Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

Name

Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

Legal name

Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services

Website

https://abs.utah.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Liquor Retail and Alcoholic Beverage Control

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Liquor Stores (General Off-Premise) (CRANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Liquor Stores (Off-Premise Spirits Retail) (CRANABAA), Spirits Retail & Whiskey Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAD), Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

Keywords

• Alcohol beverage control
• State liquor retail
• Alcoholic beverage licensing
• Liquor distribution
• Alcohol regulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Alcoholic Beverage Sales: The state operates as a monopoly retailer, selling alcoholic beverages through state-owned liquor stores and authorized package agencies. Revenue is generated from the markup on products sold, with prices set by the state. Approximately 6,000 individual wines, spirits, and heavy beers are purchased annually from domestic and foreign producers.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DABS operates as the statutory monopoly wholesaler and retailer of distilled spirits, wine, and heavy beer in Utah through more than 50 state-run liquor and wine stores plus 100+ contracted private package agencies. It also administers alcoholic beverage licensing and permitting for on-premise and off-premise establishments, manages vendor relationships, and provides alcohol server training programs. Revenue is generated primarily through state-set markups on approximately 6,000 wines, spirits, and heavy beers purchased annually from domestic and foreign producers.

Product overview

The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS) is a state government agency operating an alcohol control system for Utah. It offers a comprehensive portfolio centered around retail sale, licensing, and regulation of alcoholic beverages. Core offerings include over 50 State Liquor Stores, more than 100 Package Agencies, and an online Product Locator for finding products. The department provides a Special Orders Program for non-stocked items, plus Allocated Products and Rare High Demand Products (RHDP) with drawing-based distribution. Business services include a Licensing & Permitting System, Licensee Orders portal, and Vendor Portal for product listings. Training programs cover Alcohol Server Training for servers and managers. The Proudly Utah program showcases local producers. Price management tools include Monthly Price Books, Price Calculator, and Sales Analysis reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State Liquor Stores State-operated retail stores offering a full line of liqueurs, wines, spirits, and full-strength beers; more than 50 State Liquor and Wine Stores operate statewide selling directly to adults for off-premise consumption.
• Package Agencies Privately operated liquor outlets under contract with the state, located in smaller communities, wineries, distilleries, breweries, resorts and hotels; more than 100 agencies sell packaged liquor, wine and beer.
• Special Orders Program

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Utah's Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) WorkgroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABS participates in the Utah FASD Workgroup as part of its alcohol education and prevention mission, collaborating with health organizations to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
• Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Advisory CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABS participates in the Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Advisory Council, specifically contributing to the DUI Committee and USAAV+ Council for substance abuse prevention initiatives.
• National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABS participates in NABCA's Education Committee, collaborating with other control states on best practices for alcohol regulation, education, and prevention.
• Utah Prevention Advisory Council (UPAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABS participates in UPAC, working with prevention organizations across the state to coordinate alcohol abuse prevention efforts.
• Utah Regional Local Substance Abuse AuthoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABS works with Utah's 13 regional local substance abuse authorities through the Parents Empowered program, organizing community events and activities statewide on a monthly basis.
• Utah Department of Public SafetycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABS provides funding to the Utah Department of Public Safety for the division that investigates alcohol-related crimes and prevents underage drinking through the Covert Underage Buyer (CUB) program.
• Private Package Agency OperatorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate individuals and corporate entities operating package agencies under contract with the state to sell packaged liquor, wine, and beer in communities too small to warrant state stores, and in hotels, resorts, and manufacturing facilities.
• Utah Wineries, Distilleries, and BreweriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal manufacturers granted licenses by the commission can operate package agencies for sale of their products, participating in the Proudly Utah program for in-store visibility.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board: State ABC board operating both wholesale distribution and a network of ~160+ retail stores. Closely matches DABS's combined wholesale-retail control-state mandate and SKU portfolio.
• Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission: Operates as Oregon's control-state regulator and distributor for distilled spirits, with retail sales through licensed agents. Comparable wholesale-control model and licensee-licensing scope to Utah DABS.
• Michigan Liquor Control Commission: Regulates and controls the wholesale distribution of spirits in Michigan and provides licensing oversight. Comparable state regulator and wholesaler of distilled spirits with parallel licensing programs.
• Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board: State agency regulating and licensing alcohol (and cannabis) sales in Washington. Comparable as a control-state regulator with retail-store oversight and licensee-licensing functions analogous to DABS.
• Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC): One of the largest state ABC operations, running 400+ retail stores plus wholesale distribution. Closely mirrors Utah DABS in operating both retail and wholesale arms under a state authority structure with comparable SKU scale.
• Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB): Operates Fine Wine & Good Spirits, the largest state-controlled alcohol retail system in the U.S. with ~600 stores. Directly comparable as a state monopoly wholesaler and retailer of wine and spirits with similar regulatory mandate and SKU breadth.

Broad incumbents

• Total Wine & More: Largest independent multi-state retailer of wine, spirits, and beer. Analogous multi-state scale retailer and useful comp for SKU breadth, store-format economics, and pricing strategy.
• Republic National Distributing Company: Second-largest U.S. beverage alcohol wholesaler. Comparable as a wholesale distributor competing for supplier relationships and serving as an alternative channel that could benefit from any Utah privatization.
• Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits: Largest U.S. distributor of wine and spirits. Relevant as a benchmark wholesale counterpart and as a vendor counterparty to DABS for spirits and wine distribution into licensee channels.

Regional players

• BevMo!: Multi-state specialty beverage alcohol retailer concentrated in the western U.S. Comparable in product mix and customer base to Utah DABS retail stores and a relevant comp for specialty retail execution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UtahABS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/UtahDepartmentofAlcoholicBeverageServices
• Facebookfacebook.com/UtahABS
• Instagraminstagram.com/utdabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/utah-department-of-alcoholic-beverage-control

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control