CNI Brands
CNI Brands is a New York-based boutique importer and marketer founded in 2002 by the Goldman brothers, representing an eight-brand portfolio of artisanal spirits (French liqueurs, Oaxacan mezcal, Jalisco tequila, Chilean pisco, Breton cider) to US distributors, retailers, and hospitality accounts through dedicated East/West sales teams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What CNI Brands does
CNI Brands is a privately held, boutique spirits importer and marketer founded in 2002 by brothers Scott, Ryan, and Curt Goldman after Scott's discovery of the Combier distillery in France's Loire Valley. The company imports and distributes an eight-brand portfolio of artisanal alcoholic beverages in the US, spanning French liqueurs and aperitifs (Combier since 1834, Avéze gentian liqueur), Mexican agave spirits (Banhez mezcal from a 40-family Oaxaca cooperative, Libélula additive-free tequila, Ana María rosé tequila), Chilean piscos (Pisco Control, Pisco Mistral), and French cider (AVAL from a 335-producer Bretagne cooperative). Its core business is exclusive or semi-exclusive brand representation for US markets rather than in-house production or ownership of distilleries.
The company operates a direct enterprise field-sales model structured into US East and US West regions, staffed by regional and market managers, off-premise specialists, portfolio ambassadors, and dedicated brand managers covering states including NY, IL, the Mid-Atlantic, FL, WA/OR, Northern and Southern California, and Phoenix. It supports this sales layer with a small HQ team in New York handling finance, operations, logistics, HR, and marketing/creative. Distribution is executed via a NetSuite-based client login portal for trade partners, supplemented by an Air.inc brand assets portal for marketing materials and a recipe-driven content hub on cnibrands.com that drives on-premise and off-premise demand. Pricing is wholesale/B2B and not publicly disclosed, with all commercial transactions via direct contact with the sales team.
CNI Brands is owned and operated by the founding Goldman family with Curt Goldman serving as CEO; no parent company, institutional investors, or external funding events are disclosed. The portfolio is anchored by deeply documented producer-side provenance — Combier's heritage dating to 1834, Banhez's traditional Oaxacan production methods, AVAL's cooperative model — and validated by industry recognition including the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Best Mezcal and Double Gold awarded to Banhez Ensamble. Revenue, headcount trends, and corporate financial data are not publicly disclosed.
CNI Brands firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CNI Brands
- Legal name
- CNI Brands
- Website
- https://cnibrands.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CNI Brands is a New York-based boutique importer and marketer founded in 2002 by the Goldman brothers, representing an eight-brand portfolio of artisanal spirits (French liqueurs, Oaxacan mezcal, Jalisco tequila, Chilean pisco, Breton cider) to US distributors, retailers, and hospitality accounts through dedicated East/West sales teams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CNI Brands industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Spirits Import and Distribution
- NAICS
- Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alcoholic Beverage Brand Owners & Holding Companies (Multi-category Portfolios) (CRADAIAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ethnic Beverages Wholesale (Specialty/Import) (AFAIAIAG)
Keywords
Where CNI Brands is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CNI Brands business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Spirits Import and Distribution: CNI Brands imports and distributes premium artisanal spirits from producers around the world including France (Combier, Avéze), Mexico (Banhez, Libélula, Ana María), Chile (Mistral, Control C), and France/Bretagne (AVAL cider). Revenue is generated through the sale of these imported spirits to distributors, retailers, and hospitality businesses across the US.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Wholesale/B2B pricing for retailers and distributors |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
CNI Brands product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CNI Brands imports and markets a portfolio of artisanal spirits brands to the U.S. market, including French liqueurs (Combier, Avéze), Mexican agave spirits (Banhez Mezcal, Libélula Tequila, Ana María Tequila), Chilean piscos (Mistral, Control C), and Breton French cider (AVAL). The company acts as the U.S. brand owner and distributor for these heritage producer partnerships, serving hospitality and retail accounts through dedicated regional sales teams.
Product overview
CNI Brands is a boutique spirits importer representing a portfolio of artisanal alcoholic beverage brands from around the world. The company specializes in importing and distributing liqueurs, tequila, mezcal, pisco, and cider. The portfolio includes eight primary sub-brands: Combier Liqueurs (French liqueurs including the world's first triple sec), Banhez Mezcal Artesanal (Oaxacan mezcal from a cooperative of 40+ families), Libélula Tequila (highlands of Jalisco tequila), AVAL French Cider (cooperative-produced Breton cider), Avéze Liqueur de Gentiane (French gentian apéritif), Pisco Control and Pisco Mistral (Chilean piscos), and Ana María Tequila (rosé tequila). Products are distributed across the United States and internationally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Combier Liqueurs: Award-winning liqueurs produced in Saumur, France since 1834. Creator of the world's first triple sec.
