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Monday, September 7, 2009

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How many bottles of beer on the haul?

Beverage firms kept hopping in area

By JENNIFER STOCKINGER

Staff Writer

Being a beer isn't all that glamorous.

Sure, a beer is liked by many. People fuss over it by making T-shirts, can coolers, bags and more. Beer is oftentimes surrounded by festive displays in stores and at fun sporting or community events.

But beer gets pushed around a lot. A beer, no matter how it is packaged, is handled up to seven times before it reaches its final destination.

A beer is handled first at the brewery and then taken to distribution centers around the world, where it is handled several more times. From moving the beer to its storage spot in the distribution warehouse, to loading it on the beer trucks, to being moved out of the truck and placing it on the shelves or coolers at liquor stores, restaurants and bars. And then once the beer is at its "purchasing place" the beer is oftentimes rotated, sliding closer and closer to its final destination to where the clerk or waitress will hand it over to the customer. And then the beer never knows when it will be consumed.

Chris Comstock, a helper with C & L Distributing in Baxter, stacked cases of beer at a liquor store in Brainerd. Comstock helps delivery driver Chris Scearcy on his routes. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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The tradition of beer dates back more than 10,000 years, according to the Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association. The association reports that the United States is the world's largest producer of beer and more then 90 million Americans enjoy a glass of beer.

In order to get that thirst-quenching beer from the brewery to the millions of hands of beer lovers, you need the middle guys - the hardworking distributors. Everyone who has entered a liquor store, restaurant or bar in most likely has seen the delivery drivers and their helpers at work.

The Brainerd lakes area has four beer distribution centers - Bernick's Beverages and Vending and Rohlfing Supply, both of Brainerd, C & L Distributing in Baxter and D and D Beer of Little Falls, which bought out Fruth Beverage Co. in Baxter a few years ago.

The four local distribution center managers/owners shared information on how their delivery drivers do their job and how they distribute the beer. They all mostly run the same way, such as they all have pre-sales, meaning the sales people go out and write orders the day before and then the beer is delivered the next day by the drivers.

Once the drivers arrive for work, they check their orders to see which customers they'll be delivering beer to and they find out what products and how much of it they'll be delivering. Then the drivers grab their handheld computers, which list what products go where and check in with the area manager for any special instructions the customers may have before they leave the warehouse. The drivers' trucks have already been loaded for the day during the previous afternoon and night, so drivers do not have to worry about that. Except at C & L, drivers there load their own truck.

The drivers stop at customers throughout the day and are responsible for getting the product off of the truck, putting it away in coolers, making floor displays and handling backroom storage at bars and restaurants. They often merchandise the product with price signs and other labels and make sure everything is in place. The drivers then check the invoice with the customer before they leave. When the drivers have completed a route, they head back to the warehouse and remove empty kegs and other containers, any damaged products and any remaining product from the truck.

The businesses also said summers are definitely much busier than winter months because of the increased visitors during the busy summer tourism season.

Following is a look at each of the companies:

Bernick's Beverages and Vending in Brainerd

Bernick's, which delivers soft drinks in addition to beer and has a vending business, has locations in Waite Park, Willmar, Duluth, Bemidji, Dresser, Wis., and Brainerd.

There are 600 employees.

Brandon Bernstein, under the sponsorship of a major beverage, raced in the Top Fuel division at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in August at Brainerd International Raceway. The BIR event annually is one of the biggest spectator sporting events in Minnesota. And that spells big beer sales for thirsty fans. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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Jason Bernick, director of corporate affairs of Bernick's in the Waite Park office, in an e-mail said sales people run their routes Monday through Thursday and Friday is a market day. Delivery drivers go on routes Tuesday through Friday as well as rotating weekend duties.

In Brainerd, there are six drivers, five salespeople and one salesperson who also is a driver. Victor Heurung is a delivery driver with Bernick's in Brainerd and he has been for the past 10 years.

While on a route in late July, Heurung, 38, said Fridays are the busiest day of the week during the summer. Heurung said he gets one helper on the busy days to help him distribute the beer. Heurung said oftentimes he begins his shift at 6 a.m. to make sure his truck is ready to go and he also helps other workers.

Heurung, who has his name written on the truck he drives, said he enjoys his job because of the independence and the people.

Bernick said the company distributes 79 different brands of Miller products. He said the most popular brand is Miller Lite.

Bernick said the Brainerd location does 50 percent of its total year's business during the summer.

"Brainerd's summer influx is greater than that of our other beer locations," said Bernick in an e-mail. "There is an increase in hours worked as a result. More hours in the warehouse, loading the extra boxes and more hours for the drivers to unload the extra boxes. Driver assistants are needed to help the drivers, not to mention the seasonal customers that are only open for the three to four months that require full service. All this requires more time and energy from the area managers and sales (people) through that time period. There is also added drive time for all because of the increased traffic.

"There is a sense of urgency for those of us in the beer business in the Brainerd area. You have to make hay while the sun is shining and BIR (Brainerd International Raceway) is a huge weekend for us. There are thousands of people who come to town who normally wouldn't. Even with an influx of people that particular weekend, the volume is still similar to a regular summer weekend."

Bernick was not able to disclose sales figures or how much beer the firm goes through in a week or the summer.

