Eastown Distributors

About

Beverage Distributor of a wide variety of beer, wine, water and energy drinks in northeast Wayne County, Michigan.

Family owned and operated since 1933.

Story

COMPANY HISTORY

1930’s

Prohibition ended in 1933 when President Roosevelt signed the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, ending “The Great Experiment”. In the early days, beer distribution was a local system where trucks picked up product from the brewery and delivered it fresh daily to the local retailers. Joseph A. Quasarano, an Italian immigrant who had settled on Detroit’s east side, obtained the second wholesaler license issued in the State of Michigan and “East Town” Distributors was born. He bought a 1000 square foot warehouse and distributed his first brands, Pearl Foam and E&B.
The beer industry grew quickly and Eastown grew along with it. National brands developed with advances in transportation and technology. With the acquisition of Pabst Blue Ribbon in 1939, Eastown relocated to a 6000 square foot facility on Manning and Gratiot to handle the increased warehousing demand.

1940’s and ‘50’s

In 1941 the second generation entered the family business led by Joseph R. Quasarano and the company name was changed to the presently familiar “Eastown Distributors”. In 1955, Eastown obtained the rights to sell the increasingly popular brands produced by Carling, including their flagship brand, Carling Black Label. The Manning warehouse was not sufficient to house the increased volume and Eastown relocated once again to a newer, larger facility on Helen Street near Van Dyke and McNichols. This 10,000 square foot location would be home to Eastown for 34 years.

1960’s and ‘70’s

Expansion continued in these two decades . A third generation entered the business and brothers James R. Quasarano, current Chief Operations Officer, and John G. Quasarano led the company through these times of growth. Eastown acquired the rights to products brewed by The Hamms Brewing Company, The Schlitz Brewing Company and The Miller Brewing Company. An additional 32,000 square feet of warehouse space was added to the Helen Street warehouse to support these newly acquired brands led by America’s first light beer, Miller Lite.
In 1977 Eastown sold over 1,000,000 cases for the first time in their history. That year Eastown debuted the first refrigerated draft truck on the streets of the Motor City. Now a standard in the industry, the refrigerated trailer provided fresh, cold draft beer to Eastown’s bars and restaurants. Frustrated with the two-person draft delivery system that the refrigerated trucks required, Joseph R. designed and patented the Hackney “On Tap” Keg Dispenser allowing a one-person delivery of draft product in a safer, more efficient manner. The units were sold nationally and were used by distributors in many parts of the country.

1980’s

Consolidation in the industry began in the 1980’s and Eastown was ready to grow again. Joseph’s youngest son Paul J. Quasarano, current President, entered the business in 1984. In 1985, the company added to its sales staff and improved it’s retail inventory control by converting to a pre-sell sales system. At the end of the decade in 1989, Eastown purchased neighboring DBD, Inc. and relocated to the current location at 14400 Oakland Ave. in Highland Park, MI. The new facility had nearly 110,000 square feet of warehouse and office space as well as a separate building housing an on-site recycle operation. Focusing primarily on the Miller Brewing Company products along with a portfolio of leading imports, Eastown continued to grow and lead the industry in innovation and selling systems.

1990’s

Volume continued to grow and Eastown delivered and merchandised over 3,000,000 cases in 1991. A fourth generation of Quasaranos entered the business in 1997. Jim’s son Jeffrey M. Quasarano, along with brother Kevin J. Quasarano and John’s son John J. Quasarano re-evaluated a then aging computer system. The trio assisted in the implementation of a new information system to carry the company into the 21st Century.
Another consolidation opportunity presented itself in 1998 and Eastown purchased a portion of another neighboring distributor, Action Distributing. The additional 1,800,000 cases presented new challenges for the company and an additional 10,000 square feet of warehouse space was added bringing the total to 120,000 square feet.

21st Century

In 2006, Miller Brewing Company honored Joseph R. Quasarano with its Miller Legend Award, recognizing him for his long term commitment to their brands and the industry. Shortly after, Joe lost his battle with cancer but his legacy lives on. His wife Rosemary watches two of her sons and two grandsons manage a fourth generation family business with over 100 dedicated employees and 1700 customers. The family manages the recycling of over 7500 tons of Eastown’s scrap paper, glass, aluminum and plastic annually.
In 2008, Eastown celebrated their 75th anniversary of beer distribution in the Detroit area. In 2010 a Specialty Beer Division was created to focus more closely on Eastown’s craft beer and specialty import portfolio. Included in this division are four local breweries which continue to grow at rates far higher than the industry as a whole. Similar to the Eastown of the 1930’s, product is picked up from the local brewery and delivered fresh to their retailers. With customer service and product quality as their top priority, Eastown continues to stay ahead of the industry. Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In January 2012, Eastown consolidated the MillerCoors and Heineken USA portfolios with the purchase of brands from Tri-County Beverage. The addition of brands like Coors Light, Blue Moon, Dos Equis and Grolsch put Eastown over a 40% market share for the first time. The additional volume added 15% more volume and 17% more profitability into the system. Shortly after the acquisition, Jim Quasarano stepped down as President and Paul Quasarano became the company’s 4th President since its formation in 1933, continuing the family legacy of company leadership. Also in 2012, Eastown was appointed the rights to distribute Red Bull Energy Drink for distribution to on premise accounts only.
The company continues to invest in its business and its people. In this vein, an investment in new technology in the form of a new Route Accounting Software system was made in 2013. Rutherford’s eoStar System helps enable Managers to better analyze sales history, establish goals and objectives, survey the market and service the customer. Eastown continues to evaluate, integrate and train on new technologies that help it better serve its customers and the communities within its territory.