Magnolia Brewing Partnering With Mindful Distributors

San Francisco-based Magnolia Brewing Company announces a new partnership with emerging Bay Area beverage distributor Mindful Distributors. Mindful will distribute all Magnolia beers including flagships Blue Bell Bitter, Proving Ground IPA, Prescription Pale and Kalifornia Kölsch to the East Bay region.

In 2015, after self-distributing their beers for 17 years on a very limited basis, Magnolia expanded its distribution upon completion of its new production brewery in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood. Now, Magnolia has become the first San Francisco brewery to partner with Mindful Distributors, a company that entered the craft distributor market this year. Mindful focuses on a carefully-curated list of exceptional breweries, with special interest in regional California brands.

Mindful will be distributing Magnolia’s beers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, introducing a wider cross-section of the East Bay to their classic English-influenced ales, flagship Kalifornia Kölsch and newer, seasonal releases. With a dedicated East Bay sales team, Mindful plans to direct intensive marketing efforts towards increasing the number of accounts carrying Magnolia, while also increasing sell-through in those accounts through brewer events and sampling.

Mindful’s team consists of co-owners Dave Kindernay and Phil Birnbaum. Phil is also the founder of Running Man Distributing, the Portland-based boutique craft beer distributor that introduced Magnolia’s products to the Portland area.

Based on the success of the Oregon relationship, Magnolia founder Dave McLean says he’s confident the new partnership will increase Magnolia’s exposure, while also boosting Mindful’s presence.

“That’s the connection that encouraged us to partner with Mindful,” McLean says. “It’s exciting to see a new distributor coming into the space with the experience and enthusiasm that they have.”