C & L Distributing in Baxter

On July 31, Chris Scearcy, a delivery driver with C & L, was at work at 6 a.m. It was a busy day and he had two helpers - Chris Comstock and Jake Carlson - to help him deliver beer to two liquor stores in Brainerd and one in Baxter. Scearcy's truck was full.

As Scearcy walked briskly -nearly running -delivering beer back and forth from the truck to the store, he said that a case of beer is about 20 pounds, a keg of beer is 160 pounds and an empty keg is 40 pounds.

"There's lots of lifting in this job," said Scearcy, who said he'll deliver more than 1,400 cases of beer that day. "I've been here for 10 years. I like it. This job is not made for everybody. Some don't like the physical aspect of it. There are no set hours. One day I'll go until 2 o'clock and the next day I'll be done at 7. It all depends on how much beer I have."

Zach Heidmann (left) and Victor Heurung of Bernick's Beverages and Vending rolled a cart of Miller beer products into a store in Baxter. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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Scearcy, 29, said the best part of his job is the people and getting exercise.

"This is a job where everybody wants to say 'Hi' to you," he said with a smile.

Scearcy had Comstock work on taking down an old beer display and add the new one at one liquor store while he and Carlson kept stocking the shelves with beer and rotating the Anheuser-Busch products that C & L distributes.

Thomas Dick, branch manager of C & L, said they have 90 brands of beer that they distribute and they come in 350 different types of packages, including the 12-ounce cans in a suitcase or the 16-ounce plastic bottles. C & L also sells 59 brands of non-alcoholic drinks and energy drinks.

Dick said C & L employs 25 full-time employees and 10 part-time employees. Of these employees, six are sales people, six are drivers and six are full-time and part-time helpers for drivers. Dick said generally drivers work from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. On average, he said, C & L has six routes a day, but routes can be anywhere from three to 25 stops a day, depending on the beer order.

C & L has 325 beer accounts that range from as far north as Longville, south to Lincoln, west to Verndale and east to Malmo.

Dick said C & L does 47 percent of its business between the months of May through August. Dick said Fourth of July is busier than the Brainerd International Raceway national weekend in August.

"Fourth of July is busier because everyone (the customers, stores, bars and restaurant) is busy," said Dick. "During BIR weekends, the places along the way to the track are busier."

Dick said 98 percent of the beer sold at BIR is keg beer that is sold in three or four tap trailers that sit at BIR. Dick said his delivery guys work nonstop during nationnals making sure the kegs are full and working.

"A majority of my delivery drivers work BIR weekend," said Dick. "They rotate their shifts. They don't all have to work the weekend, but they all like to because they like to watch the races too."

Dick said C & L's most popular beers are Michelob Golden Light, Bud Light and Budweiser. Dick said C & L gets most of its products from the distribution center in Coon Rapids, along with beer from St. Louis and other Anheuser-Busch breweries throughout the country.

D and D Beer of Little Falls

Mike Dick, co-owner and sales manager at D and D and brother of Tom Dick, is the fourth generation family member to run the company. Mike Dick said his great-grandfather started a brewery in St. Michael, his grandfather got into distributing beer in 1933 and the family bought the company in Little Falls in 1977. Dick's son, Ben Dick, works in sales at the company.

At D and D, there are six sales persons, five full-time drivers and five summer helpers who hit 25-35 accounts a day Monday through Friday. D and D has a total of 700 accounts and the drivers go as far north as Walker, south to Willmar, east to Aitkin and west to Belgrade.

"We travel to about 12 counties," said Dick. "Tourist areas like Brainerd and going to the north and up around Mille Lacs Lake are much busier."

Dick said 90 percent of the business is beer, but the company also sells energy drinks and bloody Mary mixes. Dick said D and D sells 80 percent domestic beer, including Coors products. Coors Light is D and D's biggest seller.

Rohlfing Supply of Brainerd

Rohlfing Supply was founded by Fred W. Rohlfing in 1951 in Duluth and the business expanded to Brainerd in 1965. Bob and Elizabeth Rohlfing, the current owners, came on board in 1966 and today they employ 45 people, which includes nine delivery drivers and nine sales people. Rohlfing said all employees work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Rohlfing said they have 2,000 total accounts, but 300 of those accounts are beer only. Rohlfing said they distribute about 540 different kinds of beer that come from 27 suppliers. Rohlfing distributes a lot of craft beers, such as Summit and Schells; imports like Corona; and domestic beers like Old Milwaukee.

"We don't have any unpopular beer," said Rohlfing. "We specialize in craft beer and we favor products from Minnesota. Our beers come from everywhere in the world."

Rohlfing said each salesperson and driver have five routes, a different route each day and the number of stops vary from five to 25. Rohlfing said some places are visited more than once a week.

Rohlfing Supply, which also has a plant in Bemidji, distributes products in 12 counties.

Rohlfing said the company earns about $7.5 million in annual sales, but that number includes its sales from its thousands of supply products it sells, and its vending business sales.

"I'd say about half of those sales are beer," Rohlfing said. "And we do about 50 percent of our business in the months of May through August. We are real dependent on our tourists.

"The market is better during nationals (at BIR). We throw in more beer at places close to BIR and at BIR itself. We have a better week after too because all the places' supplies will have become depleted."

Rohlfing said given the economy everything is down, but beer has maintained. He said some brands are down and some are up.

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