Brewers' Distributor Ltd. (BDL) is a Canadian company that distributes

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

throughout the four western provinces and three northern territories. It is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

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 acces ...

company owned by AB InBev (parent company of

Labatt Breweries Labatt Brewing Company Limited (french: La Brasserie Labatt Limitée) is a Belgian-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Int ...

) and Molson-Coors (parent company of

Molson Breweries The Molson Brewery is a Canadian based brewery company based in Montreal which was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors. Molson Coors maintains some of its Can ...

). BDL operates nine distribution centres and four cross dock facilities in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

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 o ...

and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Its head office is located in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

. 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 the ...

in Guelph, Ontario (itself a division of

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

)) have their own distribution chains, although others voluntarily use BDL. The company has been permitted to distribute some brands of

imported beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal ...

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

, Alberta Brewers Agents, Saskatchewan Brewers Association and Associated Beer Distributors in

(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. Brewers Retail Inc., trade name, doing business as The Beer Store, is a privately-owned chain of retail outlets selling beer and other malt beverages in the province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1927, it was owned at its inception by a conso ...

, which operates The Beer Store in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

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 and Molson Coors exclusively, while Brewers Retail is owned by AB InBev, Molson Coors,

(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 The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is a Crown corporation that retails and distributes alcoholic beverages throughout the Canadian province of Ontario. It is accountable to the Legislative Assembly through the minister of finance. It wa ...

(LCBO).

Distribution of other alcoholic beverages

BDL does not distribute

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

or distilled spirits 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

{{reflist

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