Passion for its Craft
Kohler Distributing Co. is not only an advocate for quality beer – it serves a valuable
sales tool for niche breweries, thanks to its craft and specialty beer divison.
By Kathryn Jones (Published by Phoenix Media Corporation. © 2012. All rights reserved)
Other companies may scale back in times of economic instability, but Kohler Distributing Co. – a Hawthorne, N.J.-based beer and wine wholesaler that sells more than 6 million cases a year – has forged ahead, undertaking new initiatives over the past few years to maximize efficiency, drive growth and improve its bottom line. “We show our partners our commitment to growth and to the well-being of our brands by investing in our people and resources,” says Frank Politano, vice president of sales and marketing. “We felt that by investing when times are tough, we would be more poised to compete when things do turn around.” In the wake of the economic downturn, Kohler Distributing shifted its business development focus to adding new and/or growing existing specialty beer brands, such as craft brews and niche imports, outside of its core beer portfolio. This has been a strategic advantage for the company since “the growth of the craft segment has been the only growth in the beer business in the past few years,” Politano maintains.