Wine and Spirits Shippers Association
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wine and Spirits Shippers Association
- Legal name
- Wine and Spirits Shippers Association Inc.
- Website
- https://wssa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alcohol Beverage Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Alcohol & Beverage-Grade Bulk Liquid Transport (Spirits/Wine/Beer Base) (TLADALAH), LCL (Less-than-Container Load) Consolidation/Deconsolidation (TLACABAB), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)
Keywords
Where Wine and Spirits Shippers Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from importers, exporters, and distributors in the alcohol beverage industry who join to access collective shipping contracts and group buying power.
- Cargo Insurance / Value Protection Program: Competitive cargo insurance program offering temperature coverage, warehouse product protection, and claims processing for beverage alcohol shipments.
- Freight Forwarding Services (Albatrans): Subsidiary freight forwarding company handling wine, spirits, beer, corks, wooden barrels, and glassware shipping globally.
- CBMA Services: Customs brokerage services handling Craft Beverage Modernization Act documentation and filings for duty credits.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WSSA is a member-driven shippers' association that pools shipper volume to negotiate favorable ocean, air, and ground contracts on behalf of alcohol beverage importers, exporters, and distributors. It complements these contracts with the Value Protection Program cargo insurance, CBMA compliance services, and vertically integrated freight forwarding (Albatrans) and temperature-controlled warehousing (Alba W&S) for end-to-end beverage alcohol logistics.
Product overview
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association (WSSA) is a shippers' association serving the alcohol beverage industry. The core offering consists of Contract Management services that negotiate shipping contracts using collective buying power, combined with the Value Protection Program for cargo insurance. WSSA provides comprehensive logistics services through its freight forwarding subsidiary Albatrans (including temperature-controlled warehousing in Edison, NJ) and offers specialized services including CBMA compliance, cargo insurance, member events, and industry advocacy. The organization serves importers, exporters, and distributors in the alcohol beverage sector across global trade routes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Contract Management Uses the aggregated shipper volume of members to negotiate favorable ocean, air, and ground shipping contracts on behalf of alcohol beverage importers, exporters, and distributors.
- Value Protection Program Competitive and comprehensive cargo insurance coverage designed specifically for alcohol beverage shippers, built on decades of claims experience.
- Optional Temperature Coverage Coverage option under the Value Protection Program that addresses temperature exposure during transit for wine, spirits, and beer.
- Warehouse Product Protection Cargo coverage extension that protects alcohol beverage inventory while stored at warehouse facilities.
- CBMA Services End-to-end Craft Beverage Modernization Act support including supplier allocation tracking, customs broker coordination, and required documentation filing for duty credit claims.
- Albatrans International Freight Forwarders Global freight forwarding services for wine, spirits, beer, corks, wooden barrels, and glassware, including LCL services from Europe and temperature-controlled shipping.
- Alba W&S Warehouse & Distribution Temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution services including ambient storage, temperature-controlled storage, high value storage, bonded storage, repackaging, kitting, quality assurance, and control state labeling, with daily delivery to NYC, NJ, and CT.
Companies that use Wine and Spirits Shippers Association
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AlbatranscoreAlbatrans is the freight forwarding arm of WSSA and one of the largest global providers of logistics in the alcohol beverage sector. Operating across 45+ cities in 26 countries and 6 continents, Albatrans specializes in shipping wine, spirits, beer, corks, wooden barrels, and glassware. The partnership provides integrated logistics services including LCL (Less than Container Load) services from Europe, temperature-controlled shipping, and global freight management.
- Alba W&S Warehouse & DistributioncoreA subsidiary of WSSA's freight forwarding partner, Alba W&S Warehousing & Distribution operates a 600,000+ sq ft temperature controlled warehouse facility in Edison, NJ. Located minutes from the Port of NY/NJ, the facility offers ambient, temperature controlled, high value, and bonded storage along with full-service distribution for all beverage types. Services include repackaging, kitting, quality assurance, and control state labeling.
- Customs BrokerscoreWSSA works directly with customs brokers to file CBMA documentation and required forms on behalf of members. The association coordinates between members and their customs brokers to ensure proper documentation for duty credit claims under the Craft Beverage Modernization Act.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- C.H. Robinson: Large global freight broker and 3PL serving beverage alcohol shippers alongside many other verticals. Competes indirectly for alcohol logistics spend but does not specialize exclusively in wine/spirits.
- Expeditors International: Global forwarder with ocean and air capacity used by alcoholic beverage shippers. Not specialized, but a competitor for cross-border beverage freight arrangements.
- Mainfreight USA: Multi-modal forwarder with dedicated wine and beverage air-freight services and warehousing. Competes regionally and globally with Albatrans on wine and spirits forwarding lanes.
- Kuehne+Nagel: Global logistics provider with a dedicated Perishable Logistics team handling wine, spirits, and beer via air, ocean, and road. Offers overlapping capabilities but as part of a much broader portfolio.
- DHL Global Forwarding: Operates a Beverage Logistics sub-segment with ocean, air, and warehousing solutions for alcohol producers. A scaled incumbent that overlaps with Albatrans but is not specialized to a single vertical.
Direct peers
- JF Hillebrand Group: One of the largest global forwarders dedicated to beer, wine, and spirits, offering ocean, inland, and specialized beverage logistics. Most direct comparable to Albatrans/WSSA on product mix and customer base.
- Beverage Logistics Group: US-based freight forwarder focused on wine, spirits, and craft beverages with warehousing and compliance services. Closely overlaps WSSA/Albatrans on beverage-specialized forwarding and storage.
- Shipco Transport: Neutral NVOCC with a strong beverage alcohol lane and dedicated wine/spirits service. Operates in similar ocean LCL and freight forwarding categories as Albatrans, serving comparable alcohol importers.
Others
- Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA): Industry association for US wine and spirits distributors with extensive trade policy and CBMA advocacy. Complementary rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same alcohol trade policy and compliance space.
- National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA): US trade association representing customs brokers and freight forwarders. Comparable as an industry-association model, though broader than WSSA's alcohol-specific focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association social profiles
Digital presenceWine and Spirits Shippers Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association 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 Wine and Spirits Shippers Association
What does Wine and Spirits Shippers Association do?
WSSA is a member-driven shippers' association that pools shipper volume to negotiate favorable ocean, air, and ground contracts on behalf of alcohol beverage importers, exporters, and distributors. It complements these contracts with the Value Protection Program cargo insurance, CBMA compliance services, and vertically integrated freight forwarding (Albatrans) and temperature-controlled warehousing (Alba W&S) for end-to-end beverage alcohol logistics.
Is Wine and Spirits Shippers Association a public or private company?
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Wine and Spirits Shippers Association founded?
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association was founded in 1977. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Wine and Spirits Shippers Association based?
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wine and Spirits Shippers Association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are cargo Insurance / Value Protection Program, freight Forwarding Services (Albatrans) and CBMA Services.
Who are Wine and Spirits Shippers Association's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are C.H. Robinson, Expeditors International, Mainfreight USA, Kuehne+Nagel and DHL Global Forwarding. Direct peers are JF Hillebrand Group, Beverage Logistics Group and Shipco Transport. Others are Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) and National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA).
Does Wine and Spirits Shippers Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wine and Spirits Shippers Association.
What industry is Wine and Spirits Shippers Association in?
Wine and Spirits Shippers Association's product category is Alcohol Beverage Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAMAF, Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL), with a secondary code of TLACABAG, Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.