509 Spirits extends US presence with Helmsman
Washington-based 509 Spirits has partnered with Helmsman Imports to expand into new markets across the US.
Helmsman is utilising its importer’s compliance, accounting, and back-office infrastructure to support a growing number of US-founded brands that have ‘outgrown their do-it-yourself operations’.
509 Spirits, founded in Washington State by Jeff and Aileen Yost, offers a diverse portfolio that includes vodka, London Dry gin, Canadian whisky, silver Tequila, and light rum, all sourced from distilleries across North America.
According to Helmsman, the signing indicates a shift in the necessity for importer infrastructure.
Traditionally, companies believe that only international brands entering the US need an importer of record. However, in practice, domestic brands encounter the same operational challenges as they scale.
“509 Spirits is exactly the kind of operator we built Helmsman for,” said Jeff Diego, founder and CEO of Helmsman Imports. “They have a real brand with real roots, and they reached the point where the back office was competing with the business for attention. You do not have to be an international brand to need this. You just have to be growing.”
For 509 Spirits, whose portfolio spans multiple categories, each product and origin comes with its own set of regulatory and financial paperwork.
Helmsman offers help with label approvals, state registrations, accounts receivable and payable, and managing distributor chargebacks.
The company consolidates these processes into a single system, allowing the brand’s team to concentrate on distribution and community engagement.
Jeff Yost explained: “We started 509 Spirits to give our community a label it could be proud of, not to become full-time compliance and accounting managers. Bringing Helmsman in lets us put that energy back where it belongs.”
Janzen Eagler, chief strategy officer of Helmsman Imports, added: “We worked with 509 Spirits to figure out exactly where we could make them more efficient, not to take over what they already do well.
“The question we kept coming back to was simple: where is their time better spent? Every hour a founder spends on a chargeback dispute or a state registration is an hour not spent building the brand. We take that work off their plate and run it on infrastructure built for it.”
Helsman Imports boasts a client list of more than 100 brands, including recent partnerships with Dutch independent whisky bottler Bottle Dreams, Peruvian cacao liqueur Vieroma, and Pájaro Agave Spirits.
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