Stella Max?

So, the previous post about big-dick bullying of smaller brewers by multinational megaliths shook loose a mysterious message from a US correspondent concerning PepsiCo.

My correspondent (we'll call him "Biff Boggle") referred to a relationship between PepsiCo and the giant brewing conglomorate AB Inbev, thus...

Not sure many know this but Bud and Pepsi have been secretly in cahoots for a while now...

I was intrigued. Cahoots over what? Biff was careful... "I predict a merger...soon" came the hesitant reply. I decided to look into this for myself, so hit the Interwebs to see what was in the wind.

A quick google search indicated there was a far-from secret relationship in some back-office functions at both businesses Stateside. Procurement (the Strategic Sourcing Consortium) and some media purchasing are two areas which have been shared since mid-2009, leading more than one market watcher to wonder whether a future merger might not be on the cards. However, and more intriguing, was Biff's last missive, reporting:

...an experimental testing phase with both companies sharing one floor...to see if it'll work?

This location is apparently somewhere in New England, and secret. So, steps towards an eventual merger? There's been talk that AB-I and SABMiller might be looking at leveraging their synergies to create win-win scenarios. Who knows whether the real story lies there, or with Biff's mysterious scrying. Suddenly, seemingly innocuous stories such as this one take on more weight.

Reading too much into it? Perhaps. Meantime, I'm waiting patiently for more midnight missives from Biff Boggle. Courage, mon brave...