Diageo offloads Archers peach schnapps to DeKuyper Royal Distillers, appoints new president for US spirit unit

NETHERLANDS – Multinational beverage giant Diageo has divested its Archers peach schnapps brand to a Dutch producer of spirits and liqueurs, DeKuyper Royal Distillers, for an undisclosed sum.

The fruit-flavored schnapps liqueur was launched in 1986 in the UK and is commonly associated with classic cocktails such as the Woo Woo and Sex on the Beach.

As part of the sale, Diageo has agreed on a 24-month manufacturing supply agreement with De Kuyper Royal Distillers.

De Kuyper has revealed that the British brand icon is the perfect complement to its premium cocktail liqueurs portfolio and is “in keeping with its ‘Own the Cocktail’ vision.

The Dutch family company also disclosed that it is further strengthening its position, especially in the UK and that it “wants to own the peach category”.

De Kuyper CEO Mark de Witte explained: “With Peachtree, we do so in a number of important cocktail markets, but in the UK the peach category is historically owned by Archers. We had the choice to keep competing with Archers or to try to acquire Archers and add the brand to our premium liqueur portfolio.

This strong brand performs very stably and has remained relevant for consumers in the UK ever since its launch. For De Kuyper, the brand will have high priority and we will contribute our over 325 years of expertise in liqueurs and our specific knowledge in the peach category to bring out the best in Archers.”

Diageo’s president, Europe John Kennedy commented that the company is committed to creating value for all its stakeholders through delivering consistent and efficient growth, including actively shaping its portfolio towards opportunities that will maximize growth over the long-term.

Gregorio Gutierrez to take the helm of Diageo’s US spirit business

At the same time, Diageo has named Gregorio Gutierrez, currently, Managing Director of Southern Europe, as the President of US Spirits.

Based in New York, Gutierrez will report to Claudia Schubert and joins the North America Executive team.

Since joining Diageo in 2007, Gutierrez has held various management roles in different parts of the world.

He has led Diageo’s businesses across Latin America and Europe, “creating a strong track record for leading transformative growth and building high-performing teams and cultures in multiple markets,” the company said Diageo.

As Managing Director for Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil (PUB), Gutierrez led his team to shape a growth strategy which, amongst others, resulted in the development of a vibrant gin category and reignited the growth of Scotch in the market, the company noted.

 Gregorio also spearheaded the development of PUB’s digital consumer strategy, as well as taking leadership for digital transformation across the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Most recently, Gutierrez has been Managing Director of Southern Europe, responsible for a cluster of countries including Spain, Italy, Greece Portugal, and France.

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