Rob Sands
Analyst · Judy Hong of Goldman Sachs
Yeah, so purchase price and size of the brand, first of all the purchase price is not related to the size of the brand. It's related to the growth percentage and the size of the brand, okay. So obviously the multiple that we paid for it in relationship to the growth is actually a pretty reasonable purchase price, right. As you recall from my initial comments, the brand grew over 100% this year and 125% in IRI. So, when you look at purchase price at multiple as a function of growth rate, it’s pretty reasonable, and we don’t see that growth rate changing much in the short term. So, we expect another pretty robust year with Ballast Point. Also you’ve got to realize that Ballast Point has the highest average retail selling price basically of any significantly size craft, right. If you go buy some Ballast Point, you’re going to see the Ballast Point sales for around $15, $16 a six pack okay versus competitors that you'll see at under $10 or just a bit over $10 a six pack. So it’s a very, very high growth, high margin product. Now, our strategy with Ballast Point is actually pretty simple and it's why we were so particularly interested in the brand, which is our strategy is we don’t really have to do too much other than what they’re doing right now. The key to Ballast Point is maintaining the growth, and I think the maintenance of the growth is going to be a function of maintenance of the award-winning stature and high quality of the brand. It's a very sought after product. All of the people, all of the people that have been involved in making Ballast Point what it is today continue that’s Jack White the founder, it’s Jim Buechler, the CEO, all of these people are brew masters. The incredible group of people that we have there continue to be 100% behind the brand and has continued very enthusiastically with Constellation. Part of the motivation for that wine to sell the business to Constellation was of all the buyers they saw Constellation as the best fit because of our incredibly strong position in the beer industry, and the fact that we're only a high end beer manufacturer and seller as well as being in the high end of the wine business, which makes us a completely different animal. Okay, we're not big beer okay in the sense of want to being one of the two U.S. premium domestic producers. So the strategy with Ballast Point is all about continuing to do what the company has been doing. And I would say bringing incrementally to that some of the areas where I think that Constellation can be of help and that would be with major key accounts, and I would say other places where a smaller company won’t necessarily have the ability to play right off the bat.