What Clare Rose does

Clare Rose Inc. was a privately held wholesale beverage alcohol distributor headquartered in Shirley, New York, operating across Long Island since 1936. The company distributed a portfolio of major national brands — including Anheuser-Busch products, Tilray Brands offerings, Pabst Brewing Company lines, and Cutwater Spirits — to on-premise and off-premise retailers across Nassau and Suffolk counties through the traditional three-tier distribution model. Its operations were anchored by a warehouse and distribution facility in Yaphank, Long Island, and the company employed between 501 and 1,000 people at the time of its acquisition.

Clare Rose's business model was that of a regional beer-and-beverage wholesaler: purchasing inventory from brewers and brand owners at wholesale, then selling and delivering to licensed retailers within an exclusive franchise territory. The company served as the critical intermediary linking Tier 1 national suppliers with local Long Island retail accounts. No public information was available regarding pricing structures, customer segmentation, or specific revenue mechanics.

In 2026, Clare Rose was acquired by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, the largest beverage alcohol distributor in the United States. The deal was announced on March 19, 2026 and completed on June 1, 2026. Following the transaction, the acquired business operates as Southern Glazer's Beverage Company of New York, with Southern Glazer's continuing to operate from the existing Yaphank facility. Southern Glazer's CEO Wayne E. Chaplin characterized the acquisition as a key milestone in the company's total beverage growth strategy, strengthening customer and supplier relationships across the Long Island region.

Name

Clare Rose

Legal name

Clare Rose Inc.

Website

https://clarerose.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Clare Rose was a privately held Long Island, New York beverage alcohol wholesaler distributing Anheuser-Busch, Tilray, Pabst, and Cutwater Spirits brands to retailers across Nassau and Suffolk counties, acquired by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits in 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Beverage Distribution

NAICS

Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Beer, Wine, Spirits) (AFAIAGAA), Beverage Wholesale (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic) (AFAIABAH)

Keywords

• Beverage distribution
• Wholesale beer
• Alcohol distribution
• Three-tier distribution
• Long Island distributor

Headquarters

HQ city

Shirley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Clare Rose operated as a wholesale beverage alcohol distributor on Long Island, New York, supplying Anheuser-Busch products, Tilray Brands, Pabst Brewing Company offerings, and Cutwater Spirits to retail accounts across Nassau and Suffolk counties. The company operated a traditional three-tier distribution model, moving beverages from producers to licensed retailers via its own warehousing and delivery fleet. Following its 2026 acquisition by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, the business now operates as Southern Glazer's Beverage Company of New York.

Product overview

Clare Rose operated as a single unified beverage alcohol distribution business serving Long Island, New York. The company distributed a portfolio of major beverage brands including Anheuser-Busch products, Tilray Brands, Pabst Brewing Company, and Cutwater Spirits to retailers across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Following its acquisition by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits in 2026, the business now operates as Southern Glazer's Beverage Company of New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beverage Alcohol Distribution Services

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Southern Glazer's Wine & SpiritscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, a major beverage alcohol distributor, acquired substantially all assets of Clare Rose Inc. The acquisition enhances Southern Glazer's presence in the Long Island market and expands its distribution network to cover Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits: Largest U.S. beverage alcohol distributor and the entity that acquired Clare Rose in 2026; operates in 47 U.S. markets and Canada, directly comparable three-tier wholesale model with overlapping beer, wine, and spirits portfolios.
• E&J Gallo Winery: Largest U.S. wine producer with a sizable distribution arm; comparable to Clare Rose from a wine distribution perspective although primarily a producer/supplier, it actively competes for shelf and route-to-market partnerships with wholesalers like Clare Rose.

Regional players

• Winebow Group: Wine and spirits-focused distributor with East Coast operations; serves as a relevant peer for Clare Rose's spirits and wine distribution activities, especially the Cutwater Spirits portion of the portfolio.
• Allied Beverage Group: Mid-Atlantic beer, wine, and spirits distributor headquartered in New Jersey; provides a relevant regional comp for a Long Island-focused alcohol wholesaler of similar size and brand mix.
• Manhattan Beer Distributors: Large beer-focused wholesaler covering New York City metro; closest direct competitor for Anheuser-Busch and other mainstream beer supplier rights in the tri-state region adjacent to Clare Rose's Long Island territory.

Others

• Anheuser-Busch Companies: Clare Rose's largest beer supplier; not a peer in the wholesale sense but a key counterparty whose contract economics drove Clare Rose's revenue and is now the underlying brand being scaled post-acquisition.
• Pabst Brewing Company: Independent U.S. brewer whose portfolio Clare Rose distributed on Long Island; while a supplier rather than peer distributor, Pabst's high-volume, value-tier brands materially shaped Clare Rose's route mix and margin profile.

Direct peers

• Republic National Distributing Company: Major national beverage alcohol distributor across multiple U.S. markets with a comparable three-tier model distributing beer, wine, and spirits; overlaps with Clare Rose's supplier and customer types, especially on the spirits side.
• Breakthru Beverage Group: Large multi-state beer, wine, and spirits wholesaler serving the Northeast and other U.S. regions; competes for the same tier-1 supplier relationships and on-premise/off-premise retail accounts as Clare Rose did.

Emerging players

• Tilray Brands: Supplier of cannabis-adjacent and beverage alcohol brands carried by Clare Rose; relevant as an emerging player whose CPG portfolio expansion is reshaping distributor economics in markets like Long Island.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Clare Rose