Five Star Distributing
Five Star Distributing is a family-owned beverage wholesaler in Northeast Indiana that distributes 1,100+ beer and non-alcohol beverage brands from 40+ suppliers to roughly 1,100 retail accounts across 13 counties.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersColumbia City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Five Star Distributing does
Five Star Distributing is a privately held, family-owned beverage wholesaler headquartered in Columbia City, Indiana, operating as the middle tier of the U.S. three-tier system (brewer → wholesaler → retailer). Founded in 2005 when the current ownership acquired an existing regional wholesaler, the company represents 40+ suppliers and approximately 150 beer brands, with a stated portfolio of 1,100+ SKUs spanning domestic, craft, regional craft, import, and RTD alcoholic categories, plus an expanding non-alcohol portfolio covering energy drinks, hydration, and yerba mate. It serves roughly 1,100 retail accounts across 13 Northeast Indiana counties, reaching an estimated 800,000 consumers.
The business runs from a 95,000 square foot distribution facility in Whitley County that broke ground in May 2007 and became operational March 10, 2008, with a stated headcount of 51-100 employees. Its technology footprint centers on the eoMarket online retailer ordering portal for order placement, pricing visibility, and sales-metric access, supplemented by a supplier-side brand reporting portal, inventory control tied to order history and sales velocity, and basic calculator tools. Ancillary services — scheduled field sales calls, route deliveries, draft line cleaning, in-house custom graphics, waitstaff education, electronic payment processing, and event support — are bundled into the wholesaler offering to differentiate from larger and smaller competitors.
Revenue is generated predominantly through wholesale case sales to on-premise and off-premise accounts at standard distribution margins, augmented by ancillary fees for services such as draft line cleaning and event support. The customer mix spans liquor stores, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, taverns, and other retail outlets — primarily SMB accounts, with mid-market exposure in grocery and hospitality. No public revenue, funding, or ownership changes are disclosed; leadership consists of a single named principal, President Stanley Ziherl, and the company is independently held with no PE or strategic parent referenced.
Five Star Distributing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Five Star Distributing
- Legal name
- Five Star Distributing
- Website
- https://fivestardistributing.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Five Star Distributing is a family-owned beverage wholesaler in Northeast Indiana that distributes 1,100+ beer and non-alcohol beverage brands from 40+ suppliers to roughly 1,100 retail accounts across 13 counties.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Five Star Distributing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beverage Distribution
- NAICS
- Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Beverage Wholesale Distribution (Non-Alcoholic) (CRAOAAAH)
Keywords
Where Five Star Distributing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Five Star Distributing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wholesale beverage distribution: Revenue generated from selling beer, malt beverages, and non-alcohol beverages to retail customers (liquor stores, grocery stores, restaurants, taverns, hotels) at wholesale margins. The company acts as a middle-tier wholesaler in the three-tier beer distribution system, representing over 40 suppliers and approximately 150 brands. Additional revenue streams include ancillary services such as draft line cleaning and special event support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Five Star Distributing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Five Star Distributing operates as a middle-tier wholesaler in the three-tier beer distribution system, representing over 40 suppliers and approximately 150 beer brands to retail outlets (liquor stores, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, taverns) across Northeast Indiana. The company provides scheduled deliveries, draft line cleaning, in-house graphic design, inventory management, and a retailer online ordering portal (eoMarket) in addition to wholesale beer and beverage supply.
Product overview
Five Star Distributing is a family-owned beverage distributor serving Northeast Indiana since 2005. The company operates as a wholesaler in the three-tier beer distribution system, representing over 40 suppliers and approximately 150 beer brands. The core product is the eoMarket Online Ordering Portal, a retailer-facing platform enabling order placement, sales metrics access, and marketing support. Supporting services include inventory control, in-house graphics design, draft line cleaning, waitstaff training, and local/national sales data. The portfolio spans domestic beers (Miller Lite, Coors Light, Pabst), craft beers (Bell's, Sam Adams, Blue Moon), regional craft (Three Floyds, Upland), imports (Guinness, Heineken, Peroni), RTD beverages (White Claw, Truly, Twisted Tea), and non-alcohol beverages (ZOA Energy, Prime Hydration, Guayaki). Business tools include embedded Omni calculators for draft sizing and sales margin calculations, and a supplier brand reporting portal.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Domestic Beers Portfolio Wholesale distribution of domestic beer brands including Miller Lite, Coors Light, Pabst, Yuengling, and Molson Coors products to retail outlets in Northeast Indiana.
