Author: Sarah Kelling

Johnson Brothers, family-owned and operated since 1953, proudly announces the latest milestone in its ongoing partnership with Copper Cane Wines & Spirits: expansion in Rhode Island. This marks another significant step in the successful collaboration that began in 2014. Rhode Island will join the company’s established collaborations in Minnesota, Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

Across the decade of partnership with Copper Cane, Johnson Brothers has seen remarkable success across all markets. The collaboration has not only strengthened the presence of Copper Cane’s distinctive and innovative wines but has also significantly enhanced Johnson Brothers’ portfolio, driving growth and customer satisfaction across multiple states.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Johnson Brothers into the Rhode Island market,” states Joe Wagner, owner and winemaker of Copper Cane Wines & Spirits. “Our collaboration has already flourished in several states, and we are excited to bring our innovative and high-quality wines to more New England consumers. Both of our family-owned businesses are committed to excellence, integrity, and providing exceptional experiences to our customers. We look forward to continuing our shared journey of growth and success in Rhode Island.”

One of the fastest-growing luxury wine suppliers in the industry, the expanded Copper Cane portfolio will be managed by Oxford Street Merchants, Johnson Brothers’ luxury organization.

“The Copper Cane Wines & Spirits portfolio includes some of the most dynamic and rapidly growing brands in the luxury wine space,” said Yale Johnson, Vice President of Johnson Brothers, who leads Oxford Street Merchants. “We are thrilled to extend this already successful partnership into the Rhode Island market. Our unwavering commitment to executional excellence, combined with Copper Cane’s innovative approach, ensures that we will achieve outstanding results and continue to provide exceptional experiences to our customers.”

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About Johnson Brothers

Johnson Brothers is a multi-generational family-owned wine, beer, and spirits distributor in the United States. Founded by Lynn Johnson in 1953, the company remains committed to its founding values of work ethic, passion, innovation, teamwork, excellence, and integrity. Through forging strong partnerships with top-tier suppliers globally, Johnson Brothers offers an exceptional portfolio of world-class brands to customer partners across 17 states. With a dedicated team of 4,000, Johnson Brothers remains committed to delivering excellence and continued growth across its operations. For the second consecutive year, Johnson Brothers has been honored as one of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America by Newsweek. For more information, please visit johnsonbrothers.com or LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Oxford Street Merchants

Oxford Street Merchants is an organization of Johnson Brothers, a leading wine, beer, and spirits distributor in the United States, focused on luxury spirits and estate wines. Its dedicated, knowledgeable, and accredited team members bring a passion for brand stewardship and storytelling, ensuring each encounter leaves the customer with an unparalleled luxury experience. Committed to executional excellence and standards of performance, Oxford Street Merchants combines innovation and analytics to drive results. Its name pays homage to 43 Oxford Street, the Saint Paul, Minnesota building where Lynn Johnson founded the third-generation, family-run business. For more info, visit us at oxfordstmerchants.com | Instagram.

About Copper Cane Wines & Spirits

Founded in 2014 by Joseph Wagner, Copper Cane Wines & Spirits has redefined the modern winery with their unique approach to the winemaking process. When grapevine canes begin to lignify, or turn to winter hardy wood, they take on a copper hue. This color shift signals that the green character and harsh tannins have been purged from the vine (and therefore, the resulting wine). Only then are the grapes ready for harvest. For Copper Cane’s founder, Joseph Wagner, this patience is essential. While most growers pick their grapes as sugar content hits a certain mark, Wagner waits for physiological maturity to ensure consistency year to year. The result is a wine full of rich, ripe fruit flavors – a style Wagner and his family have always loved. Representative brands include Belle Glos, Böen, Elouan, Napa Valley Quilt, and Threadcount. For more information, visit www.CopperCane.com.

