Seattle-based Vehrs Distributing Co. announced that it has signed an agreement to add Prime Wine & Spirits of Washington to the Vehrs organization, further expanding its footprint as an independent wine and spirits wholesaler in the Pacific Northwest. The acquisition allows Prime Wine & Spirits of Washington to integrate Vehrs’ resources and capabilities to enhance service to partners and grow the Washington and Idaho markets.
“While Vehrs is unquestionably the market leader in the fine wine space in Washington, Prime holds a similarly prominent position in the craft spirits and non-alcohol categories,” said Shaun Dobbelaere, president and COO of Vehrs Distributing.
“Our on-premise and independent retail outlets look beyond a blanket national distribution model to curate their beverage programs; together, the strength and broad reach of Vehrs and Prime will offer our partners individual attention, a customized approach, and a true one-stop shopping opportunity for the representation of fine wines, craft spirits, and non-alcohol options.”
Prime Wine & Spirits of Washington was founded in 2018 as a sister company to Prime Wine & Spirits of Georgia. With a strong focus on hand-crafted spirits, small family-owned wineries, and unique non-alcohol options, Prime has grown exponentially over the last six years to more than 150,000 cases in 2023. Prime Wine & Spirits of Georgia will continue to operate independently upon the close of this transaction.
Prime Wine & Spirits has a premium spirits, non-alcohol, and wine beverage portfolio that aligns well with Vehrs’ existing family of suppliers and provides upside growth potential across the market and all channels. Vehrs will use its expertise and financial strength to expand and improve Prime’s customer- and consumer-focused strategies.
“We are committed to keeping the strong Prime leadership team in place,” said Dobbelaere. “We have utmost confidence that with the added resources of Vehrs, the Prime team will help take both companies’ portfolios to new heights.”
“There are some things in life that just make sense, and this is one of them,” said Gil Shir, managing partner of Prime. “Both our customers and suppliers will benefit greatly from the new and improved portfolio, as well as the expanded coverage.”