Brewers' Distributor
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Brewers' Distributor Ltd. (BDL) is a Canadian company that distributes
beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
throughout the four western provinces and three northern territories. It is a private
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
company owned by
AB InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 20 ...
(parent company of Labatt Breweries) and Molson-Coors (parent company of Molson Breweries). BDL operates nine distribution centres and four cross dock facilities in
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
and
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. Its head office is located in
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
,
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
. Although BDL distributes the vast majority of beer sold in Western Canada, it has not been granted any ''de jure'' monopoly by any provincial government. Other Canadian breweries are free to distribute their own beer if they wish – some non-shareholders (such as Big Rock in Calgary and
Sleeman Breweries Sleeman Breweries is a Japanese-owned Canadian brewery founded by John Warren Sleeman in 1988 in Guelph, Ontario. The company is the third-largest brewing company in Canada. Along with its own Sleeman brands, the company produces under licence t ...
in
Guelph, Ontario Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
(itself a division of
Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...
)) have their own distribution chains, although others voluntarily use BDL. The company has been permitted to distribute some brands of imported beer since 2001, except in Alberta, where the exclusive right to distribute imported beer belongs to Connect Logistics Services.


History

The company was established in 1995 when Pacific Brewers Distributor in
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Alberta Brewers Agents, Saskatchewan Brewers Association and Associated Beer Distributors in
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
(all of which were owned, or largely, owned by the two present shareholders) were consolidated into a single operation. On March 25, 2020, BDL suffered a cyberattack that resulted in numerous weeks of beer shortages for distributors.


Relationship to Brewers Retail Inc.

There are key differences between BDL and Brewers Retail Inc., which operates The Beer Store in
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
with nearly the same shareholders and a similar near-monopoly. * BDL does not operate in Ontario, while Brewers Retail operates ''only'' in Ontario. *BDL only provides warehousing and distribution services and does not sell to consumers, while Brewers Retail does. *BDL is owned by
AB InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 20 ...
and
Molson Coors Molson Coors Beverage Company is a Canadian-American Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 through the merger of Mo ...
exclusively, while Brewers Retail is owned by AB InBev, Molson Coors,
Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...
(these three companies hold the vast majority of shares), and other smaller Ontario brewers. *Brewers Retail stocks imported beer at The Beer Store, but this beer is purchased through the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).


Distribution of other alcoholic beverages

BDL does not distribute
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
or
distilled spirits Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the w ...
in any province. In most provinces and territories, these are distributed by their respective government-owned liquor corporations, while in Alberta the AGLC outsources its distribution to Connect Logistics Services.


References

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External links


Company homepage
Canadian companies established in 1995 Companies based in Calgary Beer brewing companies based in Alberta Joint ventures Distribution companies of Canada Molson Coors Beverage Company AB InBev Food and drink companies established in 1995 1995 establishments in Alberta