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Private company

Brewers' Distributor

Canadian beer distribution company

Brewers' Distributor Ltd. (BDL) is a Canadian company that distributes beer throughout the four western provinces and three northern territories. It is a private joint venture company owned by AB InBev (parent company of Labatt Breweries) and Molson-Coors (parent company of Molson Breweries). BDL operates nine distribution centres and four cross dock facilities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1995Founded1
  • HeadquartersCalgary1

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Brewers' Distributor Ltd. (BDL) is a Canadian company that distributes beer throughout the four western provinces and three northern territories. It is a private joint venture company owned by AB InBev (parent company of Labatt Breweries) and Molson-Coors (parent company of Molson Breweries). BDL operates nine distribution centres and four cross dock facilities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Its head office is located in Calgary, Alberta.2

The story

The company was established in 1995 when Pacific Brewers Distributor in British Columbia, Alberta Brewers Agents, Saskatchewan Brewers Association and Associated Beer Distributors in Manitoba (all of which were owned, or largely, owned by the two present shareholders) were consolidated into a single operation.

On March 25, 2020, BDL suffered a cyberattack that resulted in numerous weeks of beer shortages for distributors.

From Wikipedia’s article on Brewers' Distributor, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

There are key differences between BDL and Brewers Retail Inc., which operates The Beer Store in Ontario with nearly the same shareholders and a similar near-monopoly.

BDL does not operate in Ontario, while Brewers Retail operates only in Ontario.

BDL only provides warehousing and distribution services and does not sell to consumers, while Brewers Retail does.

BDL is owned by AB InBev and Molson Coors exclusively, while Brewers Retail is owned by AB InBev, Molson Coors, Sapporo (these three companies hold the vast majority of shares), and other smaller Ontario brewers.

Read the full text

Brewers Retail stocks imported beer at The Beer Store, but this beer is purchased through the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

From Wikipedia’s article on Brewers' Distributor, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1995Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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