Central Distributors Revenue and Competitors

Central Distributors Inc. (CDI) was founded in September of 1934 by Albert J. Barriault. During this time, popular brands of beer and ale were distributed to some 300 retailers in seven counties. Fern J. Barriault joined his father in the business in 1946 after completing his service in the Navy. Fern accepted his current title as president in 1954 after his father passed away. He has held this position for 42 years. Fern was joined full-time in the business by his two sons; Ronald in May of 1970 and Dennis in October of 1971 respectively. After learning and performing all aspects of CDI operations, Ron introduced the company to the wine industry in 1970. The wine department has grown tremendously since that time and it continues to be a force for CDI. Central Distributors Inc, and CDI is currently one of the state's leading wine wholesalers. Dennis assumed leadership of the beer division in 1971, and like his brother, he introduced a new aspect to the company, the non-alcoholic beverage segment of CDI's portfolio. These business segments combined, contributed to making Central Distributors Inc. a leader in Maine's beverage distribution arena. In addition to growth through increased sales and territory management and expansion CDI has capitalized on its business strengths through select acquisitions. In 1980, CDI successfully purchased State Distributors of Auburn and Knox Distributors of Rockland, thus increasing the company's territory by more than 20%. Central Distributors has always been a leader in the beer and wine distribution business. CDI was first in the market to fully computerize its operations, utilizing a fast-flow wine packing system, and employ climate controlled warehouse and has converted its truck fleet to modern diesel-powered trucks with 12 bay beverage bodies. Today CDI's fleet consists of a mixture of 12 box and 16 bay beverage bodies with tractor trailer trucks and tandems to service its whole geographic area. Central Distributors has outgrown two facilities since its inception. In 1987 CDI moved to its present location at 15 Foss Road, Lewiston, Maine, and has recently expanded its warehouse another 32,000 square feet, and installed a state of the art wine packing system. Today, CDI proudly serves more than 2,000 customers in 15 counties and currently employs 102 people.