Following the end of the fiscal year, a number of suppliers named their top distributors in awards ceremonies recently. Below is a summary of some of the major awards given out by Diageo and Brown-Forman.
SGWS Golden Bar Winners
Southern Glazer’s announced that its Coastal-Pacific Wine and Spirits dedicated selling division, representing Diageo across 12 open and 17 Control States, was awarded eight National and 15 local Golden Bar Awards. The recognition included the prestigious and coveted National Distributor of the Year Golden Bar Award, won by Coastal Wine & Spirits of Florida.
The national awards presented to Southern Glazer’s included:
- National Distributor of the Year: Coastal Wine & Spirits of Florida
- Captain Morgan: Coastal Wine & Spirits of Florida
- Tanqueray: Coastal Wine & Spirits of Florida
- Ketel One: Pacific Wine & Spirits of Washington
- Ciroc: Pacific Wine & Spirits of Washington
- Innovation: Coastal Wine & Spirits of Texas
- Bulleit: Pacific Wine & Spirits of Hawaii
- Responsible Drinking (Platinum Bar): Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits Brokers of New Hampshire
Gerry Rivero, Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits of America commented, “As a result of our consistent, outstanding performance, Southern Glazer’s has been able to grow with Diageo to 29 dedicated states since the partnership began in 2002. Being recognized in front of our peers is an affirmation of Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits’ standing as a best-in-class selling organization.”
Breakthru Golden Bar Winners
Breakthru Beverage United Division took home five awards, winning approximately one-third of the total awards. Diageo’s 2017 Golden Bars recipients include:
- Breakthru Beverage Colorado, secured the Three Year Consistency award, demonstrating a continued dedication to growing sales year after year and delivering high-impact results that sets the standard for other markets.
- Breakthru Beverage Arizona, recognized for their incredible results with Diageo Reserve Brands.
- Breakthru Beverage Colorado, recognized for Multi-Cultural Excellence.
- Breakthru Beverage Maryland, received top honors for On-Premise Excellence.
- Breakthru Beverage Washington DC, received top honors for Crown Royal Whisky growth.
Brown-Forman Awards Distributors
Brown-Forman recently announced their fiscal year 2017 Distributor of the Year awards. The Heavyweight Distributor of the Year was presented to Breakthru Beverage Illinois, and the Middleweight Distributor of the Year was presented to Breakthru Beverage South Carolina. A new award, the Brown-Forman Alcohol Responsibility Award, was presented to the Breakthru Beverage Group.
Distributor of the Year awards are presented annually to one large (Heavyweight) and one mid-sized (Middleweight) distributor partner in North America. Awards are based on business performance measures including volume attainment goals, distribution criteria, and other brand-building activities during the company’s fiscal year ending April 30, 2017.
Breakthru Beverage Illinois and Breakthru Beverage South Carolina each received a commemorative plaque and a $10,000 check to benefit the organization’s charity of choice.
“We are proud to recognize the hard work and commitment to excellence of our outstanding distributors,” said Johnny Manuel, senior vice president, NAR Sales Director, Brown-Forman. “This year’s winners had solid growth across the total Brown-Forman portfolio, with particular growth on Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Congratulations to Breakthru South Carolina President Sean O’Connor, Breakthru Regional President David Locke and their entire BBG teams.”
The Brown-Forman Alcohol Responsibility Award was created to recognize the good work of our distributor and brokers in the area of alcohol responsibility. Breakthru Beverage Group received the inaugural award for their efforts behind the Responsible Retailing Initiative, a program designed to determine the level of ID-checking to reinforce the importance of preventing underage sales. They received a commemorative plaque and a $5,000 check to benefit the organization of their choice that addresses alcohol-related harm or promotes responsible consumption.
