However, most people locally have no idea that the company sells more than just wine and is one of the world’s most prestigious beverage alcohol companies.

Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B) is a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Italy. Constellation Brands has been one of the top performing stocks in the S&P 500® Consumer Staples Index for the past two years. The company has over 100 brands in its portfolio, sales in approximately 80 countries, about 40 facilities and approximately 8,000 employees.

Below are rankings and titles they have earned:

• #4, World’s Most Admired Company in the beverage industry 2017 – Fortune Magazine
• #37, Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies, 2016- Fortune Magazine
• #92, World’s Most Innovative Companies, 2016- Forbes
• Rob Sands, Constellation’s CEO-Named as one of the 100 World’s Best-Performing CEOs, 2016-Harvard Business Review
• 2016 Annual Gross Sales exceeding $7 billion
• Leading multi-category beverage alcohol supplier in the U.S.
• 3rd Largest beer company in the U.S.
• Leading premium wine company in the world
• A leading supplier of wine from New Zealand and Italy in the U.S.

It’s incredible to know that Madera is part of this success. Now let’s look at the local level and the significant impacts Constellation Brands has on our economy. Not only does it support our local economy but Constellation’s Mission Bell Winery also carries a rich history that is still valued in our community.

• Constellation Brands is Madera County’s largest manufacturer
• The facility is 2 million square feet- 650,000 sq. ft. of their facility is used for distribution
• They employ approximately 400 people, making it the #1 employer in Madera County’s manufacturing industry
• The winery sits on approximately 500 acres, most of the property is used for waste water fields during crush
• The winery bottles approximately 10 million cases of wine annually
• They crush approx. 150,000 tons of grapes annually
• The winery mainly produces Cook’s California Champagne and Black Box Wines
• The winery is responsible for a portion of Constellation’s Research and Development efforts and several U.S. Patents have been awarded based upon research at the winery
• This winery is one of Constellation’s largest and most complex wineries
• The winery was named after the Melon King of America, Krikor Arakelian, Arakelian was known for his Mission Bell Brand Cantaloupes
• Krikor Arakelian established the winery in 1919 and hung the famous Mission Bell on the property
• Descendants of Krikor Arakelian’s dynasty still live in Madera County and continue to farm grapes and a variety of other crops

According to Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI), manufacturing is a job multiplier. Their studies show that every manufacturing job supports 3.6 jobs in other sectors. That is why manufacturing is the primary growth engine of the economy. This is another reason we value companies such as Constellation Brands that are established in our community. The ripple effect is significant and there is probably no way to measure the impact our largest manufacturer has had locally but I’m certain it’s tremendous. Coming upon Mission Bell Winery’s” centennial anniversary in 2019, Constellation Brands has certainly shaped our community and allowed us to grow by providing jobs to our local workforce and investing back into the community in many ways.

~Julie Herd- Madera County Economic Development Commission, Marketing & Business Development Manager