- Banhez Mezcal Artesanal
- Libélula Tequila
- Aval French Cider
- Avéze Liqueur
- Ana María Tequila
- Pisco Control
- Pisco Mistral
Products and services
- Combier Liqueurs Heritage French liqueur portfolio produced in Saumur, France since 1834, including the world's first triple sec (Combier Liqueur d'Orange), Royal Combier, Combier Le Bleu, and a wide range of fruit/botanical liqueurs (grapefruit, raspberry, blackcurrant, violet, rose, elderflower, lychee, coconut, mango, passionfruit, pineapple, etc.) and specialty liquors (Elicser, Kümmel, Blanchette Absinthe, Roi René Rouge Cherry). Targeted at bars, restaurants, and retailers seeking authentic heritage liqueurs.
- Banhez Mezcal Artesanal
Quantifiable outcome
- Winner of Best Mezcal and Double Gold awards at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (Banhez Ensamble)
Companies that use CNI Brands
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CNI Brands technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CNI Brands partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- UPADEC (Unión Productores de Agropecuarios del Distrito de Ejutla de Crespo)coreCo-operative of 40+ families in San Miguel Ejutla, Oaxaca, committed to sustainable, fair trade mezcal production using traditional methods including underground wood-fired pits, donkey-pulled tahonas, fermentation in wooden tanks, and small-batch distillation in copper alembics. Nearly two centuries of continuous production tradition.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CNI Brands competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Skurnik Wines & Spirits: Family-owned New York importer of premium French and European wines and artisanal spirits. Closest structural analog to CNI: similar boutique scale, multi-category specialty imports, and East Coast sales coverage focused on on-premise and independent retail.
- Palm Bay International: Family-owned US importer with a portfolio of European wines and spirits across categories. Comparable in structure: multi-category foreign brand portfolio, dedicated US sales force, premium positioning.
- Vine Connections: Importer specializing in premium wines and pisco from South America (particularly Chile and Argentina). Pisco portfolio overlap makes this an especially direct comparator on the Pisco Mistral / Pisco Control side of CNI's business.
- Haus Alpenz: NY-based specialty importer best known for Aperol, Cynar, and other European aperitifs and liqueurs. Comparable boutique importer with a curated portfolio of imported craft brands sold through US on-premise and off-premise channels.
- Domaine Select Wine Estates: Boutique US importer of premium European wines and spirits with a heritage-portfolio angle. Direct comparison point for CNI's Combier and Avéze portfolios in terms of multi-generational brand storytelling.
- Hotaling & Co. San Francisco-based importer/distiller of premium artisanal spirits (Junipero gin, Hine cognac, etc.). Comparable boutique importer of heritage and craft spirits brands sold across US on- and off-premise.
- Preiss Imports: Family-run US importer of Italian wines and specialty spirits. Similar boutique importer model focused on heritage, provenance, and field sales to on-premise accounts.
- Marussia Beverages: US importer of premium European spirits including St-Germain and other artisanal brands. Similar boutique importer profile with curated foreign-owned brands, US field sales, and focus on cocktail-driven on-premise accounts.
Broad incumbents
- Pernod Ricard USA: US arm of the global spirits giant with deep agave (Avión, Olmeca), liqueur, and aperitif portfolios competing for the same on-premise accounts and consumer occasions as CNI's brands.
- Brown-Forman: Major US-listed spirits company with tequila (Herradura, Casa Noble), liqueur, and whiskey lines competing for shelf space and on-premise placement against CNI's agave and liqueur brands.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CNI Brands social profiles
Digital presenceCNI Brands financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CNI Brands leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
CNI Brands funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CNI Brands 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 CNI Brands
What does CNI Brands do?
CNI Brands imports and markets a portfolio of artisanal spirits brands to the U.S. market, including French liqueurs (Combier, Avéze), Mexican agave spirits (Banhez Mezcal, Libélula Tequila, Ana María Tequila), Chilean piscos (Mistral, Control C), and Breton French cider (AVAL). The company acts as the U.S. brand owner and distributor for these heritage producer partnerships, serving hospitality and retail accounts through dedicated regional sales teams.
Is CNI Brands a public or private company?
CNI Brands is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CNI Brands founded?
CNI Brands was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CNI Brands based?
CNI Brands is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does CNI Brands make money?
One revenue line is on record: spirits Import and Distribution.
Who are CNI Brands's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Skurnik Wines & Spirits, Palm Bay International, Vine Connections, Haus Alpenz, Domaine Select Wine Estates, Hotaling & Co., Preiss Imports and Marussia Beverages. Broad incumbents are Pernod Ricard USA and Brown-Forman.
Does CNI Brands have an API?
No public API is recorded for CNI Brands.
What industry is CNI Brands in?
CNI Brands's product category is Premium Spirits Import and Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAL, Alcoholic Beverage Brand Owners & Holding Companies (Multi-category Portfolios), with a secondary code of AFAIAIAG, Ethnic Beverages Wholesale (Specialty/Import). Its NAICS code is 42482 and its SIC code is 5180.