Mitchell Distributing is, and has always been, about family. It began in the 1940s when brothers Mann and Bilbo Mitchell began distributing Falstaff beers in the areas nearby their hometown of Meridian, Mississippi. In 1953, Mann took the helm at Mitchell Distributing and entered into a longstanding partnership with Anheuser-Busch. Mann’s son, Manny, entered the business full time in 1975 and remains the company’s Chairman of the Board. In 2006, Manny’s son, Adam, brought the company into its third generation when he, too, joined the company full time, and later become the CEO in 2018.
Mitchell Distributing has experienced steady growth through the years. In 2002, we expanded to Leland, Mississippi, significantly increasing our volume and service territory. In 2004, the Leland operation celebrated the opening of a new warehouse facility, which features office spaces, increased warehouse capacity and a 2,500-square-foot conference room.
In 2008, Mitchell Distributing celebrated two significant accomplishments—the opening of a new state-of-the-art 90,000-square-foot warehouse in its home location in Meridian and the acquisition of new warehouses and service territories in Columbus and Tupelo.
The extensively renovated Mitchell Distributing-Meridian touts new office space, a controlled environment warehouse, a large drive-thru, expanded truck docks and a 3,500-square-foot conference room. Because of our strong ties and commitment to history and family, we chose to expand on our existing site. The Mitchell family has been in its current location since 1931 when Manny’s grandfather, E.J. Mitchell, first opened a grocery store on 49th Avenue. An engraved stone at the entrance to the facility pays tribute to his legacy. The facility opened in October to a grand celebration attended by more than 600 friends and business owners from throughout the state, including Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.
In November 2008, Mitchell Distributing grew again to include the Columbus and Tupelo markets, doubling its volume and service territory. The acquisition—the largest of any single distributorship in Mississippi—elevated Mitchell Distributing to the second largest wholesaler in the state.
In April 2014, the Mitchell family signed an agreement to purchase the A-B distributor in Baltimore, Maryland, which has since been named Chesapeake Beverage. In addition, Mitchell also purchased a stake in FP Winner, a distributor of non-A-B brands including Corona, Pabst, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head and Diageo. Chesapeake Beverage is operated from a single warehouse in Baltimore. This was an exciting move as it more than doubled the size of the company.
In March 2015, Mitchell Distributing purchased the assets of Delta Distributing Company in Greenwood, Mississippi. This was another exciting move for us as it was a strategic growth opportunity that unites our Mitchell Delta territory with the rest of our Mitchell Distributing territory. Our depth of management experience has enabled us to continue to look for further expansions and to make long-term plans to move our companies forward.
Most recently in October 2016, Mitchell completed the purchase of Rex Distributing, the Anheuser-Busch distributor on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Rex distributes to the counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson, and the cities of Picayune, Poplarville, and Lucedale in Mississippi. In addition to distributing Anheuser-Busch and craft brands, they also carry non-alcoholic products, wine, energy drinks, and water.
This was an exciting acquisition for Mitchell Distributing in the state of Mississippi, with a unique economy with casinos and tourism along the beach. This addition brought Mitchell Distributing’s total counties serviced in Mississippi to 37.
Mitchell Distributing now employs around 550 people throughout Mississippi, but despite the expansive growth of the company, many things remain the same. We remain committed to quality, service and pride in every aspect of our operation. We believe, as we always have, that with the right people in the right places, you can do anything. And above all, we are “beer people.” We love the beer distribution business, feel we have great relationships and friendships with our customers and very much enjoy working with our main supplier, Anheuser Busch InBev. More than ever, we’re proud of our large and ever-growing family.