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Vermont Hard Cider Co. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ireland-based C&C Group plc, announced that construction is under way on its new, state-of-the-art cidery in Middlebury, Vt. The $30 million project is being built less than a mile from the current Middlebury facility, it says.

Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. and Waterbury, Vt.-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) signed an agreement to expand their partnership for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of Starbucks- and Tazo-branded single-serve packs for use in GMCR’s Keurig single-serve brewing systems.

Svedka Vodka, an import brand of Victor, N.Y.-based Constellation Brands, will launch a national integrated marketing campaign featuring outdoor, digital, social, print and experiential activations this month. The brand, which is imported by Spirits Marque One LLC, New York, will highlight in the new advertising campaign bold imagery that expresses the “possibilities that may unfold” with Svedka.

Although U.S. consumers kept a recessionary mindset in the first quarter of 2013, they exhibited a cautious desire to spend money again, according to the Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions.

Sales for Moscato wine in the United States rose more than 25 percent in 2012, notes Modesto, Calif.-based Gallo Family Vineyards, citing Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.’s total 2011 year-end January 2013 sales for total food and drug store retailers. The wine varietal has boosted overall wine sales and brought new consumers into the category, it says. To celebrate the excitement around this wine varietal, Gallo Family Vineyards will throw a national Twitter party in honor of National Moscato Day on May 9.

The Boston Beer Co. Inc., Boston, reported first quarter 2013 net revenue of $135.9 million, an increase of $22.7 million or 20 percent, compared with the same period last year, which it says is mainly due to core shipment growth of 18 percent.

Beam Inc., Deerfield, Ill., reported a net sales increase by 8 percent to $577.7 million, excluding excise taxes, in the first quarter of 2013, benefiting from strong commercial performance and the acquisition of Pinnacle Vodka. On a comparable basis, net sales increased 3 percent, reflecting the comparison to the quarter from the previous year when new product introductions and route-to-market transitions helped comparable net sales increase 13 percent, the company reports.

U.S. retail and consumer merger and acquisition activity during the first quarter of 2013 was defined by six multibillion dollar transactions and alternative deal structures employed to achieve strategic objectives, according to New York-based PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights Q1 2013 report.

Leuven, Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) reported that its total revenue grew 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013, with strong revenue per hectoliter growth of 5.8 percent due to the company’s revenue management initiatives and the premiumization of its brand portfolio in key markets. On a constant geographic basis, revenue per hectoliter grew by 6.9 percent, it reports.

Mountain Dew, a brand of Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo, and New York-based Complex Media announced a partnership that will support the evolution of Mountain Dews’ legacy programs Green Label Sound, Green Label Art and Green Label Exclusives. The duo will offer a new digital destination, www.Green-Label.com, that will feature the voices and stories of today's youth culture, the companies say.