Tastemakers:Fire & Smoke By the Bay Grilling/ Budweiser

July 6, 2008

Fire and Smoke By
the Bay Grilling Contest

On Thursday, July 10, the National Cherry Festival will host the Fire and Smoke By the Bay Grilling Contest. Last year’s event was a huge success, attracting 20 amateur “backyard BBQ’ers” from all over the country.
The competition begins at 10 a.m. with participants receiving three full servings of salmon (1.5 lbs.), ribs (full rack), and ground burger (2 lbs.).The task - to prepare all three entree selections with what might be to some a ‘secret ingredient’ -- cherries -- all over warm coals in the Festival Open Space. Participants will be presented with a “griller’s swag bag,” complete with a grillers apron and hat, cherry cooking plank, and more.
Last year’s event was entertaining and drew large crowds of spectators. Unfortunately Michigan law prohibits public sampling of the items prepared. Food experts from the area will serve as judges. After the Cherry Festival caught wind of my big mouth during my weekly appearances on the Omelette & Finster show they have asked me to emcee the event. If you would like additional information or are interested in participating, check out cherryfestival.org


Budweiser (Still King Of Beers)
Two weeks ago Anheuser-Busch announced that its board of directors had “unanimously determined that the unsolicited, non-binding proposal by InBev to acquire all outstanding shares of Anheuser-Busch for $65 per share was financially inadequate and not in the best interests of Anheuser Busch shareholders.” For the past several months there had been speculation that America’s iconic brewer would fall into foreign hands. This sent a shock wave through the brewing world.
While the good people at Budweiser certainly will disagree, they essentially got caught with their pants down. They are not the first powerhouse beverage business to misread consumer trends. The late Robert Mondavi admitted they misread wine industry trends in the ‘90s, greatly hurting their wine operation and eventually leading Mondavi to sell out his empire to a large conglomerate for over $1 billion.
Essentially, the beer business in America is much like the tale of David and Goliath. The Davids being the growing number of craftbeer (micro/brewpubs) drinkers and the Goliaths being Bud, Miller and Coors. The craftbrew industry in the United States is the one bright spot in the brewing industry from both a sales and taste perspective. While the Goliaths have been faced with sluggish sales, the Davids are enjoying increased sales. Miller and Coors formed a partnership to remain competitive in the marketplace.
In no way do I want to pretend that I actually have any real understanding of Anheuser Busch’s business model. After all, it has been successful for years and the Busch family certainly is more knowledgeable about the beer the industry than I could ever pretend to know. But regardless, this “takeover” attempt was a wakeup call for America’s first family of beer. Anheuser Busch released this statement: “The InBev proposal fails to be competitive with alternative plans the company has developed in recent months to generate significant top-line and bottom-line growth, which will increase value for the company’s shareholders.”
I don’t know what those “alternative plans” are but I would speculate that when the Busch family took a deep breath with their board of directors, they went beyond the business model and looked into their hearts and reminded themselves that they are beer makers. It is what they live for.
I’m glad they didn’t sell. Just before Robert Mondavi passed away, he expressed deep regret in losing his company. I think the Busch family would feel the same. They will figure it out - it is why they have nearly 50 percent of the beer market in the United States and their beers are sold in 80 countries. Yes, there was a challenge to the throne, but Budweiser remains “King of Beers.”