The Brown History

Brown Distributing Company and the Brown family have a long and successful history. The company's origins began over 90 years ago, when in 1919 brothers Abraham and Isadore Brown formed a soda-bottling business where they produced a cherry-flavored soft drink in Richmond, VA. This growth caught the eye of Pepsi and a few years later they were appointed as the Pepsi bottler for the Richmond-Petersburg area.

Like many current distributors, the end of Prohibition in 1933 was a major turning point in their company’s evolution.  The Browns quickly added beer to their soft-drink portfolio when they began distributing a Baltimore-brewed beer called Wolf Beer.  As a result of the growth of their portfolio, the company grew to a fleet of six trucks and ten employees. This growth was noticed by Anheuser-Busch, Inc and in 1936 the St. Louis-based brewer asked Abraham and Isadore Brown to distribute its Budweiser and Michelob draft beers.

In 1935, Mr. Busch, known as Gussy to his friends, was working his way around the country building his distribution system. He met Abe Brown at the old railroad station in Richmond.  The company became an Anheuser-Busch wholesaler in 1936 for the Richmond area.

Toward the end of the 1940’s, the two Brown brothers ended their partnership and in 1951 Abraham and his son Jacob formed Brown Distributing Company.  The 1960’s saw the introduction of a new Anheuser-Busch product, Busch beer.  In 1969, Brown sold its Pepsi Cola operation in order to focus on its Anheuser-Busch business.

In the 1970’s, the Brown Distributing Company fleet had grown to 16 trucks.  In 1975, Jacob’s son, Larry, joined the business and quickly worked to modernize the operation.

The Brown’s further expanded their business in 1984, when they acquired an Anheuser-Busch franchise in Palm Beach County, Florida.  A more recent expansion occurred in April of 2001 when the company purchased the Anheuser-Busch distribution operation in the Petersburg area.

In 1999 Larry’s son, Jason joined the business.  In 2007 Larry’s younger son, Reid, joined the business.  Both worked to gain first hand knowledge of all areas of the business.  Larry remains active as President of Brown Distributing Company with Jason and Reid representing the fourth generation of Brown family management.

Like many beer distributorships, Brown Distributing has worked diligently over the last several years to add non-alcohol products to its portfolio, including teas, water, coffee and energy drinks.

In June 2009, Brown Distributing Company added the Fresh Beer Division.  This stemmed from a relationship with Fresh Beer, Inc, an innovative company with the mission to supply Floridians with quality beer brewed to perfection. Fresh Beer delivers its products to fine restaurants, retailers and pubs located throughout South Florida including the Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

This Richmond-based, family-owned business has grown from a single cherry soda to a highly regarded beverage distribution business which enjoys combined sales of over 10 million cases annually representing approximately 1,500 different products, serving over 4,500 customers, with over 300 employees and a fleet of over 60 trucks.  Brown Distributing prides itself on positioning itself for the future by being the distributor of choice in Virginia and Florida.