The transaction, further details of which were not divulged by the privately-owned group, represents Gallo’s entry into the beer category. Positioned as a “strategic partnership”, the spend will see the lager line up alongside the likes of Fishers Island Lemonade RTD, Tequila Komos and Horse Soldier bourbon in Gallo’s non-wine portfolio.
The California-headquartered company changed its name from E&J Gallo Winery to just Gallo earlier this year.
The 4.1%-ABV Montucky brand came into being 12 years ago as a “snackable alternative to premium domestic brands”, according to co-founder Jeremy Gregory. The last five years have seen volume growth from 130,000 cases to “nearly” 1m in 2023, Gallo said.
“Entering beer offers Gallo an exciting new opportunity to reach consumers in different usage occasions,” said Gallo GM Britt West. “We believe core lager is a big category with room for fresh and innovative propositions and we look forward to collaborating and growing Montucky across the beer distributor network.”
Gallo is the world’s largest wine producer, with one source claiming the company accounts for “over 3% of the world’s entire annual supply of 35bn bottles“.
