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lestermagnum t1_jdd0ob1 wrote

Wouldn’t not passing this give an unfair advantage to the breweries with enough money the self-distribute? It costs a lot to set that up - you need your own trucks, drivers, insurance, and sales reps. It seems to me that having the same distribution rules for all breweries, both big and tiny, levels the playing field for everyone.

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beerisgreatPA OP t1_jddnxxe wrote

Not really. The big boys already have contracts with distributors (whalers, Gansett, grey sail, Newport etc.). The smaller brewers don’t need all that. in most cases an owner is the van driver and sales rep.

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lestermagnum t1_jddsrgy wrote

But then the smaller breweries teaming up with the same distributors as the bigger ones would mean that the small ones would have access to the exact same delivery and sales infrastructure as the bigger ones. They could distribute further, have access to way more stores and bars, and not have to invest capital into their own system.

Basically any retail place that sells Whalers or Narragansett would have immediate access and ability to purchase and sell Moniker or Rejects or whatever.

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beerisgreatPA OP t1_jddtknh wrote

It doesn’t work that way unfortunately. Small breweries get buried in large distribution companies. They cannot compete with the huge incentive programs large companies use to motivate sales forces. If there are 10 Draft lines or 30 openings in a cooler door and you have 75-100 brands. The little guys is lost in the shuffle.

Edit: spelling

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