About Us

WHO WE ARE

Founded in 2020, we are independent, family-owned beer distributors based in California, working to promote a fair and equitable system to protect family businesses’ ability to provide consumer variety and access to market for all.

We have members from across the State that live in and care about the communities they service. Many of our members have been operating in their local markets for 50, 75 or even 100 years.

Local, family-owned distributors are more familiar with their communities’ culture and beer preferences, and are able to distribute localized products that meet consumers’ needs.

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WHY WE FORMED CFBD

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To protect our family-owned member companies from forced consolidation leading to monopolies in the industry. To advocate for and create a fair regulatory environment that protects consumers, distributors and retailers from unfair practices.

OUR MISSION

To support the longevity and value of family-owned companies by advocating and creating a fair regulatory environment that protects consumers, distributors, retailers, and the communities we serve.

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OUR PRIORITIES

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  • Protecting member companies from forced consolidation by global mega-companies.
  • Creating a fair regulatory environment that ensures access to market for brewers and beverage producers of all sizes, such as small craft brewers.
  • Protecting consumers, distributors and retailers from unfair practices due to a lack of competition.
  • Protecting the thousands of high-quality jobs that family beer distributors have created in California.

 

Brewers of all sizes, including local craft brewers, partner with local distributors across the state to sell, deliver, merchandise and stock their beer at retail establishments, including bars, restaurants, and grocery and liquor stores. In California, we are lucky to have family-owned distributors who live in the communities they serve, offering products that fit their communities’ preferences, while providing local jobs.

A major problem is brewing for California’s family-owned beer distributors...

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Recently, some of California’s independent family-owned beer distributors have been forced out of their businesses by global, out-of-state mega- corporations, utilizing unfair business practices. These mega-corps are actively taking away family beer distributors’ local business by unfairly terminating contracts and forcing the sale of certain brands. California’s small family businesses don’t have the financial ability to spend millions in legal fees and years litigating with these massive companies.

The impacts are devastating, with legacy and decades-old family distributors being destroyed, along with the livelihoods of their employees, who often no longer have jobs.

What’s left is essentially a monopoly in the beer industry, resulting in less competition and reduced variety for consumers.

What can we do?

The California Family Beer Distributors was formed to be a voice for California’s family-owned beer distributors and protect member companies and their employees from forced consolidation by global mega-companies. CFBD is advocating to create a fair regulatory environment that ensures access to market for brewers (including craft) and beverage producers of all sizes.