How the beverage distribution business works (yawn)

We're cracking down on those private vending companies. We just had a big investigation. Literally had undercover people following guys around, documenting them filling machines.

Ironically the whole thing actually costs us business but the private vending guys don't respect territory rights and it ends up in huge fines for whoever sells them the product and whoever manufactured the product that ended up violating the territory agreements.

Takes forever to prove you didn't actually violate the rights. It's pretty wild to see it all unfold

 

10-4, I'm getting my start in the beverage alcohol distribution LTL...

 

1) Why would a store, large chain or small mom+pop WANT to carry a micro-brew or give it a chance, even if you have good salespeople?

2) i want to distribute energy drinks such as monster, redbull etc. Do the same "rules" apply to them as alcohol?

3) Getting the warehouse etc. is not a problem, however i would never buy a ford truck. i would not use a ford truck even if it were given to me----i would sell it.
What is basically involved with getting a license?

 

Yeungling is the oldest brewery in PA. There used to be a lot of little regionals before you were born, they got bought up and the distribution went with it. Yeungling is made out east in PA, yet it's sold in C-town, because they decided to market like Rolling Rock and Coors did, both of those used to be strictly regional to the point where people would smuggle them to other markets for resale.

Yet closer to you, also old, is Jones Brewing (used to be that, same family as Shirley Jones of The Partridge Family), they sold odd stuff like Esquire Ale which came in little returnables as well as Stoney's. They're not that far from Pintlehook, but you may not have heard of them and they were around well before I was born.

So you first had bars making their own right there, and people would take big containers called growlers to go pick some up for home consumption. They used to rub butter on the inside to keep the beer from foaming so they'd get more to carry home. Then brewers started bottling, but didn't distribute very far so there were lots of oddities all over the US. If you traveled and didn't mind going in some odd places, there were things you could try that were not available anywhere else. Corporatisation has done away with a lot of that novelty.

Then the little guys got bought up and all corp beer started to taste the same. I remember when PBR started making Olympia in their PA facility, Oly used to be a wonderfully odd brew from Washington state, very hoppy. It started tasting like the fake PBR made in PA right beside it, same Pottsville water, and PBR itself turned to meh when it was made in PA and not Milwaukee. That's about where I stopped having a beer at all, they all tasted the same vaguely metallic way.

The craft brew movement is about reversing that corporatisation, but they have to break into a locked market where the efficiencies of sales and shipping have already been figured in mass quantities. There is no substitute for local ingredients and water and climate (although that's out the window now, in 30 years much of the US will be unlivable), but corps thought they could spice things and people wouldn't notice.

So looking at it from a bulk driver's POV I can see where little companies are a PITA, and some of the labels now are undoubtedly a little precious, but if I wanted to meet more interesting people than con-store clerks I'd start a distro doing only little guys and see what little bricked alleys I might find myself in. Just because variety and non-corporatised stuff is more interesting to me.

Funny unprecious beer label from OOOtah...

 

I believe the micro brew movement gives the consumer a feeling of sophistication while enjoying the suds. Imagine, after a long week at work you meet your buds at your favorite watering hole to discuss current events and choice Hops from some remote region of the world. It's similar to the wine lovers. All of sudden, winery's are popping up all over America.

 

I enjoyed reading your post Mike2653, I'm highly interested in beverage delivery, primarily beer delivery.

 

I couldn't find the answer anywhere on here so Ifound this awesome thread and figured I could ask the question on it...

How long are beer trailers typically?

Looks like my best bet to start driving a truck locally will be with a beer distributor.

Thank you!