Distribution changes to address growth and increasing demand for Foothills brands

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Barely a year after relocating the bulk of its brewing operations, Foothills Brewing (foothillsbrewing.com) is once again expanding, signing wholesale distributor agreements that will dramatically increase the reach and availability of Foothills brands. Several Foothills beers will now be available in 6-packs and 22 oz. bottles at major grocery store chains and bottle shops across the state of North Carolina.

Foothills’ new distribution partners include Mims Distributing Company (Triangle region); Caffey Distributing Company (Triad region); Coastal Beverage (Coastal region); and Healy Wholesale Company (Fayetteville). Foothills has also expanded existing relationships with United Beverages of North Carolina (Boone/Hickory/Lake Norman/Mooresville) and Carolina Premium Beverage (Charlotte).

“We’re fortunate that, thanks to the dedicated following we’ve built over the years, our beer is in high demand,” said Jamie Bartholomaus, president and brewmaster at Foothills. “Our goals for brand consolidation and increased sales efforts meant finding more partners. This is a big step for Foothills, so we spent a great deal of time selecting those distribution partners. We’re confident our brands will prosper under their guidance and direction.”

“People have been asking us when our beer would be available in six-packs,” added Scott Mizerak, sales manager at Foothills. “We’re happy, after years of having such a loyal following, to finally see Foothills brands on grocery shelves.”

“We are very excited to announce our partnership with Foothills,” said Mims Distributing Company CEO Chip Mims. “They are a great brewery that creates unique and distinctive beers, and we look forward to making them available to beer lovers throughout the Triangle.”

Foothills features over 20 seasonal and year-round hand-crafted beers, including its best-selling beers, Hoppyum IPA and Carolina Blonde.

Other year-round brands offered by Foothills include Torch Pilsner, People’s Porter, Pilot Mountain Pale Ale and Seeing Double IPA. Seasonal offerings include Foothills Red, Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen, and India Style Brown Ale, as well as the exclusive and highly anticipated Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout.

Foothills Hoppyum IPA, Torch Pilsner and People’s Porter will now be available in six-packs, as are their more recent brand acquisitions, Carolina Blonde Cream Ale and Strawberry Cream Ale, and Cottonwood Endo IPA. Cottonwood seasonals (Low Down American Brown, Pumpkin Ale, and Frostbite IPA) will be available in 6-packs as well.

An icon of the southern craft beer scene, Foothills began brewing beer in 2005. Since then they’ve gained a loyal following in central North Carolina. They’ve also garnered numerous awards for their products, including seven Great American Beer Festival medals and three World Cup Beer medals, more than any other North Carolina brewery.

That success prompted Foothills to expand their brewery a year ago, relocating the majority of their brewing operation from the company’s popular downtown Winston-Salem brewpub to a 50,000 square- foot facility. That move allowed Foothills to focus on bottling and six-pack distribution, which led to the need for distribution partnerships.

The coming months will see even more expansion for Winston-Salem’s hometown brewery. To keep up with demand, two 200 BBL fermenting tanks will be delivered and installed at the end of March, followed by two more at the end of the summer.