Breakthru Beverage Acquires Wine Broker B&W Wines
Oct. 4, 2016
Breakthru Beverage Group announced today that it is acquiring Toronto-based B&W Wines, one of Ontario’s premier fine wine agents. Integration with Breakthru Beverage, formerly operating as Wirtz Beverage Canada, marks significant expansion of the company’s wine portfolio.
“B&W Wines has a strong reputation along with one of the highest-rated global portfolios in the Ontario marketplace,” said John Donohue, Senior Vice President, Breakthru Beverage Canada. “This is a great opportunity for Breakthru to grow our footprint and wine portfolio with some of the most recognized and sought after wines in the market.”
B&W Wines, established in 1995, has steadily built a global collection of quality, artisanal wines from around the world including Australia, Italy, France, Spain and the U.S.
“We’ve built a great business and been able to bring some of the best wines in the world to Canadian wine lovers. Joining Breakthru is an opportunity to expand the reach of these brands, attract new high-quality producers and make these great wines available to a larger audience,” said Howard Wasserman, partner, B&W Wines. “We look forward to joining the Breakthru team because they share our enthusiasm for fine wines, and have the established infrastructure needed to flourish beyond the Ontario market.”
Breakthru will also welcome all of B&W’s staff including B&W founders Howard Wasserman, Jordan Bender and Jim Lisser. This team will continue to build winemaker partnerships and to lead the portfolio growth and expansion. With this move, Breakthru Canada will add to its already strong portfolio of brands.
“We are focused on growing our assortment in Canada and increasing services to our government, retail and on-premise customers,” said Greg Baird, President and CEO, Breakthru Beverage Group. “The team at B&W brings an impressive level of passion and enthusiasm and we are excited for the opportunity to position Breakthru Canada as a partner of choice for the industry.”