2,000 breweries – there is a beer style for every palate. To learn about beer pairing tips and information on cooking with beer, visit http://nbwa.org/about/all-about-brew.

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