The Craft Spirits Cooperative

What The Craft Spirits Cooperative does

The Craft Spirits Cooperative, Inc. is a craft spirits importer and national representative founded in 2013 and headquartered in Leucadia/Encinitas, California, with 11–50 employees. The company provides Route to Market services — pairing brand building with import and distribution — to authentic artisanal spirits producers that lack the scale or marketing budgets to secure attention from major distributors, which typically carry 3,000–4,000 brands. Its core operations are built around a field sales team of Spirits Specialists and part-time Spirits Guides who practice an education-first selling methodology, supported by a CRM portal for account tracking, and a closely knit Distributor Network enabling nationwide reach. Founded by Romina Scheufele, whose family has produced Capurro Pisco for over 100 years, the company maintains a curated portfolio of current brands (Capurro Pisco, Perlas, Amargo Chuncho, and California Distribution Brands WB and The Walter Collective) and has historically built California and US presence for brands that subsequently transitioned to larger distribution partners (Santa Teresa Rum to Bacardi in 2017, Wyoming Whiskey to Edrington in 2018, Four Pillars Gin to Kirin/Lion in 2019).

The company operates across three primary revenue streams: import and distribution margin on product sales to trade accounts, managed-services brand representation fees, and direct-to-consumer revenue via DrinkFellows, a curated e-commerce marketplace co-developed with Death & Co that combines editorial content with product access and is fulfilled by a network of independent bottle shops. Customer segments include on-premise trade (top culinary restaurants, cocktail bars), independent retail (destination bottle shops), artisanal spirits brand owners, and craft spirits consumers. Pricing for trade accounts is flexible, with no order minimums, waived delivery fees on 6- or 12-bottle increments, and mix-and-match pricing. Marketing is anchored in storytelling about artisanal producers via Instagram, an email newsletter (Amuse-Bouche), the DrinkFellows editorial platform, and on-site events at trade accounts.

Name

The Craft Spirits Cooperative

Legal name

The Craft Spirits Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://craftspiritscoop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Craft Spirits Cooperative is a craft spirits importer and national representative founded in 2013 that provides route-to-market and brand-building services to artisanal spirits producers across California and nationwide, serving restaurants, bars, and independent bottle shops via a field sales team and the DrinkFellows consumer marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Spirits Distribution & Brand Representation

NAICS

Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Craft & Specialty Beverage Wholesale (Local/Artisanal) (AFAIAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

Keywords

• Craft spirits distribution
• Artisanal spirits import
• Beverage brand representation
• Spirits portfolio management
• On-premise trade sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Encinitas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Import & Distribution: The company imports artisanal spirits and manages distribution to trade accounts (restaurants, bars, bottle shops) through its distributor network, earning margin on product sales.
2. Brand Building & Representation: Full-service national representation managing every aspect of brand development including touch-points at distributor, trade, and consumer levels. Revenue is generated through portfolio representation fees and increased brand sales volume.
3. Route to Market Services: Pairs brand building efforts with import and distribution in one streamlined solution, giving brand owners control and scalability. The company saturates key markets while providing nationwide distribution through its distributor network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Craft Spirits Cooperative imports and distributes artisanal craft spirits brands in the United States, acting as a full-service national representative that pairs brand building with import and distribution. It sells a curated portfolio of spirits (including Capurro Pisco, Perlas, and Amargo Chuncho) to on-premise trade accounts and independent bottle shops via a field sales force, and offers the DrinkFellows consumer marketplace built with Death & Co.

