The Boston metro area that Burke serves accounts for about 20% of Mass. Today, Harpoon’s wholesalers are a mix of Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch InBev houses, Kenary said. Between self-distributing after Harpoon’s debut in 1986 until 1997, and launching Harpoon Distributing in 2002, the company worked with now-defunct Metropolitan Distributing Company, a Miller-focused beer distributor in Boston. “They had other things going on, and I was dressed too much like a craft brewer, back in the day when they didn’t even know what microbreweries were.”īoston is the only market in which Mass. “They turned us down at the time Bill and I have laughed about that forever,” Kenary said. Kenary said he and co-founder Rich Doyle pitched the wholesaler after they launched the brand in 1986. This won’t be the first time Burke and Harpoon have crossed paths. “I think it speaks to how much both sides wanted to make this happen because they’re convinced it’s the right thing.” “I think it’s pretty amazing we got the deal done in the face of this pandemic,” he said. Conversations began in February, Kenary said. The decision to end self-distribution wasn’t related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but came from a financial analysis Mass. Bay Brewing products on June 22, according to the wholesaler’s website. With the dissolution of Harpoon Distributing, the company laid off nearly 20 employees on June 11, which Kenary called “a tough day.” However, Burke and other Massachusetts beer wholesalers have shown interest in hiring the affected employees, he added.īurke will begin delivering Harpoon and other Mass. There are other people that do that much, much better than we do.” “Our ability to deliver a keg economically to Dorchester or Beacon Hill and collecting a check - that’s not strategic for us anymore. “We need to concentrate on making great beer, seltzer and cider and marketing and selling it well,” Kenary said. Now, the company produces those two brands, plus Clown Shoes beer, Arctic Summer hard seltzer and City Roots cider. Bay launched Harpoon Distributing in 2002, when the company’s portfolio included just the Harpoon and UFO brands.
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