Beerco and City Beverage are wholly owned subsidiaries of Superior Distributing Co., Inc. which was formed in May 1948 by Robert Klepper. Superior began by distributing Old Crown, Red Top, Drewery’s, and Goebel in Findlay, Ohio until it relocated to Tiffin in 1950. The company expanded with a branch in Lima in 1952. Brands were added and consumer trends changed and the primary brands at that time were Schlitz, Pabst, Blatz and Genesee. The company was small but growing and the then 15 employees sold 50,000 cases of beer annually.

In 1969 Superior acquired Beerco, located in Fostoria, Ohio, from Vern Hanson. The distributorship had been in operation since Prohibition. The Anheuser-Busch brands in Hancock, Seneca, Wyandot, and lower Wood counties were added to the Superior portfolio and sales expanded through the next 3 decades. During this time of growth, the company diversified into other industries as well as added other brands from Adolph Coors, Stroh, and imports from Mexico (Corona) and Canada (Labatt). Beerco sells its portfolio in part of Sandusky, and in all of Hancock, Wood, Seneca counties.

The company continued to grow with the May 2009 acquisition of the Anheuser-Busch and Crown franchises of City Beverage in Defiance, Ohio. Formerly owned by Tom and Tim Sauer, it continues to operate independently and maintains its local presence in Defiance and the surrounding areas. City Beverage sells its quality portfolio of brands in part of Putnam, and in all of Williams, Fulton, Defiance, Henry, and Paulding counties.

In November of 2011 Beerco and City Beverage were proud to add the Yuengling family of brands to their already premier and industry-leading portfolio. Today the combined companies sell over 3 million cases of beer in all or portions of 11 counties through over 750 fine retail customers in Northwest Ohio. The companies now represent supplier partners from Anheuser-Busch InBev, Yuengling, FIFCO (Labatt & Genesee), Crown Imports (Corona & Modelo), Columbus Brewing Company, Mom Water, G Fuel, 5-Hour Energy, Saugatuck Brewing Company, and several other craft beer and beverage brewery partners.

We continue to strive to be the first choice of our retail partners and consumers everyday through superior customer service and a portfolio of the best beers and beverages in the world!

Ambassadors of Excellence

As part of the partnership with our amazing suppliers, Beerco and City Beverage are not only held to a high standard of sales excellence but can also be rewarded for meeting and exceeding that standard. In 2022, City Beverage was awarded the Gold Level Ambassadors of Excellence award by Anheuser-Busch, with Beerco winning the same award in 2023.

The Ambassadors of Excellence is an elite group of distributors within the Anheuser-Busch network that have gone above and beyond in reaching their annual targets for both execution and results for three out of five consecutive years. Currently, eighteen of the four-hundred distributors within the Anheuser-Busch network are Ambassadors of Excellence – a very small percentage. Beerco and City Beverage being two of those wholesalers is a milestone achievement in our company’s history.

The award itself is a large bronze-cast statue of Big Jake, one of Anheuser-Busch’s most iconic members of the Clydesdale hitch team. Additionally, Anheuser-Busch leadership and a camera crew visited both City Beverage and Beerco for a special awards ceremony where owner, Mike Klepper was given a red jacket and unveiled Big Jake in front of his hardworking teams and retail customers at both locations. Additionally, our hardworking sales teams are awarded with a payout for achieving “AOE” status. We are humbly grateful for everyone who helped us achieve this huge milestone in our companies’ histories!