Food & Beverage

The Alcoholic Beverages industry is composed of companies that brew, distill, and manufacture alcoholic beverages including beer, wine, and liquor. These companies are responsible for transforming agricultural products such as sugar, barley, and corn, into their respective alcohols.

The largest companies in this industry tend to have global operations with multiple branded products. Different markets have different regulations which leads to a variance of levels of vertical integration within the industry. Brewers try to access multiple different markets by having multiple manufacturing facilities, while vintners and distillers tend to only be located where they have historically been produced.

The Food Retailers and Distributors industry is made of companies who work with the wholesale and retail sales of food, beverage, and agricultural products. Stores can be formatted as retail supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores, warehouse stores, bakeries, specialty stores, and distribution sites. The companies can either decide to specialize in a specific store format or have facilities that contain multiple formats. Products are generally sourced globally and consist of fresh foods, prepackaged foods, pre-made foods, beverages, household goods, and personal care products.

The Meat, Poultry, and Dairy industry produces raw and processed animal products, this includes meats, eggs, and dairy products; this is for both animal and human consumption. The operations included in this process includes animal raising, slaughtering, processing, and packaging. The largest companies in this industry are running operations globally, and there is an allowance for vertical integration depending on the type of animal the company is producing.

The larger companies rely on either contract or independent farmers to supply the animals to them for their operations, giving them a varying degree of control dependent on with whom they are partnered. In this industry, the product is sold primarily to the Processed Foods industry as well as to retail distributors who bring the product to restaurants and grocery retailers.

The Non-Alcoholic Beverages industry produces a large assortment of beverage products not limited to coffee, sports drinks, carbonated drinks, and water. This industry is mostly run by large international companies. The companies that operate in syrup manufacturing, marketing, and bottling operations tend to be more vertically integrated than those that operate in selling the finished products.

The Processed Foods industry is made of companies that process and package foods such as frozen foods, bread, snacks, pet food, and condiments. These products are ready to consume and often sold in retail stores.

This industry is characterized by large and complex ingredients and supply chains; a lot of companies in this industry rely on global ingredience sourcing. International opportunities are driving growth for this industry.

Companies in the Restaurant industry must prepare meals, snacks, and beverages to their customers for immediate and on-site consumption. The three sub-categories within the industry are limited-service eating places, upscale full-service, and casual full-service. Limited service restaurants are set up so customers pay before eating, while full-service restaurants offer food and services on the site.

The tobacco industry consists of companies that manufacture tobacco products, this includes cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco products. A lot of large companies in this industry operate globally, and they are able to obtain or sell the rights to certain brands of cigarettes in various markets. Most of the tobacco is sourced from independent tobacco farmers, who then sell their crop to merchants and manufacturers under contract. There is some risk within this industry in regards to laws around tobacco and health concerns associated with tobacco.