Columbus Distributing Company is driven by honesty, integrity, and passion
Founded in 1933 at the height of the Prohibition, Columbus Distributing Company (CDC) has spent more than nine decades leading the way in the American beverage landscape. What began as a family venture established by Richard (Dick) Jenkins has transformed into one of Ohio’s leading wholesale beverage distributors, now spanning multiple counties and representing an expansive portfolio of domestic, craft, and import brands. Still firmly family-owned and operated by the fifth-generation of the Jenkins family, CDC continues to balance a deep respect for its heritage with a clear-eyed focus on the future.
When Food Chain Magazine last sat down with Erik Jenkins, President of CDC, he was proud to share insight into the company’s heritage and strategic growth as it continues to expand on its legacy. Now, one year later, he rejoins us to discuss CDC’s latest news and dive deeper into the values beating through the heart of the business.
“2025 was a really good year for Columbus,” Erik begins. “We made two acquisitions and have closed on the Columbus, Akron, Canton, and Cleveland markets, which means that, in the last 12 months, we’ve gone from selling approximately six million cases per year to almost 14 million. To put that growth into perspective, we were at $108 million in annual revenue when we last spoke and, for 2026, we’re forecasting around $285 million, so we’ve more than doubled the business. We’ve made a huge strategic step in terms of what we want to do and how we want to position this company for the future, and I feel that we’ve now reached a scale that is sufficient to meet the market demands of our brands and suppliers.”
Prioritizing customers and communities
Last year, Erik revealed that CDC was aiming to expand its offerings with new brand categories outside of beer, and shared that the company had recently added Carbliss – a leading producer of ready-to-drink cocktails – to its portfolio, along with a range of new ciders. Today, CDC continues to invest in both its existing brands and new ventures, remaining true to its heritage while adapting to a changing market. These acquisitions, including the Brecksville-based House of LaRose, have played a vital role in that evolution.
“One of the biggest emerging markets in the US right now is THC beverages. When we look at alcohol consumption on a per capita basis, we’re aware that the younger generation are drinking less across all categories, so we see the rise of THC beverages as a massive opportunity for us as a distributor. We’ve spent a lot of time working to understand the category and its products, and we’re also deeply involved in the legislative process to ensure that these products are being regulated in the right way,” Erik explains.
“In addition, we’re going to continue to build infrastructure around other non-beer products to complement our existing beer portfolio, such as wine and spirit-based cocktails, mocktails, energy drinks, or even coconut water or extreme hydration products.”
Aside from its vast scope of product offerings and consistently efficient service, what truly sets CDC apart from its competitors is the robust, family-oriented culture that it champions. CDC strongly values the relationships it holds with its suppliers, customers, and communities, and is engaged with charitable organizations helping to make a difference. While the company supports a number of different organizations, it places a particular emphasis on cancer research charities, particularly those supporting families affected by pediatric cancer – a cause that’s close to Erik’s heart. For instance, CDC has a longstanding relationship with the Ronald McDonald House charities, which provide accommodation for families with sick children to allow them to stay together.
This extra level of engagement and care all comes back to the core values that govern every aspect of CDC’s operations, as Erik elaborates: “Our first value is ‘honesty’ – that goes across the board. The second value is ‘integrity’, and that comes down to doing the right thing when no one’s looking, which has helped to drive our success and reputation. The third value would have to be ‘perfection’. Perfection isn’t something that you can ever achieve, but it should be our goal to get as close as possible and remain progressive. We have a defined territory, so it’s important for us to be transparent and do the right things for our customers and our communities.”
Championing core values
As CDC embarks further on its 93rd year in business, it’s clear that the company is well-positioned for another era of prosperity, market leadership, and strategic growth. While continuing to expand and integrate new businesses into its operations, CDC’s legacy will remain driven by its core values.
“We’re going to invest a lot of time and money in our emerging markets. Anheuser-Busch is our largest supplier, representing around 80 percent of our business, and their portfolio is performing very well, so the main cost of our efforts will be in continuing to grow that business,” Erik affirms as he concludes our conversation. “Alongside that, we’re going to work to integrate the businesses that we’ve acquired into our culture. We want to ensure that all of our 500-plus employees are aligned on our core values and what is important to us as a company – and how we’re going to manifest that in a successful way. It’s always a tricky task as every business has its own culture, but we hope to take the best parts of each and really build on that in 2026.”