523: Tony Burt of East Imperial discusses their distribution agreement with one of the largest distributors in the US

The Vox Markets Podcast

Tony Burt, Founder and CEO of East Imperial #EISB discusses the distribution agreement they've signed with Republic National Distributing Company, one of the largest distributors in the US operating across 37 states.

Highlights
Under the terms of the agreement, RNDC will commence distributing to the on-trade and off-trade markets from March 2022 across eight US states; California, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Maryland, Illinois, Washington DC & Florida. These states have been experiencing rapid growth in demand for premium mixers and represent an opportunity for East Imperial to achieve a step-change in the scale of the business across the US. RNDC already provides distribution for East Imperial's best-selling beverages in California, which has experienced strong sales growth.

Following the agreement with RNDC, the US is expected to make up an increasing and significant proportion of East Imperial's revenues. East Imperial is actively seeking a US-based third-party bottling provider in anticipation of the increased demand and to significantly improve the efficiency of operations. This is a strategic priority for the management team.

While RNDC's distribution will focus on the on-trade and off-trade market, East Imperial will continue to provide a direct-to-consumer offer in the US through Amazon Marketplace as part of a multi-channel strategy. East Imperial's canned product range became available on Amazon in November last year and has seen strong demand throughout the US.

About East Imperial
East Imperial, founded in 2012, produces and markets a line of branded premium mixers that sell throughout APAC, US and EMEA. The company was founded on the philosophy of creating products defined by heritage, tradition and authenticity.

East Imperial’s range utilises authentic African and Asian ingredients, a 1903 East African recipe, and a flavour-enhancing artisan cold filling small batch manufacturing process.