St. Paul, Minn. – April 1, 2025 – Johnson Brothers is pleased to announce the appointment of Nate Schmitt as Vice President of National Accounts and Category Management.
Schmitt brings over two decades of commercial experience in the beverage alcohol industry, with a strong record of leading national account teams, driving sustainable sales growth, and fostering retail partnerships. He joins Johnson Brothers from the Kirin-owned New Belgium Brewing, the world’s largest craft brewer, where he most recently served as Vice President of Sales, National Accounts—On- and Off-Premise. In this role, he led high-performing teams, oversaw multimillion-dollar trade investments, and expanded retail presence across key channels.
Before New Belgium, Schmitt spent more than a decade at Diageo North America in roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately serving as National Accounts Sales Director. His early career in Category Management provided a deep expertise in shopper insights, data analytics, and market strategy—critical skills that have informed his success in aligning supplier objectives with customer growth.
“Nate brings a high level of commercial acumen and national account expertise that will strengthen our customer partnerships and enhance our capabilities,” said George Marsden, Chief Commercial Officer at Johnson Brothers. “His leadership will be instrumental as we continue to evolve our category approach and deliver long-term value to our supplier and retail partners.”
About Johnson Brothers
Johnson Brothers is a multi-generational family-owned wine, beer, and spirits distributor in the United States. Founded by Lynn Johnson in 1953, the company upholds its founding values of work ethic, passion, innovation, teamwork, excellence, and integrity. Through forging strong partnerships with top-tier suppliers globally, Johnson Brothers offers an exceptional portfolio of world-class brands to customer partners across 17 states. With a dedicated team of 4,000, Johnson Brothers remains committed to delivering excellence and continued growth across its operations. For the second consecutive year, Johnson Brothers has been honored as one of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America by Newsweek. For more information about Johnson Brothers, please visit Johnsonbrothers.com | LinkedIn | Instagram.
