On stage at the 2026 Beer, Wine and Spirits Summit in California this week, Molson Coors President and CEO Rahul Goyal spoke candidly about the company’s priorities and perspectives for the year ahead.
Over the last several months, Rahul has been clear: he and his leadership team intend to move with pace and purpose, with a steadfast focus on driving accountability across the organization and providing key stakeholders with clarity about Molson Coors’ path to growth.
Ahead of the company’s long-term strategy rollout during February’s Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference, here’s how Molson Coors is preparing for the year ahead.
Building relationships to win locally
Molson Coors has emphasized its plans to shift resources closer to its consumers and customers, which puts the adage of beer as a highly local business front-and-center for both the business and Rahul’s strategic vision.
From the stage in California, Rahul acknowledged recent changes to the organization, reinforcing that all distributor and retail roles remain intact with several new roles added at the local level. He went on to share that a key part of his plan in the near term has been connecting with distributors in their markets and in their warehouses to discuss their priorities. So far in 2026, Rahul has traveled to markets in all four of Molson Coors’ U.S. sales regions, with more visits planned throughout the year. “This is a relationship business,” he said.
To win, you need to lean into local insights. That means taking actions like planned, selective investment behind key value brands such as Miller High Life and Keystone Light – which, while national in scope, have deep roots and opportunity regionally.
“We talk about beer as a global business. Sure, it’s a global business. We talk about it as a national business. Yes, it’s a national business. But beer is a very, very local business,” he said.
On crafting the right portfolio
Rahul reinforced his belief that Molson Coors has a strong foundation, highlighting its strong balance sheet, its portfolio of core brands like Miller Lite and Coors Light, along with Coors Banquet, which should have plenty of runway for growth.
But he acknowledged that gaps exist in the broader portfolio – including RTD spirits – where M&A may come into play as a potential solution.
He pointed to the recent acquisition of Fever-Tree in the U.S. as the perfect example of something that, while still in the early stages, is expected to provide the scale that excites Molson Coors and its distributor partners. He also reaffirmed that the company is seeking deals that add to Molson Coors’ revenue while being relatively seamless to integrate into the company’s capabilities, operations and network.
“(When it comes to M&A), it has to be brands that matter. Brands that give us a platform to scale,” he shared.
Championing beer, always
Digging into Miller Lite’s new “Legendary Moments Start with a Lite” campaign, Rahul brought the conversation back to a central theme that has been top of mind for Molson Coors – the need to champion beer occasions.
The new campaign – which rolled out earlier this month – taps into a broader insight around encouraging consumers to get back out there and connect with one another, with beer as a social conduit to help facilitate those moments. “It’s all about bringing people back in,” he said.
Speaking on category issues, Rahul echoed his recent Fortune op-ed in saying that, while beer faces challenges, it’s crucial that industry players don’t just sit back and accept that. Brewers, distributors and other industry participants have a collective responsibility to champion beer.
“That’s what you’re going to see from us,” he said.
In closing, Rahul made a call-to-action encouraging the audience – distributors, brands, regulators and everyone in between – to have a “mindset shift”.
“Beer is our industry…it’s on us to get love back to beer,” Rahul added.
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