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As we celebrate the official end of summer with the Labor Day Holiday, I am reaching out with a few brief updates and information about existing programs and plans to make sure we are on track for the next few crucial selling months.
Tap Handle Exchange Program
The deadline to return tap handles for credit as part of the exchange program is September 15th.
The old handle is officially retired and should not be used moving forward. We are relying on your support to help us make this transition a smooth one. New tap handle stickers are on the distributor portal to order and can be printed via files available the art room. Our re-designed new stickers include eye-catching information and are compatible with the size of our great-looking new handles.
Q4 Initiatives:
You should have received information about the pricing of our Green Flash Discovery Pack of eight assorted front line beers from your rep. We are expecting an aggressive push to sell through this exciting new package as it is in line with current consumer demand and market trends. The headlines of Craft Business Daily stated on August 21st 2014: "VARIETY PACKS GAIN". We are ready to seize the opportunity at hand with a great looking package featuring our award-winning beer.
Take advantage of this new package, and make the most of the opportunity.
I have challenged my team to sell the Discovery Pack to align with 75% of their West Coast IPA distribution and I am now challenging you to do the same. The general market is fair game, while our National Accounts Manager, Rick Laxague has secured a few chain authorizations, (with more pending). Please have your chain manager reach out to Rick.Laxague@greenflashbrew.com to secure information needed to maximize on additional opportunities in your footprint.
In November, we will release two new draft-only beers, Soul Style Single IPA and Jibe Session IPA. Over the next few weeks, the art room will be stocked with the tools your team will need to sell and sell through the beer.
 
Please be proactive and communicate with your Green Flash rep about the success of these new products. I want to avoid any out of stocks.
National Account Update:
Our national partnership with Whole Foods is essential to our current and future brand growth. In regions where we have established strong communications with the decision makers at the chain, the Green Flash business is growing exponentially.
We have requested that our national sales team focus on building strong relationships with the right people in each store located in their respective markets and would like to secure your help to truly foster these relationships. We hope your team can spend an extra few minutes speaking with the beer buyer as well as the Specialty Team lead – this is typically the cheese buyer and overall department leader at each store. We need to convert these folks to Green Flash fans and ambassadors. We can succeed in each store if we achieve this type of one-on-one rapport.
We have a presence in every Whole Foods store throughout California, Hawaii and Texas. Each of these stores are on board with an “October Feature” and will launch the Discovery Pack.
We will be executing in-store demos such as beer & cheese pairing events to support the business. Please send the contact information for your regional Whole Foods buyer to Rick.Laxague@greenflashbrew.com so that he can reach out and develop relationships in all markets.
West Coast IPA & Hop Head Red
In the last newsletter, we alerted you to upcoming draft-only price increase on West Coast IPA and Hop Head Red beginning November 1st. You should have received a communication from your rep with the exact pricing in each market. If you have not heard from our team, please contact your Green Flash rep or leann@greenflashbrew.com to secure this information.
 
As a reminder - pricing on packaged West Coast IPA and Hop Head Red will remain the same.
Treasure Chest Program 2014
For those of you participating in the 2014 Treasure Chest program, the specialty program beer along with POS kits and promotional items for the event series will arrive with your next delivery. Please be on the lookout for these kits and contact your rep if you have any questions or concerns about the program.
We are confident that the 2014 program will be a success due to the well-supported events and sponsor ties. Check the art room for the latest Treasure Chest graphics and order additional products via the shopping portal. Thanks to everyone who is supporting our annual fundraising program!
What next?
With over 2000 craft breweries in the planning stages across the US, we must rely on our entire team’s aggressive approach and passion to compete and succeed at retail. You have been chosen to represent Green Flash because you share in our competitive spirit and are able to execute at retail.
We must now focus on these strengths and be vigilant in our efforts. We can’t take a passive “let’s wait and see” approach. We have until the end of 2014 to execute several key initiatives that will ensure our long term success in this ever-changing market.
Around the brewery, we have been using the acronym GSD! We are challenging every distributor to leverage the new Green Flash products, support tools and expanded Sales & Marketing team to help us own the market, maximize distribution and GET SH*T DONE!
HUNGWAH!
Jim Kenny
VP Sales
Green Flash Brewing Co.
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