What Paulaner USA does

Paulaner USA is a privately-held beer import and distribution company headquartered in White Plains, New York, founded in 2011 and operating with 11-50 employees. The company serves as the exclusive US importer for a portfolio of three internationally established premium beer brands: Paulaner (Munich), Hacker-Pschorr (Munich, established in the 15th century), and Tsingtao (Qingdao, established in 1903 and the sixth-largest brewer globally). The Paulaner brewery alone exports more than 53 million gallons per year to over 70 countries, while Tsingtao is recognized as a Global Top 500 brand present in more than 100 countries. Across the three breweries the combined brewing heritage exceeds 1,100 years.

The company's product offering centers on imported beers, supplemented by format extensions such as the recently introduced 5-liter mini-keg. Its go-to-market is a B2B distributor model: distributors place orders through a dedicated portal at orders.paulanerhpusa.com, while consumer-facing Beer Finder tools on paulanerusa.com help end consumers locate products at retail. The company maintains brand-level social media presences on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X to support brand awareness and distributor sell-through. The underlying technology stack is limited to standard commercial website and ordering portal functionality on the Squarespace platform; no proprietary technology, APIs, or software products are disclosed.

Revenue mechanics are typical of a specialty beverage importer: Paulaner USA purchases beer from the three parent breweries, imports it into the United States, and distributes it through third-party wholesalers/distributors and on-premise accounts, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The company reports no funding rounds, no parent company, no acquisitions, no regulatory actions, and no patents. Leadership consists of Terry Zinsli in a combined COO-CFO role, consistent with a lean privately-held importer.

Name

Paulaner USA

Legal name

Paulaner USA

Website

https://paulanerhpusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Paulaner USA is a privately-held US beer importer and distributor, headquartered in White Plains, NY, that represents Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, and Tsingtao in the United States. It sells through third-party distributor networks with B2B ordering portals and consumer Beer Finder tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Imported Beer Distribution

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (4248), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (42481)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Alcohol Importers & Brand Owners (Wholesale) (CRAOAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beverage Import/Export & Cross-Border Wholesale (AFAIAGAL), Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Beer, Wine, Spirits) (AFAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Imported beer distribution
• Premium German beer
• Premium Chinese beer
• B2B beverage distribution
• Beer brand importer

Headquarters

HQ city

White Plains

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Beer Import and Distribution: Paulaner USA generates revenue through importing and distributing premium beers from German and Chinese breweries to the US market through distributor networks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Paulaner USA imports and distributes premium beers from three global breweries—Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr from Germany and Tsingtao from China—to the US market through a network of distributors and a B2B ordering portal. The company provides US consumers with access to authentic imported beers and supports distributors with a dedicated ordering system at orders.paulanerhpusa.com, alongside consumer-facing Beer Finder tools to locate products at retail locations.

Product overview

Paulaner USA is a beer import and distribution company representing three major international beer brands across Germany and China. The portfolio includes Paulaner (Munich, Germany), Hacker-Pschorr (Munich, Germany), and Tsingtao (Qingdao, China), collectively representing over 1,100 years of combined brewing experience. The company imports and distributes these premium beers to the United States market, offering products in various formats including the new 5L mini keg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Paulaner: German beer brand from Munich, one of the world's renowned beers with over 53 million gallons leaving the brewery each year, exported to over 70 countries.
• Hacker-Pschorr
• Tsingtao

Products and services

• Paulaner German beer brand from Munich with over a century of brewing tradition; more than 53 million gallons leave the brewery each year and are exported to over 70 countries including the United States. Targeted at consumers seeking authentic Bavarian beer experiences and sold via US distributor partners.
• Hacker-Pschorr Historic Munich brewery established in the 15th century, known for pure beer enjoyment, historic originality, and Bavarian tradition; imported and distributed in the US by Paulaner USA for consumers seeking authentic Bavarian heritage beers.
• Tsingtao Chinese beer brand established in 1903 by German and British merchants in Qingdao, China; a clean, crisp golden lager that is the sixth-largest brewer in the world, the top Asian imported beer brand, and a Global Top 500 brand present in more than 100 countries. Imported and distributed in the US by Paulaner USA.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Constellation Brands: Major US alcohol importer/distributor (Corona, Modelo, Svedka). Comparable as a broad incumbent beer importer operating a multi-brand portfolio through US wholesale networks, competing for on-premise and retail shelf space.
• AB InBev (Anheuser-Busch InBev): World's largest brewer and importer (Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona among others). Compares to Paulaner USA as a broad incumbent in US beer import/wholesale with multi-brand portfolio and deep distributor relationships, though vastly larger in scale.
• Kirin Holdings (Kirin USA): Japanese brewer with US import operations (Kirin Ichiban). Broad incumbent competing with Tsingtao in the Asian imported beer segment and overlapping US wholesale channel relationships.

Emerging players

• Stiegl USA: Austrian brewery with US import presence (Stiegl Goldbräu). Emerging peer with similar Austrian/German heritage positioning and selectively distributed US footprint in the same imported premium segment.

Direct peers

• Warsteiner USA (Warsteiner Importers): US arm of Warsteiner, another large German beer brand. Direct peer competing in the German imported pilsner/wheat segment with overlapping accounts in US retail and on-premise.
• Hofbräuhaus USA / Hofbräu Importers: US import and licensed franchise operation of Munich's Hofbräuhaus. Direct peer: German heritage beer imported to US with strong on-premise/restaurant presence in the same Bavarian segment as Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.
• Bitburger USA: US importer of German Bitburger pilsner. Direct peer: German brewery's US import operation targeting similar German-heritage on-premise accounts and retail channels as Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.
• Asahi Group USA: US import arm for Asahi Super Dry and other Japanese and European beer brands. Direct peer in importing premium foreign beer into the US via third-party distributors.
• Erdinger USA: US importer of Erdinger Weissbier, the world's top-selling wheat beer. Direct peer to Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr in the imported German wheat beer category with similar distributor-led US model.
• Sapporo USA: US import and distribution arm of Sapporo Holdings, focused on premium Japanese beer. Direct peer: foreign-owned brewery's US import operation with a similar go-to-market through US wholesalers and on-premise/restaurant channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/paulanerusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/PaulanerUSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/paulanerusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paulaner-hp-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Paulaner USA