Johnson Brothers, a family-owned and operated business since 1953, is excited to announce the expansion of its partnership with Chinola into Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska, and North Carolina, effective as of July 1. This expansion builds upon an existing relationship in Indiana. The Chinola portfolio will be managed by Johnson Brothers’ luxury division, Oxford Street Merchants.

Chinola produces natural liqueurs made from 100% fresh fruit and neutral cane spirit, offering a unique blend and proprietary formulation that delivers unparalleled taste and versatility. They can be enjoyed on their own or mixed with any base spirit to create top-quality cocktails.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Johnson Brothers to bring Chinola to four new markets,” said Andrew Merinoff, CEO & Co-founder of Chinola. “Johnson Brothers’ commitment to unmatched customer service makes them the perfect partner to help us share our passion fruit and mango liqueurs with a wider audience. We look forward to a successful collaboration and the continued growth of our relationship.”

Inspired by the Dominican passion fruit, Chinola was crafted in 2014 through a collaboration between hospitality experts, spirit industry professionals, and a master blender. The success of the award-winning Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur has fueled the launch of their first innovation: Chinola Mango Liqueur. The latest addition to their portfolio continues their tradition of natural, low ABV liqueurs made from 100% fresh fruit with no artificial additives. Chinola is dedicated to authenticity and eco-friendly practices in the production of their liqueurs from farm to bottle.

“Chinola’s commitment to quality and innovation aligns perfectly with our mission to bring exceptional products to our customers,” said Yale Johnson, Vice President of Johnson Brothers, who leads Oxford Street Merchants. “Many of the best accounts in America are featuring Chinola as a key part of their cocktail program, and we’re excited to further partner and introduce more consumers to the brand.”

Johnson Brothers, family-owned and operated since 1953, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its distribution of Whitehall Lane Winery’s portfolio into Hawaii, as of July 1.

This expansion marks the addition of Hawaii to the existing partnerships in Indiana and North Carolina. Their dynamic portfolio will be managed by Johnson Brothers’ luxury division, Oxford Street Merchants.

Napa’s Whitehall Lane Winery, often hailed as a best-kept secret, is one of the few remaining family-run wineries in the region. Renowned for its welcoming hospitality and honest wines crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux grapes, Whitehall Lane offers bottles that create a sense of having a winemaker for a friend.

The Leonardini family, who purchased Whitehall Lane in 1993, continues to uphold traditional values while embracing future advancements. Their investments in new technology, sustainable farming, innovative winemaking, and diversity are pivotal in ensuring the winery remains family-owned for generations.

“We are incredibly excited to expand our partnership with Johnson Brothers and bring Whitehall Lane wines to the beautiful islands of Hawaii,” said Tom Leonardini II, Proprietor and Vice President, Whitehall Lane Winery. “We look forward to sharing our passion for winemaking with the Hawaiian community and are confident that Johnson Brothers will represent our brand with the same dedication and excellence that we strive for every day.”

“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with the Leonardini family and introduce Whitehall Lane’s exceptional Napa wines to the Hawaiian market,” said Yale Johnson, Vice President, Johnson Brothers, who leads Oxford Street Merchants. “This expansion allows us to bring the same world-class quality and authenticity that Whitehall Lane Winery is known for to our island customers and consumers. We are confident that their dedication to traditional values and innovative winemaking will resonate with wine enthusiasts across this vibrant community.”

Johnson Brothers and The Duckhorn Portfolio announced today that they have entered into an expanded distribution agreement, effective August 1.

This is the second phase of a comprehensive strategic evaluation of The Duckhorn Portfolio’s wholesale distribution network across the United States, with the goal of driving the profitable growth of sales through a substantial increase in focus and investment in the wholesale channel. Johnson Brothers will begin distribution of The Duckhorn Portfolio’s wines in their new territory later this summer.

“With the recent closing of our Sonoma-Cutrer acquisition, The Duckhorn Portfolio has grown in both scale and scope, and we are now the largest supplier of $15+ wines in the off-premise channel in the United States,” said Deirdre Mahlan, President & Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Company. “Acquiring Sonoma-Cutrer provided an excellent opportunity to evaluate and optimize our distributor network across the United States to strengthen our ability to drive consistent profitable growth and increase shareholder value.”

