Banfi Appoints RNDC Exclusive Distributor in Florida and South Carolina

Banfi Appoints RNDC Exclusive Distributor in Florida and South Carolina

Banfi Vintners, America’s leading importer of fine wine, has appointed Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) as its exclusive wholesale distributor in the states of Florida and South Carolina effective June 1, 2012.

“We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with RNDC in these key states,” said Banfi COO Marc Goodrich. “There is potential for dramatic growth in Florida and South Carolina.”

All or part of the Banfi portfolio will now be represented in 17 of the 22 states in which RNDC and its affiliate National Distributing Company operate, making RNDC Banfi’s leading wholesale partner in the US.

“Banfi’s heritage, passion and dynamic approach to the wine business make them an ideal partner,” said RNDC President Tom Cole. “The addition of Banfi and Excelsior wines to our offerings in Florida and South Carolina bring together two families who represent trust, reliability and excellence in the market.”

Banfi Vintners was founded in New York in 1919 by John F. Mariani, Sr. and built into America’s leading wine marketer for the past four decades by his sons, John and Harry Mariani, fathers of current co-CEOs Cristina and James, respectively, and founders of Castello Banfi and Vigne Regali. The Marianis also own Washington State’s Pacific Rim, which is marketed and distributed separately by the Pacific Rim Winemakers Company. Banfi Vintners sales and marketing efforts are executed by two teams, Banfi and Excelsior. Banfi represents the wines of the Mariani’s wholly owned Italian estates Castello Banfi of Tuscany and Vigne Regali of Piedmont as well as the wineries it has existing partnerships with – including top Italian producer Riunite & CIV and Gruppo Italiano Vini, Chile’s premier organic wine producer Emiliana, and Australia’s Chateau Tanunda of the Barossa. Its portfolio includes such landmark brands as Bolla, Cecchi, Fontana Candida, Riunite, Sartori and Walnut Crest. The Excelsior Wine Company is a joint-venture with leading Chilean winery Concha y Toro, representing their Chilean wines as well as those of its Argentine property, Trivento, and the newly acquired Little Black Dress and Five Rivers lines of California wines.

RNDC is the second largest beverage alcohol distributor of premium wine and spirits in the U.S. with wholly owned operations in Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. RNDC also operates in Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Carolina through venture partnerships. In total, RNDC employs more than 7,000 hard working individuals nationwide. The earliest RNDC predecessor company traces its roots back to a single distributorship that was founded back in 1898 in Pensacola, Florida.

Banfi Vintners
Lars Leicht, 516-686-2532
Lleicht@banfi.com
www.banfivintners.com