Vision
To be the best beverage distribution company in the world by continuously improving employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction.
People
Since L. Knife & Son’s inception over a century ago, the company’s paramount focus has been on our people. Today, the L. Knife & Son companies employ a team of more than 1,200 of the most passionate and best educated individuals in the beer industry, bar none.
Management
- Chief Executive Officer - Timothy Sheehan
- Vice President of Finance - Charlie Smith
- Vice President of Sales and Marketing - Michael Brazel
- Vice President of Operations - Brian McGuire
- Vice President of Human Resources - Jeffrey Annis
- Vice President of Information Systems - Deb Lahteine
- Director of Marketing and Communications - Dave Mevoli
Portfolio
The core portfolio for the L. Knife & Son companies is comprised of the Anheuser-Busch InBev family of products. To compliment the most popular lineup of beers in the world, all divisions of L. Knife & Son progressively maintain the finest selection of craft and specialty beers available in their respective markets.
Operations
The L. Knife & Son companies maintain 500,000 square feet of environmentally controlled warehouse space that exceeds the highest level of standards and ensures product reliability year round. Each division has made extensive capital investments in technology to maintain the highest in-stock rate in the industry.
Territory Map
View L. Knife & Son Companies in a larger map
Divisions
- California
- Craft Beer Guild Distributing of California - San Diego (Southern California)
- Connecticut
- Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Connecticut (statewide, Connecticut)
- Kentucky
- Beer House Distributors of Kentucky (statewide, Kentucky)
- Maine
- Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Maine (statewide, Maine)
- Maryland
- Legends Ltd. Distributing (statewide, Maryland and Washington, D.C.)
- Massachusetts
- L. Knife & Son, Inc. (southeastern Massachusetts)
- Seaboard Products (northeastern Massachusetts)
- Craft Brewers Guild of Boston (Boston, central and western Massachusetts)
- Seaboard Products (northeastern Massachusetts)
- New Hampshire
- Craft Beer Guild of New Hampshire (statewide, New Hampshire)
- New Jersey
- Hunterdon Distributors (statewide, New Jersey)
- New York
- T.J. Sheehan Distributing (Syracuse and western New York State)
- Tri-Valley Beverage (northeastern New York State)
- Union Beer Distributors (New York City, Long Island, and northern counties)
- Tri-Valley Beverage (northeastern New York State)
- Rhode Island
- Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Rhode Island (statewide, Rhode Island)
- Vermont
- Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Vermont (statewide, Vermont)
- Virginia
- Specialty Beverage of Virginia (statewide, Virginia)
- Wisconsin
- Beechwood Sales & Service (Milwaukee and surrounding counties)
- Specialty Beverage of Wisconsin (statewide, Wisconsin)
- Importing
- St. Killian Importing
History
L. Knife & Son was founded in 1898 by Luigi Cortelli, a shepherd and immigrant from northern Italy, who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Mr. Cortelli, whose name was Americanized to Louis Knife, sold groceries from a horse-drawn cart, and eventually added grains and animal feeds to his business. His son Domero established a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch in 1934 following the repeal of Prohibition. After Domero’s death in 1963, his son-in-law, Gerald Sheehan, bought the business and has been its president since.
The company, which is now four generations strong in family ownership and operation, has grown to include an importing company, and 18 distribution operations which provide statewide coverage in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin.
Historic Pictures
Timeline
- 1898 – Luigi Cortelli (Louis Knife) settled in the coastal town of Plymouth, Massachusetts and established his distribution business.
- 1934 – L. Knife & Son acquired the right to sell Anheuser-Busch products in eastern Massachusetts.
- 1956 – Gerald Sheehan joined his father-in-law, Tim Knife, as a Route Salesman.
- 1963 – Gerald Sheehan succeeded Tim Knife as the new President of L. Knife & Son.
- 1968 – L. Knife & Son acquired Seaboard Products in Danvers, Massachusetts.
