Behind the Brew is a column where Molson Coors employees explain in their own words what’s new in their department and how it’s driving the company forward. Steve Stradiotto is VP of Brewing, Innovation, Quality and Food Safety.
Picture this: it’s game day and you’re having friends over, so of course you’re heading to the store to stock up. There, you’re stopped in your tracks by a new beverage you’ve never seen before, and you pick it up because it’s the perfect drink to try with your friends.
While it may feel like the product appeared out of thin air, it actually went through a process that took months, maybe years. At Molson Coors, it’s a collaborative process that includes my team – Brewing, Innovation, Quality and Food Safety – that brings the innovation from a plan on paper to a brand on the shelf.
The new idea starts with marketing, innovation and consumer insights, as the teams figure out what consumers actually want, or the ‘white space’ as we call it. Is it a new flavor? A new pack size or packaging type? A new type of beverage? Our partners across the business help us answer those big questions, then we hit the ground running on the supply chain side to figure out how to make it happen.
As fun as any new idea sounds when it’s first brought up, it’s on our team to develop and pressure-test them at every conceivable angle, evaluating the materials, production costs, logistics and more – basically, everything the product would need to go through to be brought to life.
The way I like to put it? Innovation is a funnel, not a tunnel. Just because an idea makes its way into the process doesn’t mean it’s going to launch. Lots of ideas come in, and we use this process to prioritize the most compelling opportunities because those ideas are the ones that will work hardest for our business.
It’s always so rewarding to see what makes it out of the funnel after the team’s hard work. For example, forging our beyond beer partnerships took strong collaboration from our team, making sure the puzzle pieces fit just right. A timely example: this month, Topo Chico Hard Margarita Flavored Alcohol Beverage started rolling out in the brand’s iconic glass bottle format, along with a new MAX Strawberry Hibiscus flavor in tall cans for convenience stores.
That’s our work in action, ensuring every product has the support it needs to go from an idea to a tangible item that’s ready to be brewed, packaged and transported.
Making the Magic Happen
As fun as it is to see these products make it to the floor, I most enjoy talking about what it took on our end to get it there. Let’s look at Blue Moon Non-Alc, for instance. Insights tell us that people want more choice, including non-alc beer. But consumers don’t just want any non-alc beer – there are plenty of those to choose from. They want it to taste like the beer they know and love, so for Blue Moon, that meant matching a very specific flavor profile.
So, we created a brewing process that makes a tasty Blue Moon non-alc version, through a very intense-sounding method called precision fermentation. And before we landed on the right method, we tested various ways to perfect it. Not only does this level of rigor help us with an innovation like Blue Moon NA, but moving forward, we can build on it and continue improving our capabilities for future innovation.
We put that same rigor behind everything we do. Before any new innovation is adopted – be it packaging, liquid, brewing process and more – our brewing, innovation and quality team makes sure it’s ready for prime time.
That’s why I love this job so much, because we get to work with teams across the business to set Molson Coors up for success. Our team sits at the intersection of consumer-driven data and technical innovation, looking at every single detail, from the strength of a cardboard wrap to how we brew a new beer, to ensure the data our marketing and insights team collect can turn into a real product that fills a consumer preference and sets us apart.
So the next time you look to grab a new beverage off the shelf, stop and think about all the steps it took to make it to you. Appreciate the craftsmanship. Or, simply enjoy the great taste, innovative format or unique idea that feels as if it appeared in front of you like magic.
*“Topo Chico” is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company.