CONSTELLATION BRANDS PARTNERS WITH ITS FLAGSHIP BRANDS TO COMMIT MORE THAN $2.5 MILLION TO COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORTS

• Contributes $1 million to National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, $500K to U.S. Bartenders’ Guild, and $250K to support first responders
• Establishes company COVID-19 Relief Fund and will match employee contributions 2:1
• Launches employee effort to support local restaurants via take-out and delivery orders

VICTOR, N.Y., March 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, in partnership with a number of its iconic beer, wine, and spirits brands, announced today a collective commitment of more than $2.5 million to COVID-19 relief efforts.

“Our hearts go out to the many individuals and businesses impacted by this terrible virus,” said Bill Newlands, president and chief executive officer, Constellations Brands. “Many of our retailer partners, particularly local restaurants and bars and their employees, have been significantly impacted by this situation. These businesses are essential to the fabric of our communities. It’s important that we all come together to help those most in need in this critical time. We are focusing our support on efforts that directly benefit those impacted today while also helping the larger industry on its path to recovery.”

Constellation, along with a number of its flagship brands such as Corona Extra, Meiomi, Kim Crawford, The Prisoner, and High West Whiskey, contributed $1 million to the upcoming launch of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.

“We are thrilled and inspired by Constellation Brands’ commitment to help restaurant employees throughout the industry and across the country impacted by the COVID-19 crisis," said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF. "Thanks to their substantial donation we will have the ability to help thousands of people who are out of work and facing financial hardship."

The NRAEF has an extensive history of supporting the restaurant, bar and hospitality community and has the national infrastructure to meet industry needs now and over the long-term. For more information on the NRAEF’s upcoming launch of the Fund, follow the NRAEF on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Constellation Brands, in partnership with Modelo Especial, also pledged $500,000 to the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild, a non-profit professional society of bartenders and other hospitality professionals currently offering relief for impacted bartenders and support staff across all 50 states. And, true to its Fighting Spirit positioning, Modelo has contributed an additional $250,000 to support first responders as they continue to support those in need in communities across the U.S.

“Our brands and company have a long history of giving back to the communities where we live and work,” said Jim Sabia, chief marketing officer, Constellation Brands. “We are committed, especially in this unprecedented time, to supporting our impacted retailer partners and their employees, as well as the first responder community that continues to work selflessly to serve the needs of communities across the country.”

Furthering its commitment, the company established the Constellation Brands COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund, through which Constellation will match contributions from its several thousand employees across the country 2:1 to benefit non-profit organizations supporting communities impacted by this crisis. The company is also mobilizing employees across the nation to actively contribute to the effort by providing resources to help them support local restaurants in their communities by placing take-out orders and food deliveries in an effort to help sustain these local businesses and the jobs they create as they work toward recovery.  

Additional efforts made by the company include a $250,000 contribution to support relief efforts in Italy, home to the company’s Ruffino brand.  Specifically, these funds will be used to support the strained healthcare system in the Veneto region.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS
At Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), our mission is to build brands that people love because we believe sharing a toast, unwinding after a day, celebrating milestones, and helping people connect, are Worth Reaching For. It’s worth our dedication, hard work, and the bold calculated risks we take to deliver more for our consumers, trade partners, shareholders, and communities in which we live and work. It’s what has made us one of the fastest-growing large CPG companies in the U.S. at retail, and it drives our pursuit to deliver what’s next.

Today, we are a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Every day, people reach for our high-end, iconic imported beer brands such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Premier, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, and Pacifico, and our high-quality premium wine and spirits brands, including the Robert Mondavi brand family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner brand family, SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey.

But we won’t stop here. Our visionary leadership team and passionate employees from barrel room to boardroom are reaching for the next level, to explore the boundaries of the beverage alcohol industry and beyond. Join us in discovering what’s Worth Reaching For.

To learn more, follow us on Twitter @cbrands and visit www.cbrands.com.

A downloadable PDF copy of this news release enhanced with multimedia links can be found here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/e318c317-ebf9-475d-88a7-54fa78ba468d