Could It Be? Hunterdon 2.0?

OK, so I’ve had a few conversations this week with several sales managers regarding the purchase (or acquisition, swap, didn’t get the final details. I will update this article when that happens) of one craft beer distributor by another in the state of New Jersey.

First, let me catch you up…

Remarkable Liquids was founded in 2012 and started distributing in New Jersey in October of 2018. Sarene Craft Beer Distributors was founded in 2013 and began selling in New Jersey in April of 2017. Both houses had a pretty solid brewery lineup in their respective (albeit smaller at that time) portfolios since day one, and sales in bars and package stores were good for both of the companies. I was a buyer in New Jersey at the time, and I was very pleased with the new brands they both brought to the game.

However, the big fish in the state of New Jersey at the time was Hunterdon Distributing. This house had dated all the way back to the early days of craft in NJ. Opening its doors in 1996, Hunterdon had become the benchmark for craft beer distribution, with an immense portfolio of amazing brands from all over the country and beyond.

Hunterdon was no stranger to going through “changes at the helm”, and December 1, 2023, the owners at that time (the Sheehan Family) closed their doors for good. This greatly changed the landscape of craft beer distribution in NJ, and quite frankly was, for all intents and purposes, the worst thing ever to happen to craft beer in the state.

Their portfolio was sold off, with AB/InBev (Budweiser) pretty much getting first crack at it. (I have my own opinions as to why this happened, but I will discuss that later in a different article.) A significant portion of the remaining breweries went to Remarkable Liquids. Remarkable had a Sheehan Family connection, so that was an obvious landing spot.

Ok, now you’re caught up…

Word on the street as of the end of June is that Sarene Craft Beer Distributors is purchasing Remarkable Liquids’ NJ business, while Remarkable will be purchasing part of the Upstate NY territory from Sarene. This is currently knowledge that could be discussed publicly. Although I don’t have all of the nuts and bolts, the information here has had confirmation by those few people that I referred to at the top of this article.

My point…

With all of the brands in Sarene’s current portfolio, coupled with all of the Remarkable brands (which include many former Hunterdon brands), NJ will once again have one main craft beer distributor. Just like back when Hunterdon ruled the roost.

Of course, there are other larger distribution companies in NJ that you could get some craft from, like the aforementioned AB/InBev and any of the Coors/Miller houses. These, however, are not craft-centric distributors. They’re focused on Macro and, more often than not, craft takes a back seat. We’re talking like the last row of the bus type back seat. At least for one of the two.

But the star of the craft beer distribution game in NJ was always Hunterdon. And now, with Sarene having the portfolio they will have (starting on August 1, 2026, I’m told), they will be a powerhouse. And while not quite as extensive a CPL as Hunterdon had, not too far off.

Will this shift in distribution help the craft beer market in NJ? At a time when craft is losing market share to RTDs and THCs, only time will tell. The sales managers that I spoke with, and myself, agree that this is potentially a very good thing for the industry. Time will tell, but I think it’s cause for those of us who remember the “good old days” to be hopeful!

Kudos to the players for making quite possibly the best move they could have for craft beer! In NJ anyway…