Alva C. Mather
Subscribe to Alva C. Mather's PostsAlva Mather is the global head of McDermott’s Regulatory Practice Group and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee, and heads the Alcohol Regulatory & Distribution Practice. As a nationally recognized go-to lawyer for alcohol beverage regulatory, commercial and M&A matters, clients say that Alva “comes to the situation with clear leadership and strong knowledge of the food and beverage industry.” She combines her extensive knowledge of the commercial and legal landscape as well as deep understanding of the beverage industry to help clients mitigate risk, respond to challenges, and capture and pursue new business opportunities. Read Alva Mather's full bio.
Tips for Alcohol Suppliers Utilizing Social Media
By Lesli Esposito and Alva C. Mather on Jan 22, 2024
Posted In Advertising and Marketing
In light of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) 2023 revisions to its Endorsement Guides, it is essential to ensure that your business is compliant. While the alcohol industry is known for product innovation, the industry is also embracing innovation on the marketing and advertising front, most notably with the use of social media. Given the...
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Contracts Corner: Sponsorship Agreements
By Alva C. Mather on Jan 10, 2024
Posted In Advertising and Marketing
Sponsorships continue to be one of the alcohol beverage industry’s primary methods of promoting brands to drinkers. In professional sports alone, alcohol beverage brands contributed $480 million in sponsorship revenue across the four major professional sports leagues during the 2022–2023 season, according to a SponsorUnited study. As suppliers look to better target audiences via sponsorships,...
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The Tax Implications of Purchasing Craft Producers in the First Half of 2024
By Alva C. Mather on Dec 19, 2023
Posted In Alcohol Excise Taxes, Transactions
We have republished this August 2023 blog post ahead of the start of 2024. If a large beverage company is considering purchasing or selling a craft beverage producer, it’s essential to understand how the craft producer may lose its earlier eligibility for reduced tax rates under the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) in the first...
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Total Wine Tests the Boundaries of FTC CIDs
By Alva C. Mather, Lesli Esposito and Marisa Poncia on Dec 7, 2023
Posted In Uncategorized
Total Wine & More (Total Wine) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are currently clashing in federal court over a civil investigative demand (CID) that the FTC issued to Total Wine, a third party in the FTC’s investigation of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, LLC (Southern Glazer). Total Wine has fervently resisted producing certain corporate...
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How Industry Members Can Prepare for Alcohol Theft
By Alva C. Mather on Nov 30, 2023
Posted In Uncategorized
While there has always been theft in the alcohol industry, there has been a significant uptick in large-scale larceny in recent months. Because of this reality, alcohol industry members should take steps to prepare for missing product. Below are some ideas to consider. Ensure you have adequate insurance coverage: While reviewing your insurance policy is...
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Alcohol Industry M&A: Common Pitfalls for Founders (and Avoiding Them) Part One: Formulas and Processes
By Alva C. Mather and Christine Dower on Oct 30, 2023
Posted In Transactions, TTB COLAs and Formulas
Given the continued strength of the US alcoholic beverage market, the alcohol industry presents numerous opportunities for acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions from a wide variety of players. These range from small craft start-ups to larger strategic buyers, as well as investors of all shapes and sizes. In such a highly regulated industry, however,...
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Key Takeaways | Seeing Around the Corner: Alcohol Industry Updates
By Alva C. Mather, Lesli Esposito and Rachel Gartner on Oct 4, 2023
Posted In Advertising and Marketing, Food Safety and FDA, TTB COLAs and Formulas
In this webinar, Alva Mather, Lesli Esposito, Rachel Gartner and Nichole Shustack teamed up to unpack how recent regulatory shifts will significantly affect alcohol companies and distributors. They discussed product innovation in the spirits industry, “zero-proof” beverage options and how companies are leveraging the benefits of artificial intelligence for advertising and marketing. Top takeaways included:...
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How Alcohol Industry Members Can Prepare for a Government Shutdown
By Alva C. Mather on Sep 21, 2023
Posted In TTB COLAs and Formulas
With less than a week and a half remaining to avert a government shutdown, Congress appears no closer to finding a solution. This means that a shutdown could occur as early as October 1, 2023. Alcohol industry members should understand what this means for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). While TTB...
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California Steps Up Liquor License Enforcement
By Alice Chung and Alva C. Mather on Sep 11, 2023
Posted In Licensing
We always recommend you regularly review your state liquor licenses to ensure you hold the correct licenses for your business needs. However, given recent feedback from California regulators, you may want to expedite such a review. We have learned that California is scrutinizing liquor licenses and enforcing regulations that prohibit licensees from obtaining licenses that...
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TTB Issues Updated Guidance on Transfers of Beer Between Breweries Under Separate Ownership
By Alva C. Mather on Aug 28, 2023
Posted In Alcohol Excise Taxes
On July 13, 2023, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) published Procedure Number 2023-1, providing brewers with updated guidance on the transfer of beer without tax payment between breweries not of the same ownership. The Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 temporarily permitted...
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