- Craft Beers Portfolio Wholesale distribution of craft beer brands including Bell's, Sam Adams, Leinenkugel's, Blue Moon, New Belgium, and Southern Tier to retail outlets.
- Import Beers Portfolio Wholesale distribution of import beer brands including Guinness, Dos Equis, Heineken, Peroni, and Pilsner Urquell to retail outlets.
- RTD (Ready-to-Drink) Beverages Portfolio Wholesale distribution of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages including Smirnoff Ice, Mike's Hard, Twisted Tea, White Claw, Truly, Arnold Palmer Spiked, Hard Mountain Dew, and canned cocktails.
- Non-Alcohol Beverages Portfolio Wholesale distribution of non-alcohol beverages including energy drinks (ZOA, Alani Nu, Ryse Fuel), hydration products (Clearly Canadian, Prime Hydration, Karma Wellness Water), and organic yerba mate (Guayaki).
- eoMarket Online Ordering Portal Retailer-facing online portal enabling retailers to place beer orders, access sales metrics, view pricing, and retrieve marketing materials at any time.
- Draft Line Cleaning Service Scheduled draft line cleaning service performed by Five Star's dedicated staff to maintain beer quality and taste at retail accounts.
- In-House Graphics and Custom Design Marketing support service creating wall wraps, beer menus, price special posters, and thematic marketing materials aligned with target consumers.
- Local and National Sales Data Data service providing sales volumes, popular packages, and industry trends to help retailers make informed ordering and merchandising decisions.
- Electronic Payment Processing Electronic payment processing service accepting check, EFT, and ACH with direct bank withdrawal option for retailer accounts.
- Supplier Brand Reporting Real-time brand performance reporting system for supplier partners to track product sales in the market.
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving 1,100 retail customers and nearly 800,000 consumers in Northeast Indiana
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Five Star Distributing
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Five Star Distributing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Five Star Distributing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Miller Lite / Miller Brewing CompanycoreFive Star Distributing serves as a wholesale distribution partner representing Miller Lite and Miller Brewing Company products to retail customers in Northeast Indiana. Recognized with Miller High Life Achievement Award in 2007 for sales and execution.
- Coors Light / Molson CoorscoreFive Star Distributing represents Coors Light and Molson Coors product portfolio to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- Pabst Brewing CompanycoreFive Star Distributing distributes Pabst Brewing Company products to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- YuenglingcoreFive Star Distributing distributes Yuengling beers to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- Bell's BeercoreFive Star Distributing distributes Bell's craft beer portfolio to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams)coreFive Star Distributing distributes Sam Adams and Boston Beer Company products to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- New Belgium (NBB)coreFive Star Distributing distributes New Belgium craft beers to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- Guinness / DiageocoreFive Star Distributing distributes Guinness import beers to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- HeinekencoreFive Star Distributing distributes Heineken import products to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- White ClawcoreFive Star Distributing distributes White Claw hard seltzer to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- Truly Hard SeltzercoreFive Star Distributing distributes Truly hard seltzer products to retail customers in Northeast Indiana.
- ZOA EnergycoreFive Star Distributing distributes ZOA Zero Sugar energy drink in fitness and energy category to retail customers.
- Prime HydrationcoreFive Star Distributing distributes Prime Hydration sports drink (co-founded by KSI and Logan Paul) to retail customers.
- Guayaki Yerba MatecoreFive Star Distributing distributes Guayaki USDA organic yerba mate products to retail customers.
