• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Massachusetts beer distributors urge passage of measure that would allow 97 percent of breweries to change distributors any time, for any reason

September 14, 2017Pretty Much a Press Release

self distribution craft beer

This week Beer Distributors of Massachusetts told a Legislative Committee that they strongly support breaking an impasse with breweries that will allow breweries much greater flexibility to change distributors.

The Emerging Breweries Bill, H.2823, would allow breweries that make less than 30,000 barrels (413,000 cases) and are privately owned and operated to change distributors at any time, for no reason. Distributors, who invest in marketing and materials and purchase inventory, would have to be compensated the fair market value for their investments.

Beer distributors have called the bill “The 97 Percent Solution” because it would extend this benefit to 97 percent of breweries in the United States.

“This legislation is fair and reasonable, and it benefits the vast majority of breweries in Massachusetts and across the country,” said Rep. John Mahoney of Worcester, chief sponsor of the bill. “We are in the midst of a golden age of beer, and this measure will help breweries to continue to write their impressive economic success stories throughout the Commonwealth.”

The Legislature’s Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure held a hearing on the bill September 12 at the State House in Boston. Three representatives of family-owned distributors in Massachusetts testified in favor of the bill.

Mark Tatelman, a fourth-generation owner-operator of Merrimack Valley Distributing Co. in Danvers, called the Emerging Breweries Bill “a fair and reasonable solution allowing genuine emerging and startup breweries a new choice while keeping Massachusetts’s family owned beer distributors independent of the established breweries that have already enjoyed great profitable success.”

Michael Epstein, a fourth-generation owner-operator of Horizon Beverage Co. of Norton, which employs 500 men and women, said the Emerging Breweries Bill would clarify the current arrangement between distributors and breweries: “H.2823’s approach is simple and straight-forward. It establishes an easy to understand volume level and provides enhanced distribution flexibility” for breweries whose production falls below that level. Epstein praised the flexibility allowed in H.2823, which will make it easier for emerging breweries to grow and expand.

“This bill clearly represents a win-win situation for both breweries and distributors,” Epstein added.

Jamie Salois, vice president of Atlas Distributing in Auburn, urged the committee to approve H.2823.

“We proudly represent many of the established and emerging breweries in operation today,” Salois said. “We invest a tremendous amount of time, money and labor by providing breweries warehousing, delivery, sales and marketing personnel, fleets of delivery and merchandising vehicles, quality control capabilities, as well as additional social media and promotional opportunities. It is our goal and in our best interest to provide all of our brewery partners, regardless of size, the same opportunity to grow and flourish in the Massachusetts market.”

https://avbc.com/
Anderson Valley Brewing promotes price stability amid Big Beer price hikes: ‘We actually like our customers’
satisfaction surveys
Are brewery employees happy? Depends on the department
Madtree party
MadTree Brewing’s One Good Party has a great beer competition that supports non-profits
Promenade launches build-your-own e-commerce platform for breweries, beverage stores

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Urban Artifact crafts the world’s most expensive fermented beverage and more beers to know this week
  • OK, Neshaminy Creek Brewing is planning the best anniversary party I’ve ever seen
  • Higher learning: Eastern Washington University and No-Li Brewhouse launch Craft Beer Certificate
  • Texas’ Bishop Cider is in explode mode, acquires two breweries, expanding to seven locations

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • urban-artifactUrban Artifact crafts the world’s most expensive fermented beverage and more beers to know this week
    May 24, 2022
  • 2022 Beer Branding Trends Part 2: Beyond Beer
    May 23, 2022
  • The-IBA-TeamIBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?
    May 19, 2022
  • 2022 Beer Branding Trends Part 1: Reinvention
    May 17, 2022
  • satisfaction surveysAre brewery employees happy? Depends on the department
    May 16, 2022
  • Male hand closes hatch of brewery tankUnfiltered: Do I need to clean tanks between transfers?
    May 11, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....