Beginning this December, Stone Distributing Company will distribute the brands of Coronado Brewing Company in Southern California. Stone Distributing Co. will represent Coronado Brewing’s brands in territories including San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, as well as large portions of San Bernadino and Riverside County.
“Coronado Brewing is a phenomenal addition and a seamless fit to the Stone Distributing portfolio,” explained Brian Fried, Stone Distributing’s newly appointed General Manager. “Coronado is a quintessential SoCal brand with a passionate fan base that’s growing fast. Stone Distributing has the team and the infrastructure to help propel that growth. We’re honored to partner with this iconic brand.”
Coronado’s sales are currently up 20+% year-to-date thanks in large part to the company’s two hottest brands, Weekend Vibes IPA and Salty Crew Blonde Ale, both of which earned recent GABF medals in 2019 and 2020. Weekend Vibes ranks as the 8th best-selling India Pale Ale in SoCal, up 18.2%, claiming the highest growth trends of the top ten IPAs in that category. It’s counterpart, Salty Crew Blonde, ranks as the third best-selling Blonde/Golden Ale in SoCal, more than doubling total sales year over year at +121.4%.
Stone Distributing has demonstrated outsized performance as it continues to gain share in the highly competitive SoCal market. Recent Nielsen data (last 13 weeks ending 10/29/22) shows Stone Distributing up 1.7 points of market share, growing to 12.8% of the total craft/FMB/Hard Seltzer market in Southern California.
With both organizations trending in a positive direction, the partnership looks to be set up for immediate and sustained growth for the Coronado portfolio of brands.
“Stone Distributing has a proven track record and is highly regarded by our retailers,” says Coronado Brewing Chief Commercial Officer, Clinton Smith. “We’re both ready to win and we see 2023 as a big opportunity to grow our business further into all channels. With an aligned vision, we are looking forward to a long-term partnership with the Stone Distribution team next year and well into the future.”
