Uinta Brewing Co. Partners with Wirtz Beverage Minnesota
Feb. 5, 2015
Uinta Brewing Co. and Wirtz Beverage announced today that a new partnership has been crafted to bring one of America's most respected breweries to Minnesota. Starting in March, Uinta's award winning, sustainably produced ales will be available in packages and in kegs for both on- and off-premise accounts.
"We are extremely ecstatic about our partnership with Wirtz Beverage," said Steve Kuftinec, vice president of sales for Uinta Brewing Co. "We selected Wirtz as a regional partner for us, not just a state one. We are with them in Nevada and after Minnesota, will be joining them in Wisconsin as well. We feel that Wirtz gets Uinta and we have a strong belief that Wirtz's capabilities and execution make them a leader in the execution of delivering great craft brands to retail customers."
It's always exciting to get another Top 50 craft brewery into the hot bed that is the Minnesota beer market,†said Corey Rung, craft beer brand manager for Wirtz Beverage Minnesota.
Uinta enters the Minnesota market after spending the last 21 years growing from a small Utah brewery into the country's 46th largest brewery in terms of sales.
"Minnesota makes sense as we fill out the mid-west right now. The research we've done shows that Minnesota has strong local brands already established and there is a great understanding of craft amongst the consumers," said Kuftinec. "It was just a natural progression for us to choose Minnesota as one of our expansion states in 2015."
Founded in 1993, Uinta, named after an east-west mountain range located in northeastern Utah, is one of the craft beer industry's most accomplished success stories. From a small, renovated mechanic's garage located in Salt Lake City, Uinta began distributing a variety of beer to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores throughout the city. Demand for the company's consistently exceptional ales quickly escalated, resulting in the installation of a bottling line in 1996. Then, in 2001, having outgrown its original building, Uinta built and relocated to a 26,000-square-foot facility. In March of 2013, Uinta finished construction and installation on a 130bbl Braukon Brewhouse, outdoor fermentation cellar and 34,000 sq ft. packaging facility which houses Uinta's new Krones AG canning line. The Uinta team, comprised of passionate craft beer lovers and outdoor enthusiasts, has a strong company culture resulting in a brand full of personality and soul.
Since 2001 Uinta Brewing has been 100% wind-powered, becoming the first Utah company to reach this mark. In 2011, Uinta installed solar panels on the brewery's rooftop, adding Solar to Uinta's renewable energy resources.
"We're constantly working on ways to improve our processes so that we are producing less waste and recycling more,†said Kuftinec. We always ask ourselves, 'What more can we do?'"
To this day, "Earth, Wind and Beer" remains a part of Uinta's logo, a constant sign of the company's long-standing environmental stewardship and commitment to producing excellent craft beer.
We want it to be where every person that picks up a Uinta beer knows that they are getting a world class beer with every sip. That is what drives us above all else," said Kuftinec. I am looking forward to watching Minnesota to make this brand and these beers grow in this gorgeous state."
Details on the full line-up of Uinta beers that will be coming to Minnesota will be finalized by March 1, contact your Sales Consultant to stay up-to-date on the latest Uinta news.