Napa Smith Appoints Pelican Brands as Exclusive U.S. Brand Manager for Its Award Winning Craft Beer Portfolio and Its World Class Napa Wine Program

NAPA, Calif. and CARMEL, Ind., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with Napa Smith Brewery, Pelican Brands today confirmed its appointment as the exclusive brand manager for Napa Smith's craft beer portfolio in the U.S. market. Napa Smith Brewery is Napa's pre-eminent craft beer brewery and is dedicated to maintaining the traditions of the region for producing the highest quality goods. Napa Smith is proud to feature the beers of America's most experienced craft brewer - Don Barkley. Don started making craft beer in 1978 at New Albion Brewery, America's first new brewery since Prohibition. He went on to help found Mendocino Brewing Company, where he became an icon in the industry creating such legendary beers as Red Tail Ale and Eye of the Hawk. Pelican Brands is a brand management company dedicated to nurturing and building brands in the global beverage industry.

This deal follows Pelican Brands' previous announcement of its exclusive U.S. rights to the brand management of Singha beer, Thailand's no.1 export beer. Pelican currently manages the Singha business through distribution in all 50 U.S. states.

"The appointment of Pelican Brands represents a very important step for the development of Napa Smith as we expand beyond California. We expect Pelican Brands to add invaluable insight and experience to the development and implementation of our brand strategy in the coming years," said Greg Cutuli, Owner of Napa Smith Brewery. "We have been impressed by Pelican Brands on all fronts, and we are delighted to have been able to attract such a strong partner."

J. Smoke Wallin, Chairman of Pelican Brands, said, "We have been searching for the right brand partners as we seek to expand the Pelican Brands portfolio. We look for a distinct brand proposition, extraordinary product quality and people we want to do business with for the long term. In Napa Smith Brewery we believe we have found just such a partner. The bottom line is this - Napa Smith brews awesome beer!"

"The addition of Napa Smith to our portfolio is a wonderful opportunity for Pelican," said Mark Smith, Pelican Brands Vice President of Marketing, a marketing veteran of the global beer industry. "The beer is great and is backed up by fantastic branding and a very cool story: we know that beer lovers across the country will be engaged and keen to get their hands on a beer from the home of artisan beverage making in the U.S."

Pelican Brands is dedicated to taking full advantage of the opportunities in the marketplace for each brand they represent. Pelican provides its brands with the marketing support and senior level attention necessary to enhance each brand's market position, leverages their industry relationships to expand distribution, and successfully launches line extensions and new products.

"Napa Smith has already proven itself with the Northern California consumer. Our newest offering is the exciting Napa Smith Organic IPA that is taking the market by storm. We are pleased to be able to team up with the Pelican team to bring our brand to an ever larger base of beer lovers," said Steve Morgan, President of Napa Smith.

"We are excited by the opportunity that Napa Smith presents," said Don C. Hammond, President of Pelican Brands. "The craft beer segment is extremely competitive but continues to demonstrate significant growth. I know that our partners nationwide, be they distributors or retailers, will be just as enthused as we are when they learn the Napa Smith story." Mr. Hammond, who has extensive experience running major beer wholesalers, continued, "Our task is to nurture this brand as we expand its footprint. We will focus on developing value through achieving long term growth and we will do this with some of the finest distribution partners in the US beer business."

About Napa Smith Brewery

Napa Smith Brewery is located at the southern gateway to Napa Valley, just south of the town of Napa. Napa Valley is internationally known as a destination for those individuals who seek the best that life has to offer. Napa Smith is proud to contribute to the Napa tradition of hard work, craftsmanship, and artistry with the introduction of its unique family of beers. It creates its beers using proprietary recipes developed by Master Brewer Don Barkley - a veteran of 30+ years in the craft brewing industry. www.napasmithbrewery.com

About Pelican Brands

Pelican Brands was formed to nurture and build brands in the global beverage alcohol space. Pelican Brands' team and partners have extensive experience in the global beverage and consumer packaged goods industries. Pelican Brands is headquartered in Carmel, IN with offices in the United Kingdom with a sales team covering the U.S. market. Pelican's beer brands include Thailand's #1 export, Singha Beer www.singhabeer.com and Napa, CA's award winning craft beers from Napa Smith Brewery. www.pelican-brands.com

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SOURCE Pelican Brands