ALEXANDRIA, VA — The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and the Brewers Association (BA) are pleased to announce the nominees for the Seventh Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award. The award recognizes an American beer distributor who goes above and beyond in their efforts to actively market, sell and promote craft beer.
The Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award will be presented jointly on October 12, 2013, at the Great American Beer FestivalÒ, hosted by the BA, in Denver, Colorado. In addition to the Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award, a Craft Beer Achievement Award (first runner-up) and Craft Beer Distributor Recognition Award (second runner-up) also will be presented.
The nominees for this year’s award include:
- ┬À 7G Distributing, LLC — Cedar Rapids, IA
- ┬À Ace Distributing — York, PA
- ┬À Beechwood Sales & Service — New Berlin, WI
- ┬À BountyBev — Nashville, TN
- ┬À Central States Beverage Co. — Kansas City, MO
- ┬À DBI Beverage Sacramento — West Sacramento, CA
- ┬À DBI Beverage San Francisco — South San Francisco, CA
- ┬À DeCrescente Distributing Co. — Mechanicville, NY
- ┬À Euclid Beverage LLC — North Aurora, IL
- ┬À Heart of America Beverage Company — Springfield, MO
- ┬À High Country Beverage Corp. — Loveland, CO
- ┬À J.J. Taylor Distributing Florida, Inc. — Tampa, FL
- ┬À J.J. Taylor Distributing Minnesota, Inc. — Minneapolis, MN
- ┬À Kohler Distributing Co. — Hawthorne, NJ
- ┬À Manhattan Beer Distributors LLC — Bronx, NY
- ┬À Massachusetts Beverage Alliance LLC — Randolph, MA
- ┬À Mims Distributing Co., Inc. — Raleigh, NC
- ┬À Morris Distributing Co., Inc. — Petaluma, CA
- ┬À Muller, Inc. — Philadelphia, PA
- ┬À Mussetter Distributing Inc. — Auburn, CA
- ┬À Oak Beverage Inc. — Blauvelt, NY
- ┬À Origlio Beverage — Philadelphia, PA
- ┬À Pepin Distributing Co. — Tampa, FL
- ┬À Powers Distributing Co., Inc. — Orion, MI
- ┬À Shore Point Distributing Co., Inc. — Adelphia, NJ
- ┬À Town & Country Distributors Inc. — Itasca, IL
“With craft beer’s tremendous growth and independent beer distributors’ excitement for picking up new craft brands, it is no surprise that once again there was a record number of nominees for the Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award,” said NBWA President Craig Purser. “Consumers continue to demonstrate their passion for craft beer and appreciation of the wide variety of flavors beer has to offer. America’s more than 3,300 beer distributors take great pride in serving as the vehicle to market for these brands and providing choice and variety to the consumer.”
BA President Charlie Papazian applauded beer distributors for providing a valuable service by giving craft beers a presence in the marketplace. “This award recognizes the creativity, innovation and specialized services independent beer distributors are providing on behalf of independent craft brewers,” Papazian said.
According to mid-year data released by the BA, in the first six months of 2013, small and independent American brewers saw dollar sales up 15 percent and volume up 13 percent. During the first half of 2013, approximately 7.3 million barrels of beer were sold by small and independent American brewers, up from 6.4 million barrels sold during the first half of 2012. The BA also reported that there are 2,538 breweries operating in the U.S. as of June 30, 2013, an increase of 446 breweries since June 2012.
About The National Beer Wholesalers Association
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) represents the interests of America’s 3,300 licensed, independent beer distributor operations in every state, congressional district and media market across the country. Beer distributors are committed to ensuring alcohol is provided safely and responsibly to consumers of legal drinking age through the three-tier, state-based system of alcohol regulation and distribution. To learn more about America’s beer distributors, visit www.AmericasBeerDistributors.
For additional updates from NBWA, follow @NBWABeer on Twitter and visit www.facebook.com/NBWABeer.
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup┬«, Great American Beer Festival┬«, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America┬«, SAVORÔäá: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association.