Mountain Crest continues its battle in court against two brewery giants, accusing them of making secret deals with Canadian authorities to monopolize the Ontario market, according to Courthouse News Service.
Two years ago, Mountain Crest sued Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors, America’s two biggest breweries, claiming they abused their monopoly power to restrain trade — particularly, beer exports to Ontario, Canada.
Mountain Crest, the 21st largest brewer in the U.S., brews beer for Ravinder Minhas, a Canadian entrepreneur, for export to Alberta. Since 2009, it’s been trying to expand its market to Ontario, but says the defendants have stiff-armed it through “secret agreements.”
This secret agreement allegedly stipulated that if any small brewer, such as Mountain Crest, wanted to sell 12- or 24-packs of beer in Ontario, they would have to pay listing, handling and service charges to sell through The Beer Store. Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors brands were exempt from the fees.
For the full story, go to Courthouse News Service website here.