Kloss Distributing
Kloss Distributing is a privately held regional beverage wholesaler founded in 1973 and headquartered in Gurnee, Illinois, distributing approximately 900 brands from 58 suppliers to 1,300 retail accounts across Lake County and adjacent markets, including Walmart, Target, and Jewel-Osco.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersGurnee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kloss Distributing does
Kloss Distributing is a privately held regional beverage wholesaler headquartered at 4000 Grove Street in Gurnee, Illinois, operating continuously since 1973. The company distributes beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages from 58 suppliers representing approximately 900 brands to roughly 1,300 retail accounts across Lake County and the surrounding northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin trade area. Its retail customer base spans national grocery and discount chains — including Walmart, Target, Jewel-Osco, Mariano, and Aldi — alongside an implied long tail of independent grocers, restaurants, and on-premise accounts.
The business model is conventional wholesale distribution: Kloss purchases from brewers, vintners, and beverage manufacturers, takes title and inventory risk at its Gurnee warehouse, and resells to retailers and on-premise customers through a route-based delivery operation. Supplier breadth (58 partners, 900 SKUs) and exclusive regional distribution rights anchor the value proposition for both upstream suppliers seeking Lake County reach and downstream accounts seeking a single-vendor category solution. The portfolio includes a deliberate local-sourcing tilt, with 20 of 58 suppliers based within 20 miles of the warehouse, supporting regional craft beer and Illinois beverage producers.
Operationally, the company has invested in sustainability and infrastructure modernization rather than scale expansion: a 700 kW solar array of approximately 2,000 panels (operational since 2020), facility-wide LED lighting, electric forklifts, and a pallet upcycling program that refurbishes retired pallets for community reuse. The firm is family-owned and privately held with 11–50 employees, and no public M&A, funding, or leadership-change activity appears in the available record, consistent with a stable, mature regional wholesaler focused on franchise optimization over expansion.
Kloss Distributing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kloss Distributing
- Legal name
- Kloss Distributing Company
- Website
- https://klossdistributing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kloss Distributing is a privately held regional beverage wholesaler founded in 1973 and headquartered in Gurnee, Illinois, distributing approximately 900 brands from 58 suppliers to 1,300 retail accounts across Lake County and adjacent markets, including Walmart, Target, and Jewel-Osco.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kloss Distributing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beverage Distribution
- NAICS
- Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (4248), 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 industries
- Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale (AFAIAGAI), Non-Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Soft Drinks, Water, Juice, RTD Coffee/Tea) (AFAIAGAB)
Keywords
Where Kloss Distributing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gurnee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kloss Distributing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Beverage Distribution: Kloss Distributing generates revenue through the distribution of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages to retail customers. As a distributor, the company purchases products from suppliers and sells/distributes them to retailers, earning margins on the transaction.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Kloss Distributing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kloss Distributing is a wholesale beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverage distributor serving retail customers in Lake County, Illinois. The company purchases approximately 900 brands from 58 suppliers and delivers them to 1,300 retail accounts, including supercenters (Walmart, Target), grocery stores (Jewel-Osco, Mariano, Aldi), bars, taverns, bottle shops, and restaurants. Operations are anchored by a sustainability-focused warehouse in Gurnee, IL equipped with a 700 kW rooftop solar system.
Product overview
Kloss Distributing Company is a beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverage distribution business serving Lake County, Illinois since 1973. The company distributes approximately 900 brands of beer and beverages from 58 suppliers to 1,300 retail customers including supercenters (Walmart, Target), grocery stores (Jewel-Osco, Mariano, Aldi), and Lake County's bars, taverns, bottle shops, and restaurants. As a traditional beverage distribution company, Kloss Distributing does not operate a technology product platform but rather provides physical distribution and logistics services for beverage brands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Beer Distribution Wholesale distribution of beer brands (a core part of the 900-brand portfolio from 58 suppliers) to 1,300 retail customers in Lake County, Illinois, including supercenters, grocery stores, bars, taverns, bottle shops, and restaurants.
