What McCraith Beverages does

McCraith Beverages Inc. is a privately held wholesale beverage distributor founded in 1971 and headquartered at 20 Burrstone Road, New York Mills, New York. The company, together with its wholly-owned subsidiary High Peaks Distributing Inc. (based in Saranac Lake), distributes beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, energy drinks, water, and snack products to over 1,800 retail customers—including stores, bars, and restaurants—across ten counties in Central, Southern, and Northeastern New York State. McCraith represents a portfolio of over 40 brewers and importers offering 140+ beer brands across craft, import, domestic, flavored malt beverage, and hard seltzer categories, alongside wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic brands.

The company's core technology is the Retailer Portal, an online account management platform (provided by VTInfo) that enables retailers to place orders, browse the full product catalog with account-specific pricing, retrieve past invoices, check order history, and process ACH payments. Order capture is supplemented by assigned territory-based sales representatives who manage account relationships and onboarding. New customers must complete credit applications, provide NYS Liquor License verification, personal guarantees, and NYS Resale Certificates prior to account activation.

McCraith operates a sales-led, direct distribution model, using company-owned delivery trucks for daily route coverage. Revenue is generated through negotiated wholesale pricing on product sales, with terms established per account based on creditworthiness and volume. The company is SHARP-certified by OSHA since 2010 and has received multiple supplier recognition awards (Molson Coors President's Award, Labatt Distributor of the Year, Coors President Cup). Ownership remains private with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company.

Name

McCraith Beverages

Legal name

McCraith Beverages Inc.

Website

https://mccraithbeverages.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

McCraith Beverages is a privately held wholesale beverage distributor founded in 1971 that delivers beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, and snacks daily to over 1,800 retail customers across 10 counties in New York State via its McCraith and High Peaks Distributing operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale 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

Beverage Wholesale (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic) (AFAIABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale (AFAIAGAI), Beverage Wholesale Distribution (Non-Alcoholic) (CRAOAAAH), Beverage & Alcohol Distribution Centers (TLALAEAK)

Keywords

• Wholesale beverage distribution
• Beer distribution
• Alcoholic beverage wholesale
• Craft beer distribution
• Beverage logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

New York Mills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Beverage Distribution: McCraith Beverages generates revenue through the wholesale distribution of beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, and other beverages to retail customers including stores, bars, and restaurants. Revenue is derived from product sales with negotiated pricing based on credit terms and volume.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McCraith Beverages is a wholesale beverage distributor that delivers beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages on a daily basis to more than 1,800 retail customers—including stores, bars, and restaurants—across 10 counties in New York State. Operations are split between McCraith Beverages (Central/Southern NY) and its wholly owned subsidiary High Peaks Distributing (Northeastern NY), with online account management handled through a Retailer Portal.

Product overview

McCraith Beverages is a leading wholesale beer and beverage distributor operating as a single unified distribution business with a subsidiary, High Peaks Distributing. The company operates two regional distribution arms: McCraith Beverages covering seven counties in Central and Southern New York, and High Peaks Distributing covering northeastern New York (Franklin, Clinton, Essex counties). The core offering is the distribution of beverages including beer (craft, import, domestic), wine, spirits, soft drinks, and snacks to over 1,800 retail customers including stores, bars, and restaurants. McCraith also provides a Retailer Portal online tool for account management. The company represents over 40 brewers and importers offering over 140 beer brands, plus wine, spirits, and non-alcohol brands. High Peaks Distributing, the subsidiary based in Saranac Lake, mirrors this model for northeastern NY.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• McCraith Beverages Wholesale Distribution Services Daily wholesale delivery of beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages to over 1,800 retail accounts (stores, bars, restaurants) across seven counties in Central and Southern New York. Includes dedicated sales representatives assigned to each account and territory-based sales coverage.
• Retailer Portal Online account management platform (powered by VTInfo) that lets retail customers place orders, browse the full product catalog with account-specific pricing, retrieve past invoices, review order history, and process ACH payments from bank accounts. Accessible via browser on any device.
• High Peaks Distributing

Quantifiable outcome

• Daily delivery service to 10 counties in NY serving 1,800+ customers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mangino Beverage Group: Regional beverage distributor based in Upstate New York serving retail and on-premise customers. Closely comparable to McCraith in geographic market (Upstate NY), product mix (beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks), and SMB retail customer focus.
• Eagle Beverage: Regional beverage wholesaler distributing beer, wine, and other beverages to retail accounts in the US Northeast. Closely comparable in scale, regional focus, and product mix to McCraith's Upstate NY operation.
• TryIt Distributing: Regional beer and beverage distributor operating in the Midwest US, serving retail and on-premise accounts. Directly comparable as an independent, mid-sized regional beer/beverage wholesaler with a similar portfolio-driven, daily-delivery model.
• Cerio Beverage (formerly United Distributors of New York): Upstate New York-based beverage distributor serving retail and on-premise accounts. Closely comparable as a same-region, similar-sized competitor in beer and beverage wholesale distribution across overlapping NY counties.
• Heartland Beverage: Independent regional beverage wholesaler serving retail and on-premise customers. Comparable as a similarly scaled, privately held regional distributor with a multi-category portfolio including craft and import brands.

Broad incumbents

• Reyes Beverage Group: Large multi-state beverage distributor covering beer and other categories across numerous US markets. Directly comparable business model (beer wholesaler serving retail and on-premise accounts), but at significantly larger scale than McCraith's Upstate NY regional footprint.
• Breakthru Beverage Group: One of the largest beverage distributors in North America with significant operations across the US. Highly comparable to McCraith in core beer/wine/spirits wholesale distribution to retail and on-premise, but operating at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits: The largest beverage distributor in the US, with operations across wine, spirits, and beer. Comparable in core activity (alcoholic beverage wholesale to retail/on-premise), but at massive national scale — often a roll-up acquirer of regional players like McCraith.
• Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC): Major US beverage alcohol wholesaler distributing wine, spirits, and beer to retail and on-premise customers nationwide. Closely mirrors McCraith's business model at dramatically larger scale, including a technology-enabled ordering platform for retailers.

Regional players

• Merrimack Valley Distributing: Regional beverage wholesaler serving the New England market with a portfolio spanning beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages. Comparable in business model and SMB customer focus, but serving a different geographic region than McCraith's Upstate NY footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mccraithbev
• Facebookfacebook.com/mccraithbev

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 McCraith Beverages