Pabst Announces Long Term Partnership with Woodchuck Hard Cider

Pabst will form a partnership with Vermont Hard Cider and a subsidiary of C&C Group plc. The agreement will take effect March 1.

Under the terms of the partnership, Pabst will have an exclusive license to sell all of Vermont’s premium craft cider brands, including Woodchuck, Gumption, Wyder’s and Hornsby’s, in addition to Vermont’s portfolio of imported cider brands from Ireland and England, including Magners and Blackthorn.

Pabst’s field sales and national accounts organizations will be responsible for sales of the Vermont portfolio to distributors and retailers in the United States. Vermont’s sales and marketing organization will continue to operate as an independent business unit focused on marketing activation and driving the performance of the Vermont brands.

“We are honored to add Vermont’s great ciders to our portfolio,” said Eugene Kashper, chairman and CEO of Pabst, which was founded in Milwaukee where it plans to resume some brewing at the site of its original brewery. “This partnership is another key milestone as we look to collaborate with independent brand owners to build a best-in-class portfolio of craft and import brands. We are thrilled to be working with the team in Vermont and I am confident that together we will be able to return these rich heritage brands to growth.”