Rollertown partners with Ben E. Keith for North Texas distribution

Image courtesy of Rollertown Beerworks.

Rollertown Beerworks of Celina has entered into a distribution agreement with Ben E. Keith Beverages, with the Fort Worth-based company set to deliver Rollertown products to both on and off-premise accounts across 37 North Texas counties beginning July 1, 2024.

"This partnership will significantly increase our availability across North Texas while infinitely improving our level of service," says Jonathan Rogers, CEO of Rollertown. "Not only is Ben E. Keith consistently recognized as being best-in-class, they have a strong track record of building brands. We are thrilled to partner with them to get our fresh, local beer out to more North Texans."

Working with Ben E. Keith will enable Rollertown to tap into a vast distribution network, significantly enhancing their ability to address the growing demand for their beers across the entire North Texas region. The 37 county territory includes all of D-FW and stretches from Bowie County at the Arkansas border to the east along the Red River to Wilbarger County on the Oklahoma border to the west and down to Johnson and Ellis counties in the south.

"We are excited to partner with Rollertown Beerworks to expand their brands in the greater North Texas area," says Steve Olkewicz, business development manager at Ben E. Keith. "As a distributor, we recognize the outstanding job Rollertown has done in creating and developing exceptional beers. We look forward to supporting their continued growth and success for many years to come."

Rollertown recently celebrated the groundbreaking of its new headquarters in Downtown Frisco. The venue will serve as a family-friendly entertainment destination, while doubling as the company's production facility. Located on Main St. near Toyota Stadium, the site is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025.

Tupps signs distribution deal with Ben E. Keith

Image credit: Tupps Brewery.

Tupps Brewery of McKinney has entered into an agreement with Ben E. Keith Beverages for the distribution of its products in and around North Texas.

"To be successful in the beer business you have to, first and foremost, make great beer," says Chase Lewis, vice president of sales at Tupps. "Second, you have to present yourself well to the market. Last, but very far from least, you have to manage the distribution of your product very well. It's an incredibly difficult and important part of this industry, and Ben E. Keith has been distributing beer in North Texas with excellence for decades. We couldn't be happier to be partnering with such a strong and supportive company."

The brewery had self-distributed its beers since opening in May 2015, but growth on the order of 400% in total volume over the first year signaled a need to explore other options. Lewis believes the partnership will help propel Tupps to the next level in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as it will allow the company focus on beer, branding and building stronger relationships in the market. 

"Tupps has done an extraordinary job brewing a portfolio of great beers, while establishing their brands and brewery in Texas, and we are excited and honored to be chosen as their distributor," says Steve Olkewicz, business development manager at Ben E. Keith. "The Tupps approach to business, marketing, innovation and high quality beer provides us with a great foundation for a successful partnership. We look forward to the opportunity to have the Tupps brands in our portfolio, and are eager to continue the expansion of their brands in our markets."

According to a press release, Ben E. Keith will begin delivering Tupps products to accounts on December 1. Counties covered by the agreement include Archer, Baylor, Bell, Bosque, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, McLennan, Milam, Montague, Morris, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Titus, Van Zandt, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, Wood and Young.

Deep Ellum expands Ben E. Keith deal to include Dallas and Collin counties

Image credit: Deep Ellum Brewing Company.

After previously partnering with Ben E. Keith Beverages for distribution of their products in Austin (since 2013), Fort Worth and Denton (since late 2014), the Deep Ellum Brewing Company (DEBC) has announced they've extended their pact to include select locations throughout both Dallas and Collin County.

In a press release, DEBC founder and chief evangelist John Reardon writes, "I've always been drawn to Ben. E. Keith by the service they provide, their attention to the details, and the family feel of their culture. This is just the latest evolution of a relationship that lets us focus on making exceptional beer, while they focus on distributing that beer to more of the people who are looking for our brands. We're grateful to bar owners, restaurants and shopkeepers who were already with us before the announcement, and we're looking forward to providing even greater service to our longtime accounts as we grow."

With this new agreement, Ben E. Keith will now handle DEBC deliveries to arenas, stadiums, festivals and convenience stores in the two counties. The hope is that Ben E. Keith's position as the third largest independent beer wholesaler in the country will open doors to accounts like RaceTrac and 7-Eleven, which are traditionally difficult for a small brewery to service on its own. Not only that, the company has existing relationships with the American Airlines Center and the State Fair of Texas, which should provide DEBC with access to a whole new range of opportunities.

The news is the latest move by a brewery that recently signed a lease on a 16,000 square foot space that effectively doubled its current footprint. According to Reardon, not only will the added space help DEBC expand its barrel and sour programs, it along with recent equipment upgrades means the brewery will have the capacity to produce over 40,000 barrels annually. For consumers, the first fruits of that labor will be made available this month in the form of Easy Peasy IPA, a year-round session IPA brewed with lemon and tangerine peel, along with Simcoe, Citra and Ahtanhum hops.