- Cicerone Certification ProgramminorFive Star Distributing supports Cicerone certification program, an industry certification for beer professionals.
- National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA)minorFive Star Distributing is a member of NBWA, the national trade association representing beer distributors. Also supports NBWA's human trafficking awareness initiatives.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Five Star Distributing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Monarch Beverage Company: One of the largest beer distributors in Indiana, headquartered in Indianapolis. Same three-tier wholesaler model, multi-supplier portfolio, and on-premise/off-premise retail account coverage, differing primarily in scale and geography within Indiana.
- Zipp Distributing: Indianapolis-based beer wholesaler operating in the same Indiana regulatory environment. Closely comparable in role: multi-brand distribution to retail accounts (liquor stores, grocery, on-premise) with supplier representation model.
- City Beverage Company: Indiana-based beer distributor serving central Indiana retailers. Directly comparable as a regional wholesaler carrying major and craft suppliers with similar go-to-market to on/off-premise accounts.
- Crescent Crown Distributing: Multi-state regional beer distributor with operations across several U.S. markets. Comparable in business model—three-tier distribution of major and craft suppliers to retail accounts—only with broader geographic scope.
- Stein Distributing Company: Regional beer wholesaler with similar supplier-agnostic distribution model to retail and on-premise accounts. Comparable mid-scale independent operator, differing in market geography.
Broad incumbents
- Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits: The largest U.S. beverage distributor with national footprint across beer, wine, and spirits. Operates overlapping three-tier wholesale role but at massive scale, with broader product categories and national supplier relationships beyond any single regional player.
- Republic National Distributing Company: Major U.S. beverage alcohol wholesaler with multi-state coverage across beer, wine, and spirits. Overlaps with Five Star in the wholesale distribution model but at national scale and with broader category scope.
- Reyes Beverage Group: Large national beer and beverage distributor (including operations formerly known as Reyes/Champion/Donaghy). Comparable wholesale distributor business model, but operates at far greater scale and across multiple U.S. markets.
Regional players
- Hand Family Companies: Family-owned beverage distribution group operating in select U.S. markets. Comparable as a multi-generational, family-controlled beer/wholesale distributor, with similar supplier-representation model.
Others
- Coors/Molson Coors Distributor Network: Molson Coors' own distributor partner network represents the tier above Five Star; comparable in that brewer-wholesaler contractual relationships govern volumes, incentives, and route economics for Five Star specifically through Miller Coors products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Five Star Distributing social profiles
Digital presenceFive Star Distributing compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Five Star Distributing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Five Star Distributing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Five Star Distributing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Five Star Distributing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Five Star Distributing
What does Five Star Distributing do?
Five Star Distributing operates as a middle-tier wholesaler in the three-tier beer distribution system, representing over 40 suppliers and approximately 150 beer brands to retail outlets (liquor stores, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, taverns) across Northeast Indiana. The company provides scheduled deliveries, draft line cleaning, in-house graphic design, inventory management, and a retailer online ordering portal (eoMarket) in addition to wholesale beer and beverage supply.
Is Five Star Distributing a public or private company?
Five Star Distributing is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Five Star Distributing founded?
Five Star Distributing was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Five Star Distributing based?
Five Star Distributing is headquartered in Columbia City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Five Star Distributing make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale beverage distribution.
Who are Five Star Distributing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Monarch Beverage Company, Zipp Distributing, City Beverage Company, Crescent Crown Distributing and Stein Distributing Company. Broad incumbents are Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, Republic National Distributing Company and Reyes Beverage Group. Hand Family Companies is listed as a regional player. Coors/Molson Coors Distributor Network is listed as an others.
Does Five Star Distributing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Five Star Distributing.
What industry is Five Star Distributing in?
Five Star Distributing's product category is Beverage Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAIAA, Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution, with a secondary code of CRAOAAAH, Beverage Wholesale Distribution (Non-Alcoholic). Its NAICS code is 424810 and its SIC code is 5180.