We are delighted to welcome back the National Beer Wholesalers Association to this year’s Beer Bloggers Conference. The NBWA represents 3,300 beer distributors and their 98,000 employees across the States.
You may remember learning in school how the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition; the 21st Amendment also replaced that failed national policy with state-based alcohol controls, authorizing each state to make alcohol laws that meet the unique needs and desires of its citizens. Additionally, the 21st Amendment also gave rise to the three-tier system of alcohol distribution – composed of brewers and importers, independent distributors and retailers. This year’s BBC attendees will get to hear more about this system from a panel of industry members representing each tier, who will offer their perspectives on how this system aims to provide a level playing field for all market participants and support vast consumer choice.
Beer distributors, licensed by both the federal and state governments, get bottles, cans, cases and kegs from a brewer or importer to the shelf of your favorite store, local restaurant or neighborhood bar through a safe, transparent and accountable system. And beer distributors do more than buy, store, sell and deliver beer – they help new brands get to market and ensure that consumers can choose from a diverse selection of beer. Distributors’ state-of-the-art warehouses and fleets of temperature-controlled trucks and vehicles preserve these perishable products, and on top of handling warehousing, transporting and delivering all types of beer to local retailers, distributors also have sales and merchandising professionals who help promote each label of beer they sell.
There are more than 13,000 labels of beer available to American consumers from coast to coast, providing an ever-increasing assortment of choices for consumers. That’s something beer lovers everywhere can celebrate… cheers!