Molson Coors Beverage Company generated $10.6 billion in net revenue in 2023. It operates breweries across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, and it buys ingredients, packaging, marketing services, logistics, and professional services at scale. The company has a formal supplier diversity program and is a member of both NMSDC and WBENC. If your business holds a recognized diversity certification, there is a real path in.
This guide covers the program structure, certification requirements, registration steps, sourcing categories, and how to get in front of the right people.
The Molson Coors supplier diversity program
Molson Coors refers to its supplier diversity effort under the umbrella of its broader ESG commitments, published annually in its Corporate Responsibility Report. The program tracks spend with diverse-owned businesses and sets internal targets for increasing that spend year over year.
The company publicly commits to increasing diverse supplier spend as a percentage of total addressable procurement. Specific annual spend figures are disclosed in their Corporate Responsibility reports, which are available on the Molson Coors investor relations site. The 2022 report cited progress toward a 2025 goal of doubling diverse supplier spend from a 2019 baseline. That baseline and progress figures are worth pulling before your first meeting — procurement managers respond better when you demonstrate you've done that homework.
The program is managed out of the company's Chicago, Illinois headquarters, which became the primary U.S. base after the 2019 merger of Molson Coors Brewing Company and the formal rebranding.
Certifications they recognize
Molson Coors accepts the following diversity certifications through its supplier registration process:
- MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) — issued by NMSDC regional councils
- WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) — issued by WBENC regional partner organizations
- SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) — federal certification via VA or SBA
- VOSB (Veteran-Owned Small Business) — federal certification via VA or SBA
- LGBTBE (LGBT Business Enterprise) — issued by NGLCC
- SBE (Small Business Enterprise) — in some procurement categories
- DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) — for certain transportation and logistics categories
If you hold an 8(a) certification from the SBA, include it in your profile even though it is primarily a federal contracting designation. Some procurement teams consider it relevant context for overall business eligibility and size classification.
The most weight in their system goes to NMSDC-certified MBEs and WBENC-certified WBEs, given their NMSDC and WBENC memberships. Those two certifications should be your priority if you qualify and haven't pursued them yet.
How to register
Molson Coors uses Coupa Supplier Portal for supplier registration and management. Coupa is an enterprise procurement platform used by many Fortune 500 companies, so if you've registered with other large corporations, you may already have a Coupa profile.
Steps to register:
- Go to supplierdiversity.molsoncoors.com or navigate through the Molson Coors corporate site under "Suppliers." The supplier diversity section links directly to registration.
- Create an account on the Coupa Supplier Portal if you don't have one. Use your business email, not a personal address.
- Complete your company profile in full. Incomplete profiles are filtered out during sourcing searches. Include NAICS codes, revenue range, geographic coverage, and any certifications.
- Upload your certification documentation. NMSDC and WBENC certificates must be current. An expired certificate will exclude you from consideration.
- Set up your capability statement within the profile. One or two paragraphs describing what you do, who you've done it for, and your capacity to scale is sufficient.
Once registered, your profile enters their diverse supplier database. Procurement managers search that database when a sourcing need arises. You are not guaranteed outreach — but you are invisible without the profile.
Sourcing categories
Molson Coors sources from diverse suppliers across several categories. Their procurement scale varies by category, but the ones where diverse supplier development has been publicly prioritized include:
Ingredients and raw materials. Hops, malt, adjuncts (corn, rice, oats), water treatment chemicals, and flavoring components for their beyond-beer portfolio (hard seltzers, canned cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages). This is a high-volume category with long-term contracts.
Packaging. Cans, bottles, labels, cartons, and secondary packaging. Molson Coors is one of the largest aluminum can buyers in North America. Packaging suppliers typically need to demonstrate production capacity and quality certifications (ISO 9001 is standard). Small packaging suppliers often enter as regional or specialty suppliers.
Marketing and creative services. Advertising agencies, media buying, digital marketing, event production, and promotional materials. This category has historically been a focus area for diverse supplier development in the beverage industry. Marketing spend is substantial given the company's portfolio of brands including Coors Light, Miller Lite, Blue Moon, and Vizzy.
Logistics and distribution. Freight brokerage, warehousing, and last-mile logistics. The company operates through an independent distributor network, but corporate logistics spend is significant.
Professional services. Legal, accounting, consulting, IT services, staffing, and facilities management. These categories are accessible to smaller diverse-owned firms.
Sustainability-related suppliers. Molson Coors has public 2025 sustainability goals including packaging recyclability and carbon reduction. Suppliers offering sustainable packaging alternatives, carbon offset programs, or environmental compliance services are actively sought.
Events and how to get a meeting
NMSDC Annual Conference. Molson Coors regularly attends the NMSDC Annual Conference and Business Opportunity Fair, typically held in October. This is the single best event for MBE-certified businesses to get face time with their procurement team. The conference's matchmaking format gives you a structured 20-minute meeting if you pre-register and request a match. Request Molson Coors specifically — don't leave it to the algorithm.
WBENC National Conference and Business Fair. Held annually in June, this event is the WBENC equivalent. Molson Coors attends as a corporate member. Same advice applies: use the matchmaking system, request them by name, and prepare a three-minute version of your pitch that leads with the business problem you solve, not your certification.
NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference. For LGBTBE-certified businesses, this is where Molson Coors' supplier diversity team has appeared. Attendance varies by year, so confirm their participation before registering for the matchmaking program.
Local NMSDC and WBENC council events. Regional council events in Chicago, Denver (near Golden, Colorado), and Milwaukee are worth attending. The procurement team based in Chicago occasionally participates in local council programming. These events are lower cost and less competitive than national conferences.
Cold outreach. After you've registered in Coupa, a follow-up email to the Supplier Diversity team is reasonable. Find the contact through LinkedIn or the corporate responsibility section of their website. Keep it to four sentences: who you are, what you sell, that you're registered in their system, and a specific ask (a 15-minute call, not a sale). Don't attach a deck to a cold email.
Realistic timeline and first steps
Getting registered takes one to two days. Getting a response from procurement takes weeks to months, and winning a contract takes longer — typically six months to two years depending on category. The beverage industry has long contract cycles because supply chain switches involve quality audits, food safety certifications, and often seasonal production calendars.
Here is a practical sequence:
Month 1. Complete your NMSDC or WBENC certification if you haven't. Register in Coupa. Fill out the profile completely. Set a calendar reminder to renew your certification 90 days before expiry.
Month 2. Identify the next NMSDC or WBENC event where Molson Coors is registered as a corporate member. Submit a matchmaking request. Prepare a one-page capability statement specific to the category you're targeting.
Month 3. Attend the event and have the meeting. Follow up within 48 hours with a short email summarizing what you discussed and any next step you agreed on.
Month 4 onward. Stay visible. Connect with the procurement contact on LinkedIn. Share relevant news about your business (a new client win, a certification renewal, a relevant industry development). Don't disappear between events.
One practical note on food safety: if you're a product supplier in any ingredient or packaging category, you will need FSMA compliance documentation and likely a SQF or BRCGS certification. Get that in order before you pursue sourcing conversations. Procurement teams in food and beverage will ask for it early, and not having it ends the conversation quickly.
The Molson Coors supplier diversity program is active and searchable. The combination of Coupa registration, a current certification, and conference matchmaking gives you three credible entry points. Use all three.
