Full Description

Constellation Brands, Inc., incorporated on December 4, 1972, is an international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol with a portfolio of wine brands complemented by spirits, imported beers and other select beverage alcohol products. The Company conducts its business through entities it wholly owns, as well as through a variety of joint ventures with various other entities, both within and outside the United States. It operates in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The Company operates in three divisions: Constellation Wines, Constellation Spirits and Crown Imports. In March 2009, the Company sold its value spirits business. In June 2008, the Company sold certain businesses consisting of several California wineries and wine brands. In February 2008, the Company sold its wine brands, including Almaden and Inglenook, and certain other assets.

Constellation Wines

Constellation Wines is a producer and marketer of wine in the world. It sells a large number of wine brands across all categories, including table wine, sparkling wine and dessert wine, and across all price points, including popular, premium, super-premium and fine wine. The portfolio of super-premium and fine wines is supported by vineyard holdings in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is a producer and marketer of wine in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and the marketer of wine in the United Kingdom. Wine produced by the Company in the United States is primarily marketed domestically and in the United Kingdom and Canada. Wine produced in Australia and New Zealand is primarily marketed domestically and in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, while wine produced in Canada is primarily marketed domestically. In addition, Constellation Wines exports its wine products to other major wine consuming markets of the world.

Constellation Wines’ wine brands include Robert Mondavi Brands, Franciscan Oakville Estate, Wild Horse, Simi, Toasted Head, Estancia, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Ravenswood, Black Box, Vendange, Arbor Mist, Inniskillin, Kim Crawford, Ruffino, Nobilo, Jackson-Triggs, Alice White, Hardys, Banrock Station, Stowells, and Kumala. Constellation Wines also produces and sells Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy, a brand in the brandy/cognac category.

Constellation Spirits

During the year fiscal ended February 28, 2009 (fiscal 2009), Constellation Spirits produced, bottled, imported and marketed a diversified line of distilled spirits. The majority of the segment’s distilled spirits unit volume consisted of products marketed in the value price category, including Chi-Chi’s prepared cocktails, Barton, Sköl, Fleischmann’s, Canadian LTD, Montezuma, Ten High, Mr. Boston and Inver House, and Svedka Vodka and Black Velvet Canadian Whisky in the premium price category. In March 2009, sold its value spirits business, while retaining the Svedka and Black Velvet premium spirit brands.

Crown Imports

The Company and Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V. (Modelo) indirectly each have equal interest in Crown Imports. Crown Imports has the right to import, market and sell Corona Extra, Corona Light, Coronita, Modelo Especial, Pacifico, Negra Modelo, St. Pauli Girl and Tsingtao brands in all 50 states of the Unites States.

The Company competes with E&J Gallo Winery, Foster’s Group, WJ Deutsch, Kendall-Jackson, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Diageo, Brown Forman, Andrew Peller, Maison des Futailles, Pernod Ricard, Heineken, C&C Group, Fortune Brands, Bacardi, Heineken, Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors.