But it also seemed to lose some focus. It became hard to figure out what C&C was all about. Then the pandemic came and threw the entire industry into turmoil.
Tuesday was, in a way, his proper debut as C&C’s public face. His first 18 months in the job, as C&C struggled for stability as the economy digested the impact of Covid, were “the toughest of his career”, he acknowledged this week. Having come out the other end, Forde quipped that negotiating the currents and eddies of rampant inflation should be “kindergarten stuff”.
Secondly, the company has identified two main product categories where it is targeting major growth. The first of these is the premium beer segment. C&C owns good, long-standing beer brands such Tennent’s. But nobody could ever accuse the cult Scottish brew of being premium. Forde will need to expand the reach of its other promising beer brands, such as Menabrea from Italy.
But the last time the brand made a big splash in Britain, it was on the back of its over-ice revolution. It is difficult to see what the brand’s beachhead for a major push could be this time round. It seems to lack a major “story” to build its marketing around. Launching Magners Light next year won’t cut it. Even the World Cup this year is in winter, which isn’t good for a cider-over-ice proposition.