KRISTEN DISTRIBUTING CO

Kristen Distributing Company was founded in 1930 by Ambrose Kristen, three years before the repeal of Prohibition. The company started out as a manufacturer and distributor for soft drinks like Frosty, Nesbitt, 7-Up, and Dr. Pepper.

After his return from World War II, “Boots” Kristen, Ambrose’s son joined the firm and immediately started growing the business. He expanded the company’s portfolio to include wholesale beer distribution in Austin and Waller Counties with brands like Grand Prize Beer of Galveston – Texas’ #1 Beer (owned by Howard Hughes). In 1945, Boots created and bottled his own soda line, Boots Soda, a craft soda that featured seasonal flavors. He successfully bottled the line for a decade before the division was sold in the early ’60s. Shortly after, Kristen Distributing was awarded the rights to Miller Brewing Company products, one of the company’s biggest acquisitions to date!

In 1979, Mark Kristen, “Boots” son, came aboard as the 3rd generation Kristen to be in management. Mark led Kristen Distributing to become one of the first Miller houses to acquire Coors Brewing Company products, creating one of the first shared MillerCoors houses in the state of Texas. In 1998, Mark purchased Brazos Beverage; this gave him the opportunity to relocate the company to Bryan, Texas.

Today, the company services roughly 25 central counties with alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands. At capacity, our controlled temperature warehouse holds 500,000 cases of product. With an estimated 1,200 plus SKU’s; we distribute around 3M cases per year! Mark still serves as the company’s CEO while his son, John Kristen, presides as the President. As a 4th generation Kristen in the beer business, it comes as no surprise that John’s first word was “beer”! He will lead us in celebrating 90 years of business in 2020!