Columbia Distributing to Acquire Portland's Point Blank Distributing

Beer distribution is one of those unheralded, mostly ignored components of the brewing industry that nevertheless plays an outsized role in the beer you drink. The distribution tier requires an expensive stuff to operate—trucks and warehouses—and requires sophistication in both logistics and sales. That makes it a very hard business to enter. Add to that the dense thicket of laws that bind breweries and their distributors, and it’s not a highly dynamic business. So back in 2003, when Point Blank entered the Portland market with a plan to serve small breweries, it was a big deal. Today they distribute the beer from dozens of breweries, and not just ones from Oregon and Washington; they even import beer from the likes of Bitburger, Carlsberg, and Rodenbach. Which makes this big news:

“Columbia Distributing today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Point Blank Distributing, a respected Oregon craft-focused distributor… Following the close, Point Blank will operate as a dedicated craft beer division within Columbia, maintaining its craft-first focus, service model, and brewer relationships—now backed by Columbia’s statewide logistics network, unmatched merchandising and category resources.” (Bolding mine)

Many may recall when Columbia, the Northwest’s largest distributor, acquired General Distributing, a nearly 100-year old Oregon company, back in 2018, it was not so great for those breweries. General didn’t continue to exist as a division within Columbia, and the small breweries didn’t fare well when absorbed into Columbia’s large portfolio. Preserving Point Blank as its own division is an interesting shift of tactics.

In releasing the news, Columbia is clearly trying to reassure the breweries in Point Blank’s book that they’ll have a home going forward. I spoke to Steve Gibbs, Columbia VP External Affairs & Communications, this morning, and he told me, “What we’re hoping to do is respect [founder] Scott [Willis] and what they’ve done over there. And then we will pair that with our logistics and other strengths.”

In the press release, Columbia quotes Josh Fpriem (pFriem Family Brewers) and Peter Skrbek (Deschutes, who distributes the Boneyard brand in Portland) praising the deal. Those are two big breweries, and none of the smaller ones (including Von Ebert, StormBreaker, and Double Mountain) are quoted.

This is a developing story, and we’ll get more information in coming days. I’ll leave you with the quote they offered from Chris Steffanci, Columbia President and CEO: “This is a relationship-driven decision, first and foremost. Point Blank has built something special by staying focused on craft, service, and trust. Our goal is simple: protect what makes Point Blank successful and strengthen it with long-term investment, people, and infrastructure that help suppliers and retailers grow.”

If you are in Point Blank’s book and want to chat on or off the record, give me a holler. I will follow up on the story as more information emerges.