Bell's Brewery Named Distributor Brewery Partner of the Year by NBWA

It is an honor to be recognized by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) as their 2017 Partner of the Year. Partnerships with our distributors helped us get to where we are today. 

When we started distributing our beer in 1986 the task was up to our Founder, Larry Bell and his small staff of 9. As we have grown, so have our distributing needs. We are incredibly fortunate to have strong partnerships with more than 100 distributors across a 32-state area, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. 

“As we expand into new territories, one of the key aspects of our process it to meet with potential distributors to provide them with education about Bell’s, and in turn, learn about them,” said Laura Bell, our CEO. “We feel that making strong decisions about our relationships right from the beginning leads to future success. We enter into our partnerships with commitment and the intention of being in business together for as long as we can be.”

Strong partnerships with our distributors has been a vital component of building brand awareness. Distributors, and the three tier system as a whole have made it possible for us to continue to expand and will continue to play an important role as we move forward. 

“I have long been an advocate for the three tier system and have often said we would not have craft beer in this country if it weren’t for the three tie system,” Larry Bell said. “Craft breweries like this would not exist without the three tie system.”

Another benefit of these strong partnerships with our distributors is the ability to not only connect with them as business partners, but also mentors Laura said. 

“So many of our partners are folks that we like to go out at the end of the day and have a pint or two with,” Larry said. “That’s what makes this industry special.”

We would like to thank the NWBA, our distributors and all our fans who have helped us sustainably grow throughout the years. Our ability to remain an independent, family owned brewery is because of the support and efforts of our incredible partners.