(April 2, 2019, New York, NY) – Today, Breakthru Beverage Group announced it will now represent Florida Caribbean Distillers’ innovative portfolio in Illinois, one of the drink company’s top performing markets. This expansion adds to Breakthru’s ongoing representation of the portfolio in Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.
Florida Caribbean Distillers, founded in 1943, is the largest rum producer in the U.S. and has diversified its portfolio over the years to also feature premium wine-based, vodka, whiskey, cordial and liqueur brands. Florida Caribbean Distillers’ portfolio features the popular Capriccio Sangria, which due in large part to an effective social media strategy, turned into a viral sensation and experienced 370 percent growth over a three-month period in 2018.
Across Breakthru’s footprint, the sangria category continues to show consistent growth.
“We share a successful relationship with Breakthru in several markets and look forward to expanding our work together into Illinois – a key market for Florida Caribbean Distillers. Breakthru shares our growth expectations and we intend to take full advantage of their route-to-market capabilities and industry expertise to scale our brands into more on- and off-premise accounts across the state,” said Dave Steiner, National Sales Director of Florida Caribbean Distillers.
The new relationship between Breakthru Beverage Illinois and Florida Caribbean Distillers took effect April 1.
“With the evolving consumer trends, we continue to seek emerging brands to satisfy strategic portfolio opportunities and as a result we are excited to expand our relationship with Florida Caribbean Distillers across Illinois,” said Kevin Roberts, Executive Vice President, Supplier Development of Breakthru Beverage Group. “Premium sangria and wine cocktails are gaining ground as variety-seeking Millennials explore new beverage options, we’ve seen the sangria segment double over the last several years in the off-premise and believe the segment has more room for growth.”
Breakthru’s expanded partnership with Florida Caribbean Distillers comes on the heels of several growth announcements from the distributor, including a new partnership agreement with Stoli Group USA to renew existing relationships in eight markets and expand into Illinois and an expanded sales partnership with O’Neill Vintners & Distillers in Pennsylvania.
About Breakthru Beverage Group
Breakthru Beverage Group is one of the leading alcohol wholesalers in the United States and the largest broker in Canada representing a full total beverage alcohol portfolio of spirits, wine and beer. Across all markets, Breakthru aligns a nimble and insightful approach to sales, marketing and operations. Family ownership is active in the business and committed to being stewards of heritage and champions of innovation. For more information, visit www.BreakthruBev.com.
