New Holland Brewing Announces Beer Distribution in Pacific Northwest through Columbia Distributing

New Holland Brewing Co. | November 22, 2016

Holland, Michigan-based craft brewery and artisan distiller, New Holland Brewing, has announced plans to distribute their beer to Oregon and Washington through a new partnership with Columbia Distributing beginning in December. These new territories are part of the brewery’s growing 34-state distribution network. Beer will be available in the Pacific Northwest at restaurants, pubs and retail locations.

“We’re heading west to the incredible craft scene that is alive and thriving in Oregon and Washington,” says New Holland Director of Sales Operations, Joel Armato. “We’re looking forward to getting out there, meeting people and bringing some great flavors from the Midwest to our craft brothers and sisters in the Northwest.”

New Holland is partnering across all of Oregon and Washington with Columbia Distributing who has a strong portfolio of brands and wide-ranging reach across the region.

“Columbia is an amazing partner and aligns so well with our values,” says Armato. “After over eighty years in their business, they have a tremendous amount of knowledge about the industry. Planning discussions have felt like we’ve already been working together for a long time. It’s a natural match. They have a method to bring our brand to retail that is customer minded and methodical, we’re a brand that takes a personal approach and they’re extending that to an entire market of informed and mature drinkers. Shared values are the key to a beautiful partnership.”

New Holland will launch with distribution of their flagship Dragon’s Milk, a year-round Bourbon Barrel Stout, and build in products around Dragon’s Milk in the coming months.

“The Pacific Northwest and beer have a great story together already so we’re excited to throw Dragon’s Milk into the mix. It’s a natural fit and we’ve had many requests from fans to bring our products to this market, especially since we poured at the Oregon Brewer’s Festival this past year” says New Holland Co-founder and President, Brett VanderKamp. “It’s pretty amazing to go to such an influential part of the craft world with a partner who is ready to help us tell our story to every beer drinker in Oregon & Washington.”

“We took a fact-finding trip to Michigan and were literally blown away by New Holland”, says Jesse Ferber, VP of Craft and Imports at Columbia Distributing. ‘Walking into the barrel room was like a religious experience for our craft team. Every employee we met was so proud to be part of the New Holland family and everyone had a story to tell about their favorite beer.”

Ferber notes that the Northwest is a tough market to break into for non-local craft brewers. “We’ve reached the point where just another IPA won’t cut it. “We looked very hard at a number of Midwest brewers over the past year. New Holland’s portfolio is distinctly different from most other brewers, their unique styles are well positioned to thrive in the largest share craft market in the country”.

Columbia was also encouraged by New Holland’s disciplined approach. “They have a well-conceived strategy of seeding the top craft-centric accounts with a limited number of offerings, then moving out from the center into a broader retail base”, says Ferber.

New Holland will be announcing launch events and activities as they are solidified and plans to have key personnel working the market over the next few months to drive launch excitement.