Breweries

How to Become a Brewery Partner

Please note, VBDC is not accepting brewery partners at this time, but you may register your account and put your brewery information in. Start by clicking the login/register button at the top of the page. The steps below are to provide information on what to expect when VBDC begins accepting applications.

Breweries will need their ABC license number on hand to begin the process. Please click here to register your account and begin Part 1 of the application. To minimize returned registration requests, please use Virginia ABC’s Licensee Search Tool to ensure the information you enter matches with Virginia ABC.

Application Fee Payment:

VBDC will confirm your registration request and provide information on next steps. You will be billed $195.00 for the application fee after your registration is approved. This fee is non-refundable.

Documents:

After making the application fee payment you may begin Part 2 – uploading the required documents necessary to submit the application to Virginia ABC.

Documents Review:

After submitting your Part 2 documents, VBDC will begin reviewing them to ensure all necessary information is included for submission.

POSTING & PUBLISHING:

Once documents submitted for Part 2 have been reviewed, VBDC will provide you with the notice to post at your brewery location and tentative start dates for the legal notice. You will post the required ABC notice at your brewery location for two weeks. VBDC will publish a corresponding legal notice in your local newspaper.

POSTING & PUBLISHING Documents:

After posting the notice at your brewery location you may begin Part 3. Login to your VBDC account and upload a photo of the notice at your establishment.

Payment:

VBDC will review the photo of the notice and you will receive an email with the final invoice which will include the posting and publishing cost as well as the $1,005 state license fee.

Submit:

Once the payment is received, VBDC will submit the completed application to ABC.

LICENSE ISSUANCe:

Upon ABC review and approval, a license will be issued. VBDC will send the license to you, to be displayed in the approved space according to your floor plan.

* This cost is dependent on the local newspaper’s fee for the required legal ad.

** The timeframe is largely dependent on VBDC receiving documents and payments from the brewery but if everything is submitted in a timely manner, you can expect the total timeframe to be about 60 days.

What's Next?

Upon receiving the license, breweries can expect a follow-up welcome call to walk through using the VBDC website, the distribution process, and answer any questions.

The Virginia Beer Distribution Company allows breweries across the Commonwealth to distribute beer directly to retail merchants. Through the VBDC, Virginia breweries can sell up to 500 barrels per calendar year.

Receiving & Fulfilling Orders from Retailers through the VBDC:

After the VBDC license has been issued, and products have been listed in the system, breweries will be able to start receiving and fulfilling orders.

A purchase order is created in the system by either the brewery or the retailer.
Once accepted, contact the retailer to work out delivery logistics.
Move products to your approved VBDC space before delivery. Your ABC license must be posted in your VBDC space.
Upon delivery of goods, collect payment and have the retailer sign the invoice. VBDC processes the transaction, pays ABC taxes and submits reports to ABC.
VBDC pays out brewery partners for all transactions no less than once a month. Transactions received after the last date of the month are paid in the subsequent month. Brewery payments are reduced by transaction fees and ABC taxes.

Additional Details:

There are three options for payments from licensees:

Fintech - a third party digital payment solution for registered licensees that allows for seamless digital invoicing and payments between distributors and retailers. Register on Fintech here.

ACH - an electronic payment option within the VBDC ordering platform for registered licensees. Registration is available under the Administration tab, upon logging in to the VBDC ordering system.

COD - Checks must be made payable to VBDC.

Invoices and purchase orders signed using a mobile device are retained in the VBDC system.

Changes made to the quantity or price of the actual delivery must be noted in the VBDC system.

Product price increases are effective after 30 days, per ABC regulations.

Product price decreases are effective immediately.