What United Distributors does

United Distributors, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned beverage alcohol wholesaler headquartered at 5500 United Drive, Smyrna, Georgia, operating as the largest distributor of beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages in both Georgia and Alabama. The company traces its origin to the 1940 founding of the Fulton Distribution Company by the Hertz and Kugelman families, evolving through a 1982 ownership restructuring into its current form, with Doug Hertz serving as Chairman & CEO since 1984 and Michael Hertz (fourth generation) promoted to President in February 2024. Its distribution platform spans company-operated warehouses in Smyrna, Albany, and Savannah, Georgia, plus United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama, and serves on-premise and off-premise retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounts through a direct field sales force of brand builders and sales representatives. The product portfolio covers domestic and import beer (including Coors, Miller, and Heineken partnerships plus craft brands like SweetWater and Wrecking Bar), a globally sourced wine catalog, a full spirits range (whiskey, bourbon, tequila, gin, vodka, rum, mezcal, RTDs), and a growing non-alcoholic segment (sparkling water, mixers, energy drinks, NA beer), with recent additions including the 2024 White X Cognac partnership with Quavo.

The company's business model is a classic wholesale distribution model: it purchases beverage alcohol from suppliers and resells to retail and hospitality customers at a margin, generating volume-based, recurring revenue tied to the continuous replenishment cycle of its distributor network. Pricing is quote-based and tied to volume, supplier agreements, and customer relationships; no public pricing is disclosed. United Distributors differentiates through a "brand builder" identity, operating a dedicated brand development team for craft beer, wine, and spirits (under the "United for Craft" / "United Craft" sub-brands), supplemented by trade education programs including the "What To Drink" podcast and category training videos. The company invests in community philanthropy (Habitat for Humanity, Camp Twin Lakes, Atlanta Food Bank, The Giving Kitchen) and event sponsorships (Music Midtown, SweetWater 420 Festival) as brand-building and relationship vehicles with the on-premise trade. Ownership remains entirely within the founding Hertz and Kugelman families, with no external private equity or institutional investment indicated.

The underlying technology footprint is modest and operational rather than product-led: distribution runs on conventional warehouse and delivery infrastructure, with no proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, patents, or APIs disclosed. Marketing and customer engagement operate through a WordPress-based website (udiga.com), a craft sub-brand site (udigacraft.com), a WPEngine-hosted employee intranet, and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+). The headcount of 501–1,000 employees supports a multi-state field sales, warehouse, delivery, and category management operation across beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Name

United Distributors

Legal name

United Distributors, Inc.

Website

https://udiga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

United Distributors is a fourth-generation, family-owned beverage alcohol wholesaler serving retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounts across Georgia and Alabama with beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beverage Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (4248)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beverage Wholesale Distribution (Non-Alcoholic) (CRAOAAAH), Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale (AFAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Beverage wholesale distribution
• Beer distribution
• Wine distribution
• Spirits distribution
• Non-alcoholic beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Smyrna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Beverage Distribution (Beer, Wine, Spirits, Non-Alcoholic): United Distributors generates revenue by distributing beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages to retail, restaurant, and hospitality customers. The company takes margin on the spread between wholesale acquisition costs and resale prices to its customer base. Revenue is volume-based and recurring, driven by the continuous wholesale replenishment cycle of its distributor network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Distributors is a family-owned wholesale beverage distributor that supplies beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic products to retail, restaurant, and hospitality businesses across Georgia and Alabama. The company purchases beverages from breweries, wineries, distillers, and non-alcoholic producers and resells them at wholesale to on-premise and off-premise accounts, supported by warehouses in Smyrna, Albany, and Savannah and a dedicated brand development team for craft and boutique suppliers.

Product overview

United Distributors is a family-owned, community-focused, statewide beverage wholesaler operating as a single unified distribution platform for beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages across Georgia and Alabama. The company functions as a wholesale distributor rather than a technology product company, with its core offering being the aggregation and distribution of beverage alcohol brands. The product portfolio spans multiple categories including: craft beer brands (Wrecking Bar, SweetWater), major domestic and import beers (Coors, Heineken, Miller), an extensive wine portfolio covering major global wine-producing regions, a full spirits catalog including bourbon, whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka and RTDs, and non-alcoholic beverages. The company also offers complementary services including a podcast (What To Drink), educational videos on beer/wine/spirits, and craft beverage brand development support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• United for Craft: Craft beer, wine, and spirits brands brand development initiative
• What To Drink
• United Craft

