Wirtz becomes Canada’s largest drinks distributor

Wirtz Beverage has officially launched a distribution arm in Canada, which with the addition of Diageo’s beer, wine and spirits portfolio, will make the group the largest beverage distributor in the country.

Wirtz Beverage, Diageo’s distributor in Canada, is now the country’s largest drinks distributor

The establishment of Wirtz Beverage Canada, which will service all 10 provinces and three territories, forms part of the Chicago, Illinois-based group’s strategy to become an international business.

“This is a huge milestone for us as we expand to an international footprint and help to bring a new model to the Canadian beverage industry,” said Julian Burzynski, EVP of Wirtz Beverage Group.

“We’ve spent a number of months building the team, establishing relationships with our customers and aligning priorities with Diageo. By combining our sales execution expertise with the knowledge of our new team, we are extremely excited about the future and the many opportunities that lie ahead.”

Wirtz Beverage Canada will be the exclusive broker for Diageo in the country.

More than 100 Canadian employees have been appointed, including a leadership team that will work underneath Wirtz Beverage Canada senior vice president and general manager John Donohue.

Leading the Canadian team are Martin Laverdure, regional director of Quebec/Eastern region; David Prodanovic, regional director of B.C./Yukon region; Kim Arnold, regional director of Alberta/Midwest region; Patrick Robertson, regional director of Ontario; and Lorraine Ventresca, director of trade development.

“We have a very strong leadership team to launch this effort and are confident that they bring the energy, experience and drive to make this successful,” said Donohue.

“This type of broker model has never been done before in Canada and by creating a strong foundation here; we believe we can inspire industry-leading growth and success.”

Wirtz Beverage employs more than 2,500 staff throughout operations in Canada, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Wisconsin.