The company celebrates the day the industry was changed forever with a new and efficient three tier e-commerce marketplace for all wine and spirits brands  San Jose, CA, March 22, 2022 — LibDib today celebrates the fifth anniversary of the launch of its groundbreaking wholesale alcohol distribution business and e-commerce platform. On March 22, 2017, LibDib forever transformed three-tier distribution when the industry’s first web-based distribution platform went live at 9am PST. Open to all wine and spirits Makers, LibDib has grown significantly over the past five years and now distributes more than 10,000 wines and spirits to Buyers across the U.S. LibDib reaches almost 50% of the U.S. population in nine states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. “The past five years have been an incredible journey,” said LibDib founder and CEO, Cheryl Durzy. “We set out to give ALL brands a path

How one Emerging Craft Spirits Company Found Huge Success on LibDib In March 2020 the world launched into a global pandemic. That same month, emerging craft spirits company, Phenomenal Spirits, entered the U.S. market with their small-production Ron Izalco Rum and RY3 Whiskey.  Over the past 15 months the spirits brand has found huge success, expanding distribution to 15 states and selling barrel after barrel of their small-batch products.  What’s been one key to their success? Working with LibDib. “LibDib can move at a rapid pace,” says Phenomenal Spirits founder Karthik Sudhir. “I’m here to tell craft brands that there’s a way to secure distribution with a limited budget and test out your brand positioning, pricing strategy, and marketing campaigns, as well as fine tune your strategy before pitching your brand to the big five distribution companies. LibDib gave us a platform and within a couple of weeks we la

Welcome to the first installment of LibDib’s multi-part series on E-Premise. E-Premise is a term we LibDibbers use often. It’s really important  as we think about the evolution of this industry. Now, more than ever there are three channels to invest in when developing a brand: On-Prem, Off-Prem and…E-Prem! We took some time to sit down with each of our E-Premise partners to find out more about their company and offerings to Makers. First up is Speakeasy, based in San Diego. For the newbies out there: What is E-Premise? E-Premise is a “direct to consumer” (DTC) way to build a brand online. DTC is in quotes because these programs are within the three-tier system where all orders to consumers are fulfilled via licensed retailers. In the past, wine and spirits brands were separated from the end customer (sometimes by two tiers), but E-Premise strategies have ended that division, compliantly, and allowed for more visibility into the person buying and cons

Effectively use multiple channels for effective customer touchpoints Guests Holly Schick of WineDirect, Drew Hendricks of Barrels Ahead & Legends Behind the Craft, and Ben Salisbury of Salisbury Creative came together to go On the Spot to discuss new outlets for wineries of all sizes to sell more wine, beyond their website. This episode was packed with recommended resources, which we’ve recapped below. Don’t miss the full episode, which you can watch instantly below. So much marketing gold! Recommended resources from the panel: Barrels Ahead Podcast Libdib Ben Salisbury on LinkedIn VinSocial Sippd Recipes for your wine WineDirect Marketplace Ben Salisbury’s courses Drift Conversational Marketing Salisbury Creative Group Academy (Wine Sales Stimulator: highly recommended!) Next month’s On the Spot registration Vivino Storybrand Book Ben Salisbury’s YouTube video Small Winery Marketing on a Shoestring (Drew called this a ‘masterclass playbo

Licensed California wholesale Buyers can now browse small-batch, barrel selections online or via their mobile devices.  San Jose, CA, June 14, 2021 — LibDib, today launched the LibDib Barrel Market, the industry’s first web and mobile based market for purchasing spirits barrels. For the first time ever, California licensed retail Buyers can now browse and purchase barrel selections online or via LibDib’s mobile iOS app. The LibDib Barrel Market offers unique,  small-batch, aged spirits from producers located around the country. The marketplace is now live in California, and will be expanding  into LibDib’s five additional markets (CO, FL, IL, WI, NY) shortly.  “We’ve found huge success selling barrels via the LibDib model for the past six months,” said Dana Huber of Starlight Distillery in Indiana and a beta tester for the new program.  “I’m thrilled about the official launch of the