Products and services

• Beer Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of beer, including craft (e.g., Wrecking Bar, SweetWater Lager), domestic, and import brands, sold to on-premise and off-premise retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounts across Georgia and Alabama.
• Wine Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of wine from California, Washington, France, Italy, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Portugal, including red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines, sold to on-premise and off-premise retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounts across Georgia and Alabama.
• Spirits Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of spirits including whiskey, bourbon, tequila, gin, vodka, rum, mezcal, and ready-to-drink cocktails, sold to on-premise and off-premise retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounts across Georgia and Alabama.
• Non-Alcoholic Beverage Distribution Wholesale distribution of non-alcoholic beverages including sparkling water (Voss), mixers (Zing Zang, Herradura Agave Nectar), energy drinks (Crunk, Uptime, ZOA), and NA beer options, sold to on-premise and off-premise retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounts across Georgia and Alabama.
• White X Cognac by Quavo Co-branded cognac expression launched in 2024 in partnership with Grammy-nominated artist Quavo, distributed by United Distributors as part of its spirits portfolio in Georgia and Alabama.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Quavo (Grammy-nominated artist and entrepreneur)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite X Cognac — United Distributors partnered with Grammy-nominated artist and entrepreneur Quavo to launch White X Cognac, an impressive new expression. United distributes this branded spirit product as part of its portfolio development.
• United-Johnson Brothers of AlabamacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUnited has expanded into Alabama where it operates as United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama, extending its distribution footprint beyond Georgia into a neighboring state.
• Georgia Restaurant AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUnited Distributors was selected as Industry Partner of the Year by the Georgia Restaurant Association at the 2023 Annual Grace Awards, recognizing the company's support and partnership with the restaurant industry.
• Habitat for HumanityminorOthersUnited Distributors supports Habitat for Humanity through volunteer efforts and community building initiatives. United Associates participated in building a Habitat for Humanity home (May 13 – July 22, 2023).
• Camp Twin LakesminorOthersUnited Distributors supports Camp Twin Lakes, a charitable organization serving children with serious illnesses and disabilities.
• Atlanta Food BankminorOthersUnited Distributors supports the Atlanta Food Bank as part of its community philanthropy initiatives.
• The Giving Kitchen / StaplehouseminorOthersUnited Distributors participated in the Woodford Reserve Giving Kitchen initiative, a fund supporting metro Atlanta restaurant community members impacted by medical or other unanticipated hardship. Proceeds from a custom Woodford Reserve barrel went to the Giving Kitchen/Staplehouse.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Allied Beverage Group: Large New Jersey-based beer, wine, and spirits wholesaler serving a single-state market at scale, comparable to United's regional dominance in Georgia/Alabama.
• Hand Family Companies: Multi-state beverage wholesaler (Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky) operating a comparable multi-category distribution model. Adjacent territory to United and a likely M&A or partnership candidate.
• Horizon Beverage Company: New England-based multi-category beverage alcohol wholesaler operating a state-level dominant distribution model similar to United's footprint strategy.
• Lipman Brothers: Tennessee-based family-owned wholesale beverage distributor with similar on/off-premise B2B distribution and craft brand development focus serving the Southeast.
• Major Brands (Missouri): Family-owned Missouri-based distributor of beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages — closely analogous family-owned multi-category regional wholesaler model to United.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits: Largest beverage alcohol distributor in the U.S., operating across all 50 states. Comparable to United in core beer/wine/spirits distribution model but at national scale and with far broader supplier relationships.
• Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC): One of the largest U.S. beer, wine, and spirits wholesalers, formed through the Breakthru Beverage and RNDC merger. Competes with United at the supplier-level for distribution rights and brand allocations.
• Breakthru Beverage Group: Major multi-state beverage alcohol distributor with significant craft brand portfolio development — directly comparable to United's brand-builder role at a larger geographic scale.

Direct peers

• Johnson Brothers Liquor Company: Family-owned Minnesota-based wine, beer, and spirits distributor that partners with United in Alabama via the United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama joint operation. Operates an identical multi-category wholesale model.
• Empire Distributors of Georgia: Atlanta-based beverage alcohol distributor serving Georgia with beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic portfolios. Operates as a direct on-territory competitor to United Distributors in the same state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCM8YEk-jrjrrwREieznv14A
• Facebookfacebook.com/uniteddistga
• Instagraminstagram.com/FRIENDSOFUNITED
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-distributors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Distributors