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150 Wagaraw Road

Hawthorne, NJ 07506

Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm

150 Wagaraw Road

Hawthorne, NJ 07506

Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm

About Us

How Our Story Began

1947

In 1947, Andrew Graham returned from serving in World War II and being recently released as a POW in Europe. Upon returning to Haledon, NJ, Andy ventured into the beverage delivery business. He purchased Kohler Distributing and managed a small warehouse with two trucks. Andy often acted as the salesperson, accounts receivable manager, and delivery person himself. He gradually built the business to almost 50,000 cases, consistently growing the business and portfolio into the 1960s.

1970s

Big Brands Join

Kohler became the exclusive Northern NJ distributor for over ten suppliers and was one of the first distributors in the United States to distribute Heineken through the importing company Van Munching. During this period, Andy and his wife Irene’s teenage sons, Gary and Scott, began working in all aspects of the company. At this time, Kohler expanded to a larger distributor in Patterson, NJ. 

1980s

Coors Brewing and another relocation

Having built the company to almost 1 million cases, Andy and Irene retired, passing the leadership of Kohler to Gary and Scott. Through their hard work, attentive service, great brands, foresight, and a bit of luck, the company acquired more distribution rights to various beer brands. In 1988, Coors Brewing Company began nationwide distribution and appointed Kohler as its exclusive distributor in the upper Northern Counties of NJ. This expansion necessitated a move to a much larger building in Englewood, NJ, as sales surpassed 3 million cases.

1990s

Kohler continued to grow

Kohler became the dominant distributor in its area, distributing national prestige brands such as Corona, Yuengling, Mike's, Boston Beer, and Sierra Nevada. This propelled Kohler to over a 50% market share and 5 million cases annually.

2000s

Kohler invested in the future

Once again, Kohler outgrew its warehouse capacity and responded by opening its 240,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art warehouse and offices in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Kohler invested heavily in operational capacity, human resources, technology, and management teams to stay ahead of the ever-changing beer, spirits, and wine beverage market.

2018

Acquisitions and Commitment

Kohler purchased two Miller-only wholesalers in their respective territory. Suppliers such as Pabst, New Belgium, and Sapporo, combined with organic growth, pushed Kohler's volume to over 7 million cases. Kohler created a Wine and Spirit division with over 15 suppliers and 32 brands.

Present

Poised for the future

Today, Kohler works in partnership with over 70 suppliers to sell merchandise and deliver more than 400 brands and over 2000 SKUs. Kohler's primary suppliers include MolsonCoors, Constellation, Heineken USA, Boston Beer Company, Yuengling Brewing Company, Mike's, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Montauk, and numerous craft, RTDs, spirits, and wine brands. After 25 consecutive years of growth, Kohler has approached 8 million cases in annual sales. The company remains privately owned by Gary and Scott and looks forward to third-generation leadership as Ian Graham has joined the leadership team.

Our Mission Statement

Kohler is committed to the growth of all brands through the continued development of our PEOPLE. We are focused on the EXECUTION of industry-leading standards while maintaining the highest level of CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, SUPPLIER PARTNERSHIP, and INTEGRITY.