Product overview

The Craft Spirits Cooperative is an importer and national distribution representative for craft spirits brands, operating since 2013. Their core offering is Route to Market Strategy services that pair brand building with import and distribution. They represent a curated portfolio of artisanal spirits brands through their Spirits Specialists team, with distribution across California and nationwide through their distributor network. Their product portfolio includes current brands like Capurro Pisco, Perlas, and Amargo Chuncho, plus California Distribution Brands (WB, The Walter Collective). They also offer consumer access through DrinkFellows, a platform that connects small batch spirits to consumers while supporting independent bottle shops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Craft Spirits Import & Distribution Services Full-service import and national distribution representation for craft spirits brands, managing brand development across distributor, trade, and consumer touch-points. Designed for artisanal spirits producers seeking US market entry and on-premise placement at top culinary restaurants, cocktail bars, and destination bottle shops.
• Route to Market Strategy A brand development and scaling strategy that pairs sales and brand-building efforts with import and distribution in one streamlined solution, giving brand owners control and nationwide distribution through the cooperative's distributor network.
• DrinkFellows Marketplace Consumer-facing e-commerce platform created with Death & Co that provides nationwide access to small batch craft spirits, intertwined with editorial content and drink-making techniques. Orders are fulfilled by the nearest independent bottle shop in the cooperative's network, with each sale supporting a local small business retailer.
• Artisanal Spirits Portfolio (Capurro Pisco, Perlas, Amargo Chuncho, California Distribution Brands) Curated portfolio of imported artisanal spirits brands currently represented by the cooperative in the US market. Includes Capurro Pisco (Peru), Perlas, Amargo Chuncho, and California Distribution Brands (WB, The Walter Collective). Brands are sold through the cooperative's field sales force to on-premise trade accounts and independent bottle shops, and online via DrinkFellows.

Quantifiable outcome

• Built Santa Teresa Rum's California presence from inception in 2013 until Bacardi global distribution deal in 2017.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Edrington Group (for Wyoming Whiskey)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Wyoming Whiskey, a past CSC portfolio brand, signed a global Sales & Marketing Deal with The Edrington Group in 2018 after CSC launched and built the brand's California market starting in 2016.
• Bacardi (for Santa Teresa Rum)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Santa Teresa Rum, a past CSC portfolio brand, entered a global distribution deal with Bacardi in 2017 after CSC built the brand's California presence from the cooperative's inception in 2013.
• DrinkFellows (with Death & Co)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2013DrinkFellows is a curated online marketplace developed together with Death & Co (a renowned cocktail bar and publisher) that provides consumers across the country access to small craft spirits brands, intertwined with in-depth editorial and drink-making techniques. Every sale on DrinkFellows supports a local independent bottle shop in the fulfillment network. DrinkFellows is managed independently and growing its retailer network daily.
• Capurro Pisco (Founder's Family Brand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Romina Scheufele's family has been producing Capurro Pisco for over 100 years. The family created The Craft Spirits Cooperative with a supplier's perspective for brands like theirs, making this both a deeply personal founding relationship and a core portfolio brand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits: The largest US wine and spirits distributor, identified by CSC itself as the type of three-tier partner that 'carries too many brands to give adequate attention.' Provides scale context and competitive threat for national accounts.
• Proximo Spirits: Major US spirits importer and marketer behind Jose Cuervo, Bushmills, Proper No. Twelve, and Three Olives. Operates a brand-building-plus-distribution model at larger scale that competes for premium producer mandates.
• Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits: Family-owned importer and marketer of premium wines and spirits. Competes with CSC for premium supplier mandates and applies similar brand-building investment around artisanal producers at broader scale.

Direct peers

• Skurnik Wines & Spirits: Family-owned independent importer and national representative of small-production fine wines and craft spirits. Mirrors CSC's model of pairing selective producer relationships with field-sales-led national distribution and education-driven trade engagement.
• Sovereign Brands: Independent brand builder and marketer behind Bumbu Rum and D'ussé, with a portfolio-led approach to developing, launching, and scaling craft and premium spirits in the US. Closely mirrors CSC's mission of elevating artisanal producer brands.
• Park Street Imports: Full-service beverage alcohol sales, marketing, and import specialist representing spirits and wine producers entering or expanding in the US market. Closely aligns with CSC's brand representation plus import-and-distribution offering.
• Vias Imports: Family-owned importer and national distributor specializing in artisanal Italian wines and spirits. Shares CSC's positioning around authentic producer stories and selective artisanal curation.
• Marussia Beverages USA: US importer and brand builder for premium Eastern European and craft spirits. Applies a comparable supplier-side representation model and education-led go-to-market for small-batch international brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/craftspirits
• Facebookfacebook.com/craftspiritscoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/craftspirits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 The Craft Spirits Cooperative