Allagash Brewing will move to the Reyes Beverage Group in some parts of California, a spokesperson for the Portland, Maine-headquartered craft brewery told Brewbound.
To do so, Allagash will terminate its relationship with Wine Warehouse, which was acquired by Breakthru Beverage in January.
“After careful review of the proposed Wine Warehouse transaction to Breakthru, and an evaluation of the market, we determined that Reyes would be our preferred wholesaler in the territory,” the spokesperson said.
Reyes will begin selling Allagash products on Monday, April 17.
The Golden State accounts for nearly 10% of Allagash’s annual volume. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available from the Brewers Association (BA), Allagash produced 117,798 barrels of beer, a +34% increase above 2020 output. That year, it was the 23rd largest craft brewery in the country by volume.
Reyes will sell Allagash’s portfolio in Southern California and the southern and eastern parts of the Bay Area. Allagash will continue with Petaluma-based Morris Distributing in other parts of the state.
“Morris remains our wholesale partner in San Francisco, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties,” the spokesperson said.
The California agreement won’t be Allagash’s first partnership with Reyes, the country’s largest beer distributor, with more than 325 million case equivalents sold to more than 115,000 retail accounts in the 12 states where it operates, according to its website.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Reyes, who already serves as our wholesale partner in [Washington,] D.C., Northern Virginia, Chicagoland and parts of Florida,” the Allagash spokesperson said.
Asked if a broadened partnership with Reyes could translate into new markets for Allagash, the spokesperson said the brewery is keeping its eyes on its California business with the move to Reyes.
“We view this as an opportunity to expand our representation in California as well as deepen our connection to Allagash fans in that area,” they added.”
Allagash founder Rob Tod advised craft brewers against becoming “a mile wide and an inch deep” in his keynote address to the New England Brew Summit in 2020. In his speech, Tod detailed how Allagash sold 5,000 barrels in 26 markets in 2005. After paring back to 15 markets in the intervening years, the brewery’s volume steadily increased to its current six-figure volume levels.
Allagash distributes to California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.