- 1980s – L. Knife & Son acquired T.J. Sheehan Distributing in Liverpool, New York, Tri-Valley Beverage in Westmoreland, New York, and Beechwood Sales and Service in New Berlin, Wisconsin.
- 1983 – L. Knife & Son founds St. Killian Importing a full scale beer importing business located in Kingston, Massachusetts.
- 1994 – Sheehan Family Foundation is established by L. Knife & Son to fund projects that improve education and the environment in Southeastern Massachusetts.
- 1996 – L. Knife & Son acquired Union Beer Distributors in Brooklyn, New York.
- 2002 – L. Knife & Son acquired the Craft Brewers Guild portfolio to provide statewide craft beer coverage in Massachusetts.
- 2003 – L. Knife & Son acquired the Craft Brewers Guild portfolio for the fourteen counties in southeastern New York.
- 2003 – 2004 – L. Knife & Son acquired numerous specialty brands wholesalers to establish statewide distribution coverage in Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin.
- 2005 – L. Knife & Son acquired a stake in Hunterdon Distributors in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
- 2007 - L. Knife & Son launched GreatBrewers.com as a unique forum to bring beer enthusiasts closer to the world class brewers that produce their favorite beers.
- 2008 – Tim Sheehan succeeded Gerald Sheehan as CEO and fourth generation operator of L. Knife & Son.
- 2008 - In December, L. Knife & Son acquired a majority stake in Specialty Beverage of Virginia, a Richmond based beer and wine wholesaler.
- 2009 - L. Knife & Son, Inc. acquired Legends Limited, a craft and specialty beer importer and distributor based in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 2009 - L. Knife & Son, Inc. launched BeerCloud for Android and iPhone, the first mobile app ever to utilize GPS tracking to locate specific beverages in the marketplace and to utilize barcode scanning to access beer descriptions.
- 2010 - L. Knife & Son Cos. selected as Beverage World Magazine's 2010 Beverage Wholesaler of the Year for their dedication to innovation and outstanding service.
- 2010 - L. Knife & Son Cos. received the 2010 Craft Beer Distributor Recognition Award from the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Brewers Association.
- 2010 - L. Knife & Son launched Craft Beer Guild of New Hampshire and Craft Beer Guild of Rhode Island to accommodate the growing demand for craft and specialty beer in these states.
- 2011 - L. Knife & Son acquired a stake in Beer House of Kentucky a Newport Kentucky based specialty beer wholesaler.
- 2011 - L. Knife & Son, Inc. acquired Beverage Alliance a specialty beer importer through its St. Killian Importing subsidiary.
- 2011 - L. Knife & Son launched Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Vermont to accommodate the growing demand for craft and specialty beer in this state.
- 2012 - L. Knife & Son launched Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Maine to accommodate the growing demand for craft and specialty beer in this state.
- 2012 - L. Knife & Son launched Craft Beer Guild Distributing of Connecticut and Craft Beer Guild Distributing of California-San Diego to accommodate the growing demand for craft and specialty beer in Connecticut and Southern California.
- Beverage World | January 4, 2011 - Beer Wholesaler Flips Switch on NYC’s Largest Private Solar Installation by an American Company
- Wicked Local | October 2, 2010 - L. Knife donates $200K for Calista property
- Beverage World | September 2010 - A Step Ahead (2010 Beverage Wholesaler of the Year)
- Enterprise News | April 30, 2010 - Kingston beer distributor goes green
- Beverage World | April 15, 2010 - L. Knife Opens New Recycling Facility
- Beverage World | March 11, 2010 - Craft Beer Distributors Deliver More
- Beverage World | December 15, 2009 - L. Knife & Son Cos.: Sky's the Limit
- Old Colony Memorial | November 7, 2009 - Celebrating Years of Beer
- Beverage World | July 2008 - Champions of Beer
Sheehan Family Foundation
Since 1992, the Sheehan Family Foundation has contributed more than $15.6 million toward environmental conservation projects and childhood education programs internationally, with a local focus in the communities in which the L. Knife & Son Companies operate. To learn more about the Sheehan Family Foundation, please visit www.sheehanfoundation.org.