Our Economic Impact

As part of a thriving, sustainable industry that’s been around for more than 75 years, the members of the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association are an important piece of Maine’s economy, supporting the local small business economy, and the Maine workforce.

In 2011, the MBWDA announced the results from an economic impact study. The study by Planning Decisions, using data from 2010, showed that the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association member companies play a critical role in the operation of Maine’s economy, providing thousands of beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverage choices to the state and delivering their products safely, efficiently and regularly to the thousands of retailers who sell them to adult consumers in Maine; supporting more than 3,000 Maine jobs.

The distributors are a vital part of the Maine economy by generating $681 million in sales for a wide variety of Maine businesses. Plus, member distributors pay $22 million in state and local taxes including use, fuel, income and alcohol excise and premium taxes.

The study confirms the importance and economic impact of the jobs created by the MBWDA members. In terms of employment, Maine's beer and wine distributors are one-half the size of Maine's semi-conductor industry and equal to Maine's architectural services sector and equal to Maine's medical laboratories sector.