Arrange the logistics: When shipping Cervecera de Puerto Rico's brands from the brewery to the wholesaler. In our planning we have many considerations to include:
The Answer to Logistics: We believe our model of holding inventory at our cost in the US, ensures out of stock issues are limited and that a consistent supply of product is provided to the value chain. We also at times to maintain the cost and pricing structure in markets, will invest in the additional shipping cost to make sure new products get to market with proper pricing.
Compliance: While compliance is not the most glamorous part of our business but is an extremely important part of our role. The first part of compliance is to make sure products have accepted formulation by the TTB (if needed). We also have to make sure the breweries package designs meet the United States Federal Standards (TTB Cola). As an importer, we are also responsible for making sure that all packages and package changes meet and are accepted by each state or territory government. We are also responsible for either collecting or paying many of the state and territory governments their tax. If we don’t pay taxes for the state then we have to keep extensive records of sales to distributors so the states can collect their taxes.
We are also responsible for keeping and maintaining proper licensing with all Federal, State and Territory governments.
The Answer to Compliance: We have recently hired a compliance officer to make sure all dealings with the different government bureaucracies are done properly. Amy Smock is a compliance and importer professional who will lead these efforts going forward and continue to do so in the future.
Distribution: As an importer one of our duties is to find distributors to represent the breweries brands in every market. This means, does a retailer or a consumer has the opportunity to find your product anywhere in the country. Finding distribution in every town, village or county for all Cervecera de
Puerto Rico’s Brands across the country is a formidable task. But the standard needs to be that our goal is to continue looking for distribution in every market until we feel we have a network of distributors that fulfill that standard.
Besides the obvious answers, why is this important? You never know what market will bloom if you don’t give every market a chance. For example, Wyoming sells 25 HL per 100k people, NY sells 5 HL per 100k people and Iowa sells 40 HL per 100k people? Every distributor and market is different, and every distributor has different commitments with Cervecera de Puerto Rico’s Brands.
Finally, as an importer or brewery, we can never be satisfied with low performing distributors in any market. Glunz has consistently over the years, upgrade, canceled or worked with low preforming markets to get the belief of those distributors and retailers in line with expectations and potential of the brands.
Glunz imports will continue their standard to find the right distribution fit in all markets for Cervecera de Puerto Rico’s Products. Glunz Imports will consistently seek distribution partners in all states and territories to make sure the all retailers and consumers have the opportunity to buy Cervecera de Puerto Rico’s products no matter what their location is in the United States. If a distributor is not performing with the brands, we will educate the distributor ownership, distributor employees and retailer about the brands to build their knowledge and brand confidence.
Distributor Relations: One of the key parts to being an Importer for Cervecera de Puerto Rico is to create and maintain good distributor relations. Glunz Imports' job is to get a distributor to spend a disproportionate amount of their time and resources to support Cervecera de Puerto Rico to their retailers and consumers. A distributor can make or break your brand.
What distributors do?
This does not happen just on the telephone, this is a one on one relationship with a rep and a distributorship. It starts with an Annual Business Plan, where the plans for a year are developed and communicated for a year period. Then all the plans are reinforced with market visits, these visits either being monthly or quarterly depending on the volume and size of the market. Confidence is also built by retail work support visits in these markets.
Glunz Imports Distributor Relationship Management Strategy: To manage the whole country we are going to have to manage finances with market needs. We know to build Markets or Major Markets or Opportunity we are going to need feet on the street. This part of our team will be located throughout the US and call on the largest population markets (Major Markets of Opportunity – MMO) in the US. Puerto Rican heritage markets like New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Springfield (MA), Hartford (CT), and Newark NJ. These are the type of areas we initially need to focus on to get our volume or consumer consumption and trial improved quickest.
Retail Relations: The biggest change in our industry in the last twenty years is the expanded role of the brewery representative’s duties. Because of the massive amount of skew’s that a United States Distributor now carries. (The NBWA reports that the average distributor in the US now carries over 1025 skews, up from 185 - 20 years ago.) Because of the massive influx of skews, one of the key duties of being an Importer for Cervecera de Puerto Rico is to nurture and develop retail accounts in a distributors market.
In many markets, we develop the market by actually working with the distributor, or in many cases work on our own to find the initial accounts to start selling our portfolio for a distributor. This is done to build the confidence of all the parties at a distributorship.
In our current model of what a rep's job is Glunz Imports is investing heavily in developing markets with grassroots efforts of developing distribution, for the distributor. We do this with one on one market visit, and with organized crew drives to jump-start markets.
Glunz Imports Retail Relationship Management Strategy: Moving forward our largest planned investment to but the necessary staff in place that will ensure, we gain distribution through retail distribution in all markets that we represent. We are going to utilize these grassroots efforts to build Cervecera de Puerto Rico’s Brands in the key MMOs (Major Markets of Opportunity).
Chain Store Relationships: The job of managing chain stores is not only the distributorship responsibility but the importers as well. Chain store management will be a key portion of Cervecera de Puerto Rico’s continued development moving forward both on trade and off-trade. At a national level, we will continue our efforts to gain distribution and chain activity. As an importer, it is critical to managing price points at the distributor (local) level to develop stabilized chain pricing.
Marketing Mission:
In the United States the goal of the marketing program is to deliver a quality brand image of Cervecera de Puerto Rico’s Brands to the value chain of the breweries customers, this includes distributors, retailers, and consumers.