- Wine Distribution Wholesale distribution of wine as part of the beverage portfolio supplied to retail accounts across Lake County, Illinois.
- Non-Alcoholic Beverage Distribution Wholesale distribution of non-alcoholic beverages alongside beer and wine to retail customers in Lake County, Illinois.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces 639 metric tons of GHG emissions annually, equivalent to taking 138 cars off the road
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kloss Distributing
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kloss Distributing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Kloss Distributing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 58 Beer and Beverage SupplierscoreKloss Distributing works with 58 suppliers representing 900 brands of beer and beverages locally, nationally, and globally. 20 of these suppliers brew within 20 miles of the warehouse, enabling local sourcing and reduced transportation emissions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Kloss Distributing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hand Family Companies: Regional beverage distributor serving southern states with a portfolio similar to Kloss's beer/wine/non-alcoholic mix. Comparable as a privately held regional wholesaler supplying both large retailers and on-premise accounts.
- Ben E. Keith Beverages: Regional beer and beverage distributor headquartered in Texas, serving multi-state territories with a similar mix of national and craft suppliers. Closely comparable to Kloss in business model and supplier/customer mix.
- Gold Star Beer Distributors: Regional beer distributor serving parts of the Midwest with a customer mix of large retailers and on-premise accounts. Comparable to Kloss in scale, Midwest footprint, and beer-centric portfolio.
- Crescent Crown Distributing: Regional beer and beverage distributor serving multiple U.S. markets with a similar mix of national and craft suppliers. Comparable to Kloss in business model and supplier-customer relationships.
- Heidelberg Distributing: Family-owned regional beer, wine, and spirits distributor operating across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Highly comparable to Kloss as a privately held, multi-category beverage wholesaler with similar product mix.
Broad incumbents
- Reyes Beverage Group: One of the largest beer distributors in the U.S. with a portfolio of regional beer wholesalers. Highly comparable to Kloss as a beer distributor serving major retailers, though at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
- Breakthru Beverage Group: Multi-state beverage distributor with a beer, wine, and spirits portfolio across the U.S. Comparable to Kloss at the product-category level, though operating at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
- Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits: The largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S. While primarily wine/spirits rather than beer, comparable to Kloss as a broad-line beverage wholesaler serving major retail and on-premise accounts.
- Republic National Distributing Company: Multi-state beverage distributor with a wine, spirits, and beer portfolio across the U.S. Comparable to Kloss as a broad-line distributor serving large retailers, though at vastly larger scale.
Regional players
- L&F Distributors: Independent beer and beverage distributor operating in the Southwest U.S. with a comparable product portfolio and similar private, regional operating model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kloss Distributing social profiles
Digital presenceKloss Distributing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kloss Distributing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kloss Distributing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kloss 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 Kloss Distributing
What does Kloss Distributing do?
Kloss Distributing is a wholesale beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverage distributor serving retail customers in Lake County, Illinois. The company purchases approximately 900 brands from 58 suppliers and delivers them to 1,300 retail accounts, including supercenters (Walmart, Target), grocery stores (Jewel-Osco, Mariano, Aldi), bars, taverns, bottle shops, and restaurants. Operations are anchored by a sustainability-focused warehouse in Gurnee, IL equipped with a 700 kW rooftop solar system.
Is Kloss Distributing a public or private company?
Kloss Distributing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kloss Distributing founded?
Kloss Distributing was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kloss Distributing based?
Kloss Distributing is headquartered in Gurnee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kloss Distributing make money?
One revenue line is on record: beverage Distribution.
Who are Kloss Distributing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hand Family Companies, Ben E. Keith Beverages, Gold Star Beer Distributors, Crescent Crown Distributing and Heidelberg Distributing. Broad incumbents are Reyes Beverage Group, Breakthru Beverage Group, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and Republic National Distributing Company. L&F Distributors is listed as a regional player.
Does Kloss Distributing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kloss Distributing.
What industry is Kloss Distributing in?
Kloss 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 AFAIAGAI, Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 4248 and its SIC code is 5180.