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manhattan beer distributors – world class beverages of manhattan
brands, customers and resources. The
goal is to make everyone we touch more
beer-passionate.”
What the division looks for in local
suppliers are the brands that represent
the best quality, Mitchell notes. “We pick
brands and styles that make sense,” he
states. “We look for long-term winners in
this marketplace. An example of this
would be the Sly Fox Brewing Co. out of
Pennsylvannia. Brewer Brian O’Reilly
is making world-class beers. His Pils
won a gold medal last year at the
Great American Beer Fest, one of the pre-
mier tastings in the country.”
Hands-On
Mitchell says the division employs six
specialty supervisors who are “beer-
centric in knowledge,” and who train
the sales team and managers about the
many styles of beer, and the history of
the breweries.
“We break it down,” he states. “We
have beer styles of the month and we
have everyone get their hands-on [train-
ing]. We talk about the best brands avail-
able in the marketplace for [a specific
type of] beer, and once we have that gen-
eral meeting, we have tasting samples of
that style.”
Maximizing Opportunities
Continuous training can be a challenge,
Mitchell notes. “When you have a lot of
representatives and so many brands and
styles that you try and penetrate, there is
a lot to understand,” he explains. “With a
lot of the smaller brands, you have to put
the right brand and the right amount in the
right place to maximize the opportunity
for success. So, our supervisors evaluate
each account to fill the needs of the con-
sumers. It’s being able to train people so
they can identify opportunities for each
individual account.”
Long-Term Growth
In 2008, Manhattan Beer anticipates dis-
tributing 30 million cases from its five
facilities in New York.
The company’s adaptability to the
changing marketplace helps it thrive in
the industry. In the future, it says, con-
solidation will help drive availability.
“In five years or so, we want to con-
tinue to see consolidation at the distribu-
tor level, which will mean for us more
availability of the best local and national
craft brands,” Mitchell says.
LEGACY BREWING CO. Legacy Brewing has part-
nered with Manhattan Beer Distributors for over
two years with distribution throughout the five
New York City boroughs. Legacy’s products fit well
into a specific niche aimed at the better beer bars
and restaurants looking for unique brands. “Our
complex flavors come about from our simple equa-
tion: quality ingredients, superior brewing tech-
niques and a lot of taste-testing,” says David
Gemmell, president of Legacy Brewing. “With a
growing portfolio of eight signature beers, includ-
ing Belgian-style ales, lagers and an oatmeal stout,
Legacy Brewing aims to satisfy even the most dis-
tinguished palette.
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