Recognized as a premier pure-play producer of luxury wine in the United States, The Duckhorn Portfolio includes eleven acclaimed winery brands: Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy, Sonoma-Cutrer, Kosta Browne, Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Calera, Migration, Postmark, Canvasback, and Greenwing. While the Company has worked with Johnson Brothers in Iowa and West Virginia, the Company’s distributor agreements and new alignment will expand the scope of their relationship. When the transition of territories is complete, the distribution of some or all of the Company’s winery brands will be handled by Johnson Brothers in Hawaii, Iowa, and West Virginia.

“During the process of evaluating our route to market strategy in the US, it became abundantly clear that Johnson Brothers has a highly motivated team and a proven track record of executing our goals,” said Pete Przybylinski, Executive Vice President, Chief Sales Officer of the Company. “We are excited to forge an even stronger relationship between our companies that will provide greater focus on our acclaimed portfolio of wineries while helping us to continue to outpace the market. Equally important, we believe that our enhanced relationship with Johnson Brothers will expand our reach and benefit our retail and consumer customers in Hawaii, Iowa, and West Virginia.”

Johnson Brothers, family-owned and operated since 1953, is pleased to announce that it is expanding distribution of the award-winning Copper Cane Wines & Spirits portfolio into four new markets, Hawaii, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. These states join existing partnerships in Minnesota, Iowa, and West Virginia.

Established in 2014 by fifth-generation Napa Valley vintner Joe Wagner, Copper Cane has taken the wine industry by storm with its rich, innovative wines. Since then, the portfolio and reputations of both Copper Cane and Joe Wagner have only grown, with Joe establishing himself not just as a leading winemaker but also as a wine influencer on TikTok and his podcast, “Go with your palate.” Through these platforms, Joe shares his dynamic personality and content to engage a new generation with the world of wine and what that world can be.

“Copper Cane and Johnson Brothers have already successfully partnered in other markets, and we are very excited to broaden our relationship with them, bringing us to seven markets,” states Joe Wagner, owner and winemaker of Copper Cane Wines & Spirits. “We are both family-owned and operated businesses that share values of passion, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and the commitment of collaboration with our customers to ensure they and consumers can enjoy our excellent brands in their respective markets.”

One of the fastest-growing luxury wine suppliers in the industry, the expanded Copper Cane portfolio will be managed by Oxford Street Merchants, Johnson Brothers’ luxury organization.

“We are beyond excited to expand our successful partnership with Copper Cane to seven states,” said Yale Johnson, Vice President of Johnson Brothers, who leads Oxford Street Merchants. “The portfolio features some of the most dynamic and fastest growing brands in the luxury space today, and we are confident our relentless commitment to executional excellence will drive lasting results.”

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Johnson Brothers is pleased to announce it will expand its partnership with Rémy Cointreau to include all of Wisconsin, effective July 1. Prior to this agreement, Johnson Brothers represented the portfolio in Iowa and select Wisconsin markets, adding Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska in 2022.

“Expanding our footprint with Johnson Brothers to include all of Wisconsin furthers the partnership we extended into Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska one year ago,” said Nicolas Beckers, President & CEO Americas at Rémy Cointreau. “We are confident this expansion strengthens our potential for success in these key markets.”

The Rémy Cointreau portfolio crosses many important spirits categories and segments, including Rémy Martin Cognac, The Botanist Gin, Bruichladdich Single Malt Scotch, and Cointreau Liqueur.

“Growing our partnership with Rémy Cointreau to include the entire state of Wisconsin better positions us to build upon the strength of their elite portfolio,” said Mark Hubler, President & CEO of Johnson Brothers. “Rémy is world-renowned for their exceptional spirits, and we are excited about our shared vision for future growth.”