News Alert: Brown-Forman Unveils New Distributor Deals In 13 States

Brown-Forman has announced a series of new distribution deals in 13 states across the U.S. Under the new agreements, Johnson Brothers and Southern Glazer’s are picking up new business from Brown-Forman, as the company continues to diversify its distributor lineup after breaking with longtime partner RNDC in the California market in favor of a new deal with Reyes Beverage effective at the start of this month.

The new deals see Brown-Forman transitioning away from RNDC in multiple markets, but Robinson Brown IV, Brown-Forman’s senior vice president and managing director, USA & Canada, noted, “RNDC remains a very important partner to Brown-Forman, and we will continue to work together in 12 markets across the United States.”

As a result of the changes, Breakthru Beverage Group is now
 the company’s largest national distributor partner, covering 14 key markets across the U.S. and Canada.

Johnson Brothers is gaining Brown-Forman brands in Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas, while Southern Glazer’s will distribute the portfolio in Louisiana and New York, in addition to continuing the current partnership across Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Rhode Island.

Meanwhile, Columbia Distributing is adding Brown-Forman brands in Washington, while Reyes is taking on the portfolio in Hawaii in addition to previously announced California.
Elsewhere, Brown-Forman’s Kentucky distribution will be handled by Keg-1 River City, and Alaska will be overseen by Specialty Imports, while Oklahoma Spirits Alliance will service that state. The new deals are effective in August.

“This is Brown-Forman’s first significant change to our U.S. route-to-consumer landscape in more than 60 years,” Brown added. “These decisions were taken with great thought and care, and we believe they will bring tremendous opportunities for growth in the years and decades to come.”

Brown-Forman saw sales rise 2% on an organic basis to $3.1 billion for the nine months through January, covering the first three quarters of its fiscal year. Operating income was up 5% organically to $902 million.

According to Impact Databank, the company’s Woodford Reserve and Old Forester Bourbons grew 4% and 3% respectively in the U.S. last year, with the core Jack Daniel’s down about 3% to 4.9 million cases.

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