What Moon Distributors Inc does

Moon Distributors Inc is a privately held, family-owned wholesale alcohol distributor headquartered at 2800 Vance Street in Little Rock, Arkansas, founded in March 1935 by Harry L. Hastings Sr. The company operates as a tier 2 wholesaler in the U.S. three-tier alcohol distribution system, purchasing wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages from tier 1 suppliers and reselling to licensed retailers across Arkansas. It distributes more than 7,000 active SKUs across four product categories (wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic) and introduces approximately 500 new products per year. Customer accounts total 3,870, segmented into 450 on-premise (restaurants, bars, hotels), 420 off-premise (liquor stores), and 3,000 grocery and convenience stores, with coverage extending to all wet areas of the state.

The underlying operating technology is the Arkansas-regulated three-tier distribution system, supported by a 350,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled facility on 11 acres. The company runs a direct sales-led B2B model with field sales force engagement to retailers; pricing is individually negotiated rather than publicly disclosed, and revenue is generated through standard wholesale transaction margins (the input labels this as a transaction fee stream). The company has no proprietary technology platforms, no consumer-facing application, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. Two wholesale houses operate under common family ownership: Moon Distributors and its sister entity Central Distributors (acquired in stages between 1955 and 1974), which distribute different product portfolios and together form Arkansas' oldest continuously operating alcohol distributor.

Moon Distributors is operated by the fourth generation of the Hastings family, with no external institutional, venture, or private equity ownership indicated. Two historical acquisitions — Central Distributors (1974) and McKesson Wine & Spirits Wholesale Company (1988) — built the current scale. The business is privately held with no public ticker, no disclosed revenue or funding history, and no expansion signals beyond Arkansas. Revenue model is straightforward wholesale: buy from suppliers at supplier-list prices, sell to retailers at negotiated markups, with no disclosed value-added services beyond sales relationships and brand-building partnerships.

Name

Moon Distributors Inc

Legal name

Moon Distributors

Website

https://moondist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Moon Distributors Inc is a privately held, family-owned wholesale alcohol distributor operating in Arkansas since 1935, serving over 3,870 licensed retailers with more than 7,000 wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic products across all wet areas of the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Beverage Alcohol Distribution

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Beer, Wine, Spirits) (AFAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

Keywords

• Wholesale beverage distribution
• Alcohol distribution services
• Wine and spirits wholesaler
• Beer distribution Arkansas
• Three-tier alcohol distributor

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Alcohol Distribution: Wholesale distribution of wine, spirits, and beer to licensed retailers across Arkansas. Operates as tier 2 in the three-tier alcohol distribution system, purchasing products from suppliers and selling to on-premise establishments (restaurants, bars), off-premise retailers (liquor stores), and grocery/convenience stores.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Moon Distributors is a wholesale beverage alcohol distributor in Arkansas, purchasing wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages from producers and reselling them to licensed on-premise, off-premise, and grocery/convenience retail accounts. Operating within the three-tier system as a Tier 2 wholesaler, the company fulfills orders from a 350,000 sq ft facility in Little Rock, maintaining more than 7,000 active products and serving thousands of retail customers across the state.

Product overview

Moon Distributors Inc is a wholesale wine, spirits, and beer distributor operating in Arkansas since 1935. The company distributes over 7,000 active products across four main categories: Wine Products (including varietals like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and sparkling wines), Spirits Products (including tequila, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, cognac, and Scotch), Beer Products (including regular, light, and microbrew options), and Non-Alcoholic Products (including sparkling and still water). The company operates through the three-tier alcohol distribution system, purchasing from suppliers (tier 1) and selling to licensed retailers (tier 3). Moon Distributors and its sister company Central Distributors together represent Arkansas' oldest continuously operating alcohol distributor, with a state-of-the-art facility spanning 11 acres and over 350,000 square feet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Central Distributors: Jointly owned wholesale liquor company operating alongside Moon Distributors in Arkansas. Central and Moon distribute different products and together form Arkansas' oldest continuously operating alcohol distributor.

Products and services

• Wine Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of wine from producers to licensed Arkansas retailers, including on-premise, off-premise, and grocery/convenience accounts under the state's three-tier framework.
• Spirits Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of distilled spirits to licensed Arkansas retailers, including on-premise, off-premise, and grocery/convenience accounts under the state's three-tier framework.
• Beer Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of beer to licensed Arkansas retailers, including on-premise, off-premise, and grocery/convenience accounts under the state's three-tier framework.
• Non-Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of non-alcoholic beverages to licensed Arkansas retail accounts through the company's route-based delivery network.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• Central DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJointly owned with Moon Distributors; Central Distributors was a competing wholesale liquor company that partnered with Moon in May 1955. In 1974, Moon purchased the remainder of the partnership. Together, Moon and Central make up Arkansas' oldest continuously operating alcohol distributor, with Central distributing different products than Moon.
• Arkansas Alcohol Beverage ControlcoreOthersState regulatory body overseeing alcohol distribution in Arkansas. The three-tier system is mandated by state regulations to ensure safe marketplace, prevent sale to minors, collect taxes, and ensure product safety.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Allied Beverage Group: New Jersey-based wholesale distributor of wine, spirits, and beer operating in the three-tier system. Comparable as a regional tier-2 distributor serving on-premise and off-premise accounts with a comparable product breadth.
• Horizon Beverage Group: Massachusetts-based wine and spirits wholesaler serving licensed retailers across New England. Comparable as a regional tier-2 distributor with similar on/off-premise account model, though operating in a different geography.
• M.S. Walker: Family-owned wholesale distributor of wine and spirits operating across several Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Comparable as a family-controlled, multi-state tier-2 wholesaler with a similar customer and supplier mix.
• Major Brands (Missouri): Missouri-based wholesale distributor of wine, spirits, and beer serving on-premise, off-premise, and grocery accounts. Comparable as a privately held regional tier-2 wholesaler operating under a similar state-regulated model.
• Empire Distributors: Regional wine and spirits distributor in the Southeast U.S. (now part of Breakthru). Comparable as a tier-2 wholesale distributor focused on a multi-state regional footprint with similar supplier-retailer relationships.

Broad incumbents

• Republic National Distributing Company: Major national wine and spirits distributor serving multi-state markets through the three-tier system. Directly comparable on business model (tier-2 wholesale to on/off-premise retailers) while operating at much larger national scale.
• Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits: Largest wine, spirits, and beer distributor in the U.S., operating in the same three-tier system and serving on-premise, off-premise, and grocery accounts across many states. Comparable because it executes the same tier-2 wholesale model at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Winebow Group: Multi-state wine and spirits distributor with regional operating companies. Comparable as a tier-2 wholesaler with deep supplier partnerships and on/off-premise account coverage, particularly in premium wine.
• Breakthru Beverage Group: Multi-state wine, spirits, and beer wholesaler formed from the merger of Southern Wine & Spirits of America and Republic National. Comparable as a tier-2 distributor with similar product mix, supplier relationships, and on/off-premise customer base.
• Johnson Brothers: Family-owned, multi-state wholesale distributor of wine, spirits, and beer serving on-premise and off-premise accounts. Closely comparable as a privately held, family-operated regional tier-2 distributor with a similar portfolio breadth and account mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moon-distributors-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Moon Distributors Inc