Local beer brand SouthNorte, established in 2016, now has a new VP of sales and marketing and a new commercial.
Breanne Heal brings nearly a decade of sales and marketing experience from Constellation Brands, well known locally for their purchase of Ballast Point in 2015. Before Constellation Brands, she worked at Diageo USA; in terms of scale, SouthNorte is a big change.
“The nimbleness and flexibility as a small company is outstanding,” she said, something that’s been especially important in dealing with the current landscape. “Prior to COVID, 80% of our business was on-premise. With that coming to a very drastic halt in March, we had to quickly pivot to off-premise,” selling to grocery chains, liquor stores, and other small markets. Now, 80% of SouthNorte sales is at those off-premise businesses.
SouthNorte’s beer production is helmed by Ryan Brooks and takes place at Coronado Brewing’s Knoxville Street location. Eventually, the company will search out a permanent production facility of their own. SouthNorte also operates a smaller brewhouse in Tijuana, but making beer there is not a top priority at the moment.
“San Diego is where we were born. We’re doing the work to solidify ourselves in our home market here,” said Heal, who worked with ad agency Gallegos United to create a new SouthNorte commercial which is now airing in San Diego and Baja (Connected TV, San Diego NBC, FOX, and Univision).
The ad features Sea Señor, a Mexican-style lager, which won a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. The company also makes Agavemente Hibiscus Lager and No Güey Mango IPA. In September, they’ll debut a new West Coast-style IPA, followed by two more beers in October and November.