This company profile of Constellation Brands exposes the harmful practices of one of the largest alcohol producers in the world. It highlights examples of the company’s strategies of political interference, promotion, sabotage, manipulation, and deception, the Dubious Five strategies.

INTRODUCTION

Constellation Brands, Inc. was founded in 1945 in New York, United States, originally as Canandaigua Industries. Over the following decades, the company expanded through acquisitions in wine, spirits, and beer, and today it is one of the largest alcohol producers in the world. Headquartered in Victor, New York, Constellation Brands is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and operates primarily in the United States, with exports and distribution extending to multiple international markets.

In 2013, the company acquired exclusive rights to import, market, and sell Grupo Modelo’s beer brands in the United States, including the production of Modelo Especial, which became the best-selling beer in the country in 2023. In 2017, Constellation became the first major alcohol producer to invest in a cannabis business by acquiring a 9.9% stake in Canopy Growth Corporation, later expanded to 38% in anticipation of the legalisation of recreational cannabis in Canada. Bill Newlands has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2019.

FAST FACTS ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS

• Total revenue (2024): USD10,209 Million
• Net profit: not available
• Marketing spending (2023): USD837 Million
• Lobbying spending (US, 2023): USD550,000
• Total volume sold: not available
• Global market share (2023): 4.3%
• Number of employees (2023): 10,700
• Worldwide operations: not available

Brands

Wines

MANAGEMENT TEAM AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Christopher J. Baldwin, Board Chair
• Christy Clark, Director
• Jennifer Daniels, Director
• Nicholas Fink, Director
• William T. Giles, Director
• Ernesto M. Hernández, Director
• Jose Manuel Madero, Director
• Daniel J. McCarthy, Director
• Bill Newlands, Director; President and Chief Executive Officer
• Richard Sands, Director
• Rob Sands, Director
• Luca Zaramella, Director
• Jim Sabia, Executive Vice President and President, Beer Division
• Garth Hankinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Samuel Glaetzer, Executive Vice President and President, Wine and Spirits Division
• James Bourdeau, Executive Vice President

front groups

• Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (FAAR)
• TEAM Coalition
• Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS)
• Beer Institute
• Wine Institute