For the second year in a row a national beverage magazine has singled out Chicago distributor Louis Glunz Beer Inc for its commitment to craft and import brands.
photo courtesy Louis Glunz Beer Inc’s Facebook page.
Last year it was Beverage World Magazine naming Glunz “Distributor of the Year.” This year it’s Beverage Industry Magazine designating Glunz as “Wholesaler of the Year,” for 2013.
With a company history dating back to 1888, Louis Glunz Beer Inc. has been in business long enough to see the beer industry transform around it. “Over the last 125 years, Louis Glunz Beer Inc. has adapted to the many changes in the industry from Prohibition and the Great Depression to the current-day surge in American craft and specialty beers and the use of technology in our everyday lives,” says Jerry Glunz, general manager for the Lincolnwood, Ill.-based wholesaler. “Adapting to these many changes in the community, market and industry is one of the things that distinguishes us from other distributors.”
Featuring a comprehensive selection of craft, specialty and import beers that represents more than 190 breweries from around the world, the company continues to expand its portfolio with both international and American craft beers, Jerry Glunz explains. “From grain to glass, we are brand builders from breweries around the globe,” he says.
That expansion is exemplified within its sales for the eight Chicagoland counties it serves. When current Owner and President Jack Glunz assumed his leadership role in 1992, sales were at $9 million, but in 2012, sales reached more than $50 million with more than 43 million cans and bottles sold, says Janet Bischoff, chief financial officer with Louis Glunz Beer.
“In an economy that is currently in decline for most businesses that are cutting jobs, we have expanded and invested in our future with more staff, equipment and tools to improve our productivity,” she adds.
There is lots of good stuff in there, so go read the whole thing. For instance, tucked away in the piece is the not-yet-reported (that we’re aware of) addition of Michigan’s Frankenmuth Brewery to the Glunz lineup.
It’s been a good stretch of headlines for Illinois distributors as of late, with Glunz taking home this honor and Euclid Beverage and Town and Country Distributors both being named as finalists for the Craft Beer Distributor of the year Award.