By Cheryl Durzy, Founder and CEO, LibDib -
“Hi, my name is Cheryl Durzy and we are seeking distribution for my family’s winery. I sent an email with all the details and would love to schedule some time to talk about why we would be a good fit for your company’s portfolio. My number is blah blah blah.”
This was basically tattooed in my brain while I was working at my family’s winery back in the day. I made this call at least 3-4 times per week, trying to get the attention of wine wholesalers. I had accounts that were ready to buy, but no distributor.
I would keep calling and if, by chance, I did get to talk to someone (which was very rare), that was only the beginning. If they were indeed interested, there were samples to be sent, wine tasting committees to get through and then the final, “OK, we will take on your brand.” Then we moved into pricing negotiations, SKU negotiations, inventory negotiations, incentive negotiations, and the list goes on.
Next, the real work started. Visiting the market to launch, working with the reps, hitting a sales meeting (or two) and then, finally…I could start selling. All in all, I spent many many hours calling, emailing, flying, and meeting.
All before I could ever sell a case of wine.
I dreamt of a world where I could do what I do best: sell into accounts. I wanted to spend my time with the buyer. Being the frustrated wine salesperson/entrepreneur that I was, I decided to buck the current system and I set out to build a new way of doing things. The new way is now LibDib.
We built a platform that allows wine and spirits Makers to use the Internet to secure products and leverage technology to place orders with their distributor. It allows Buyers to shop, just like they would on any e-commerce site. It also allows Makers to control their market access.
With LibDib, you sign up and quickly have three-tier distribution in our states. Sometimes within days (different compliance rules in each state dictate how fast products go live). For ideas on how quick it is to go to market in each state read this.
This is literally how wine and spirits distribution with LibDib works:
- Sign up online.
- Enter your business information.
- Choose your markets.
- Upload your licenses for those states.
- Upload your product information.
- Enter product pricing.
- LibDib checks compliance.
- Brands go live with distribution.
- Start selling.
- Send orders to LibDib.
In terms of communication, there will be a few emails going back and forth to check compliance, but ultimately, the process is turnkey. YOU DON’T EVER HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEONE, EXCEPT YOUR BUYER! It’s all online. That’s how we built it and that’s how it works. Crazy, right?
Skip talking to your distributor and move ahead 10 spaces.
We have a lot of people that want to schedule calls with our team to talk through the process. We know that’s what alcohol brands are used to. However, with everyone seeking distribution, sometimes it might take our teams a few weeks to get back to you. Why? We are a staff of 24 people trying to make magic happen. We are the leanest 6 state (and growing!) wholesale distributor out there.
We are shipping cases, pallets and trucks of your wines and spirits across the country every single day. We are also highly focused on getting into new markets and helping our current selling Makers with their growth plans. So our time is pretty limited.
The best news ever...You don’t need to talk with us to start selling cases, pallets and trucks of your wines and spirits through LibDib.
First, you sign up for LibDib. It’s free and there is no obligation or long term contracts to get started. The platform is designed to bring you through the process without a whole lot of human contact. TECHNOLOGY IS AWESOME! Every single question that you have is most likely explained in our help center…margin, timing, operational process. It’s all there for you whenever you need it. So, if you are entering information at midnight and have a question, you don’t have to wait for me to wake up. Hop on over to the LibDib help center and you are off to the races.
Skip the distributor push.
If you are a licensed producer and have TTB approved alcohol products, you can sell now in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, and Wisconsin. That’s over 30% of the alcohol consuming population. And you don’t need to spend many hours talking, emailing, and flying to see US. Use that time to focus on your customers and reep the rewards. We want to send those cases, pallets and trucks of your alcohol brands to the customers that want them.
With OND around the corner, get your channel set up and moving NOW. It’s time. Don’t wait for us…..because you don’t need to. And that’s the beauty of LibDIb.
PS: If you are not a licensed producer and are doing research for the future release of your brand, all the information you need is on our site. Start up woes— I wish I had 100 people available to help guide you towards becoming an amazing Maker. Unfortunately, that is not our expertise. We are a distributor. We sell cases, pallets, and trucks efficiently and compliantly using technology. There are a ton of start up and compliance advisors that can help you. Again, check out our help center for more info.