MillerCoors

MillerCoors (a joint venture of Molson Coors Brewing Company and SABMiller) is one of the largest brewers in the world. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. In October 2007, Molson Coors and SABMiller announced that they are merging their U.S. operations, to form MillerCoors. However, both Molson Coors and SABMiller are still independently run.

Molson Coors Company was formerly known as Adolph Coors Company, changing its name when it merged with Canada's Molson in 2005. It mostly sells in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Brands include Coors, Coors Light, Blue Moon, George Killian's Irish Red, Keystone, Zima, Molson Canadian, Carling, Worthington's ales, Caffrey's, Reef, Screamers, and Stones.

SABMiller was the world's number three beer maker behind InBev and Anheuser-Busch. Its name came from the 2002 purchase by SAB (South African Breweries) of Miller Brewing. The company has operations in over 60 countries. It dominates beer sales in Africa with its brand Castle Lager. SABMiller also produces wine, liquor, and fruit drinks and bottles Coca-Cola products. Altria Group previously owned Miller Brewing and currently owns about 30% of SABMiller.

Board
Accessed May 2013:
 * Peter H. Coors - Chairman; Vice-Chairman of the Board, Molson Coors Brewing Company
 * Graham Mackay - Vice Chairman; Chairman, SABMiller plc
 * Alan Clark - Chief Executive, SABMiller plc
 * Nick Fell - Marketing Director, SABMiller plc
 * Stewart Glendinning - President and Chief Executive Officer, Molson Coors UK
 * Gavin Hattersley - Global Chief Financial Officer, Molson Coors
 * Peter Swinburn - President and Chief Executive Officer, Molson Coors Brewing Company
 * Tony van Kralingen - Supply Chain and Human Resources Director, SABMiller plc
 * Samuel Walker - Global Chief People and Legal Officer, Molson Coors Brewing Company
 * James Wilson - Chief Financial Officer, SABMiller plc

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
In July 2012, MillerCoors told ColorOfChange.org that it had not renewed its membership to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), nor did it plan to. Previously, MillerCoors had been an ALEC member and contributor, and a member of ALEC's Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force in 2011.

A list of other ALEC corporations can be found here.

Water and corporate social responsibility
As part of the company's corporate social responsibility efforts, Molson Coors funded a "global public opinion survey on attitudes about fresh water sustainability, management and conservation," in conjunction with the water-focused journalism group Circle of Blue and the polling company GlobeScan. The poll results were announced at World Water Week, in August 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden.

In July 2009, Molson Coors announced "a strategic collaboration" with Circle of Blue. "The relationship with Circle of Blue deepens Molson Coors' commitment to the United Nations CEO Water Mandate," stated a company press release. "Molson Coors is a longstanding and active member of the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) where global beverage companies work together to advance water conservation and resource protection." Molson Coors also has partnerships with the River Network, on "watershed protection programs in several states across the U.S.," and with Water for People on "integrated water resource management" internationally.

Tobacco involvement
Miller Brewing was a unit of Philip Morris Co., circa 1994 (WSJ 5/31/94).

Miller Beer, sometimes known simply by the initials "MGD" (an acronym for Miller Genuine Draft) has large-scale operations based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Miller was a subsidiary of the Philip Morris (PM) tobacco company. Philip Morris (now Altria Group) bought Miller Beer on June 12, 1969 from the W.R. Grace chemical company for $130 million and still maintains an interest in the company. 

PM used its food and drink subsidiaries to help advance several corporate goals: 1) to help escape the stigma of being a cigarette manufacturer, 2) to allow the company continue to exert financial influence in places where donations, advertising or sponsorship from a tobacco company would be rejected, 3) to help the company generate clandestine grassroots pressure to oppose tobacco-related public health measures (for example, by pressuring the management and employees of food and drink subsidiaries to participate in phone banks and letter-writing campaigns) and to allow the company to portray itself publicly and to stockholders as "more than just a tobacco company." page two

Political contributions
Molson Coors gave $105,000 to federal candidates in the 2006 election cycle through its political action committee - 31% to Democrats, 69% to Republicans. Miller Brewing gave $112,000 to federal candidates in the 2006 election through its political action committee - 33% to Democrats and 67% to Republicans.

Lobbying
Molson Coors spent $917,000 for lobbying in 2006. It used the Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney lobbying firm but most lobbying was done by Molson Coors in-house lobbyists. Miller Brewing spent $674,024 for lobbying in 2006. Two lobbying firms as well as in-house lobbyists were used..

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
Pete Coors, Chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Co., spoke on "philanthropy" at the American Legislative Exchange Council's 2009 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * American Legislative Exchange Council
 * ALEC Corporations
 * World Water Week
 * Cobra Beer
 * Krishnan Anand
 * Mark Hunter - UK President (since 2007)

External articles

 * "CSR interview with Barton Alexander from Molson-Coors," DevelopmentCrossing.com, April 10, 2009.
 * Press release, "New Global Public Opinion Survey Finds Water Issues Are the Top Environmental Concern Worldwide," Molson Coors, Circle of Blue and GlobeScan via PRNewswire, August 18, 2009.