291 Colorado Whiskey now available across all LibDib markets Colorado Springs, CO, and San Jose, CA, April 12, 2021 — Colorado-based Distillery 291, and web-based alcohol distributor, LibDib, today announced that LibDib has been awarded distribution in 291’s home state of Colorado. Starting today, Colorado restaurants, bars and retailers will be able to purchase 291 Colorado Whiskey via LibDib’s website or mobile app or through their local 291 representative.  “We’ve built a very successful partnership with LibDib throughout the U.S. and we’re committed to maintaining our customer service, while providing LibDib’s cutting-edge digital platform to our home state,” said Philip Rawleigh, Vice President, Business Development for 291 Colorado Whiskey.  291 Colorado Whiskey has chosen LibDib as their Colorado distributor after 10 years of robust self distribution in their home market. Over the past 3 years, 291 Col

On-Premise. Off-Premise. Two concepts that we, in the beverage industry, are all too familiar with. But now, there is another universe to think about when it comes to developing an alcohol brand and selling products: E-Premise.  What is e-premise and why are we talking about it these days? At LibDib, we define e-premise as a “direct to consumer” brand built primarily online. DTC is in quotes because these programs are within the three-tier system and all orders to consumers are fulfilled via licensed retailers. Makers commit time and marketing dollars to drive consumer brand building and sales through a fourth-tier platform, which drives the retailers to then purchase via LibDib as the distributor. But, one of the more interesting factors of these programs is the data collection. These fourth-tier platforms provide customer data back to the Makers, which can be used in various ways. This is a new-ish development in the wine and spirits industry.   In past years, a

Creating and executing an effective growth strategy is where a lot of successful Makers hit a stumbling block. Their wine and spirits products are selling well, there’s demand and room for expansion, but what do the next steps look like? LibDib’s Director of Maker Experience, Tanya Riesbeck, has the answers. Step one is simple: “Get out from behind the still, get out of the cellar and BE the Seller,” she says. “We know that buyers want authenticity and more than ever, people want to support small and local wine and spirits producers who pour so much into their craft.”  It’s sound advice--just as much as it’s fun wordplay. Putting a face to the name of the brand is helpful: it shows passion and pride and adds a grassroots sensibility.  Look at the recent success of Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin. Of course, it certainly helps that he is the famous movie star Ryan Reynolds… but the point still stands. It wa

The pandemic has forced industries-- and their customers-- to adapt and change. It has forced companies to focus primarily on online business. For better or for worse, we may never see a true “return” to the purchasing and distribution models that were previously employed. That’s not to say there won’t be changes when the quarantine lifts. Just consider the restaurant industry. While people are no doubt excited to get back to having tapas in person, or ordering a cold beer at a bar, customers have also gotten used to using mobile apps and ordering takeout. While it’s fully expected that tables will be packed, online ordering is now likely an indelible part of the restaurant business for many customers. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more people utilizing online ordering options, even as in-person dining re-opens. It’s the same reason why, despite the tough circumstances, Amazon is showing year-over-year growth. Sure, ordering grocerie

By Cheryl Durzy, Founder & CEO, LibDib -  When I founded LibDib 3.5 years ago I had a mission to provide three-tier compliant wholesale alcohol distribution to all wine and spirits Makers, no matter the production or distribution size. My goal (then and now) is distribution for any brand, in every market. Today, we are well on our way to reaching that goal: LibDib is currently in 5 markets (CA, NY, FL, CO, WI) and another 8 will go online this year. Coming from the Maker side of this business (I spent 20 years developing the wholesale channel for my family’s winery in the Northern Central Coast) I sometimes have blinders on to anything that is outside the norm of what I call “everyday business.” My original business plan called for independent accounts doing business with independent Makers, one case at a time. That was my definition of “everyday business.” However, as every good start up does, we pivoted. Our “everyday business” continues to grow (thanks to our amazing vintners