Colorado Beer Distributors Association

What Colorado Beer Distributors Association does

The Colorado Beer Distributors Association (CBDA) is a Denver-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1947 that represents beer wholesalers operating in Colorado's three-tier alcohol distribution system. Its core function is collective advocacy and regulatory support for licensed beer distributors, who purchase from brewers and importers and resell to on-premise (bars, restaurants) and off-premise (liquor and grocery stores) retailers under Colorado's mandatory separation of producer, distributor, and retail tiers. CBDA publishes regulatory guidance, disseminates Liquor Enforcement Division bulletins, operates a member directory of Colorado distributors, and runs the CBDA Foundation Scholarship program for industry employees and their families.

CBDA offers no software products or proprietary technology; its surface consists of a DNN-based content website, a video gallery, monthly Beer Spotlight features, industry-news content, and an RSS feed for regulatory updates. It also runs a community investment program supporting roughly 40 charitable organizations across Colorado in education, healthcare, and environmental causes.

CBDA's business model is membership dues. Individual membership is open to licensed wholesale beer, fermented malt beverage, and ale distributors operating in Colorado. Associate membership is available to alcohol-industry suppliers and nonprofits at $1,000 per year, billed annually upon board approval. The association is governed by a board of member executives, chaired by Terry Cekola (CEO of Elite Brands of Colorado), and managed by Executive Director Steve Findley. CBDA operates from Denver, Colorado, and is not an investment vehicle — it has no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no equity ownership.

Name

Colorado Beer Distributors Association

Legal name

Colorado Beer Distributors Association

Website

https://cobeer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CBDA generates revenue through annual membership dues from beer distributors operating in Colorado. Individual membership is available to entities engaged in wholesale distribution of beer, fermented malt beverages, and ale within Colorado. Associate membership is available to companies doing business in the alcohol industry or with Colorado beer wholesalers for an annual fee of $1,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CBDA is a nonprofit trade association that represents licensed beer wholesale distributors operating in Colorado. It delivers industry advocacy and policy representation, regulatory compliance guidance, networking and member directory services, the CBDA Foundation Scholarship Program, and community investment initiatives that support roughly 11 member wholesale distributors and their employees across the state.

Product overview

The Colorado Beer Distributors Association (CBDA) is a trade association, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy and representation services for beer distributors, educational resources about the three-tier alcohol distribution system, community investment programs, and a scholarship fund. The association also provides regulatory compliance resources, maintains a member directory of Colorado beer distributors, and publishes content features including beer spotlights and video content. There are no software products, platforms, or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CBDA Foundation Scholarship: Scholarship program for employees or spouses/dependents of employees working in the wholesaler or supplier tier of the alcohol industry in Colorado. Submission window January 1 to March 31 annually.

Products and services

• Individual Beer Wholesaler Membership Annual membership in CBDA for licensed Colorado beer wholesale distributors, providing advocacy, regulatory guidance, networking, and access to the association's services.
• Associate Member Program $1,000 annual associate membership for alcohol-industry companies and non-profits that work with Colorado beer wholesalers and support the three-tier system, granted upon CBDA board approval.
• CBDA Foundation Scholarship Program Recurring scholarship awards for students connected to the Colorado alcohol wholesaler and supplier tier who attend qualifying institutions.
• CBDA Community Investment Initiatives CBDA-coordinated charitable giving program through which the association and its member distributors support community organizations across Colorado.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 direct jobs and $264 million total economic impact from beer distributors in Colorado (2020)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Beer InstitutecoreOthersCBDA references data from the Beer Institute regarding economic impact studies. The Beer Institute conducts economic impact studies on the beer industry including data on Colorado's beer market and tax contributions.
• National Beer Wholesalers AssociationcoreOthersCBDA references joint studies with the National Beer Wholesalers Association on economic impact of the beer industry in Colorado.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ohio Beer Wholesalers Association: State-level trade association for beer distributors in Ohio. Functionally a direct peer to CBDA — same three-tier advocacy, same membership-dues funding model, same focus on regulatory and legislative engagement at the state level.
• California Beer Wholesalers Association: State-level trade association representing beer distributors in California. Closest peer to CBDA in structure and mission, with identical three-tier system advocacy, regulatory tracking, and member-funded services at a much larger state scale.
• National Beer Wholesalers Association: National-level trade association representing beer wholesalers across the United States. It is the direct national counterpart to CBDA, sharing the same three-tier system advocacy, regulatory engagement, and membership-based business model — just at a federal scope rather than Colorado-only.
• Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania: State-level trade association representing beer distributors in Pennsylvania. Provides the same membership-based advocacy, education, and regulatory engagement for distributors as CBDA does in Colorado, within Pennsylvania's unique PLCB-regulated alcohol framework.
• Texas Beverage Alliance: State-level trade association representing beer wholesalers and allied beverage distributors in Texas. Operates the same member-funded advocacy and regulatory support model as CBDA in a much larger state market.
• Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America: National trade association representing wine and spirits distributors. Operates the same three-tier-aligned advocacy, regulatory, and membership model as CBDA but for the adjacent wine and spirits wholesale tiers, making it a close structural peer.
• Florida Beer Wholesalers Association: State-level trade association for beer wholesalers in Florida. Mirrors CBDA's role at the state level, focusing on three-tier preservation, legislative advocacy, and member services for licensed beer distributors.
• New York Beer Wholesalers Association: State-level trade association for beer wholesalers in New York. Directly comparable to CBDA in mission, funding structure (dues), and regulatory advocacy focus on three-tier system preservation in a high-regulation market.

Others

• Brewers Association: National trade association representing small and independent U.S. craft brewers. It is the upstream counterpart of CBDA's distributor members (and gave Elite Brands its 2017 craft wholesaler award), but represents producers rather than distributors, making it an adjacent industry partner rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Beer Institute: National trade association for the broader U.S. beer industry, including brewers, importers, and supply-chain participants. CBDA already references Beer Institute economic-impact studies; it is a broader industry peer operating at the national level rather than focusing solely on the wholesale tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CO_BeerDistrib
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-beer-distributors-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Colorado Beer Distributors Association