Watch RNDC's CEO announce its California collapse

Earlier today, I broke the news at VinePair that Republic National Distributing Company, which trails only Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits by volume in America’s middle tier, is planning to “withdraw” from its California business in early September. This astonishing development first began swirling on social media late last week and into the weekend, but I’m pretty sure I was first to get the company to confirm it on the record. Not to get all “SCOOP” about it, but, y’know.

Last week, prior to this latest bombshell, I laid out for the record some of the factors animating RNDC’s California collapse. On May 28th, back when the wholesaler’s California business was at least nominally a going concern, I wrote:

That offer still stands. I’m all ears for information and documentation from within the company, so if you have it, send it my way. That goes for workers, retailers, suppliers, and everybody in between. If you need anonymity, let me know and I can probably grant it.

Less than a week after my last column on RNDC, more of the picture has come into view, and it looks way worse than before. We now know that, amid the exodus of bev-alc producers like Tito’s, Cutwater, and Brown-Forman from the wholesaler’s California (and broader national) portfolio, its brass was laying the groundwork for an exodus of its own. Away from the country’s most important wine and spirits market. Away from old rivals and fierce new foes. Away from god-knows how many remaining suppliers that have counted on the firm for a route to market in the Golden State.

This picture is still far from clear. How did RNDC’s California business get this bad? What will happen to its thousands of workers in the state, including the ~500 Teamsters sales staff whose contract expired on May 31st following what union negotiators described to me as a mix of radio silence and confusion from their counterparts on the other side of the table? Who will acquired RNDC’s assets in California, and how will it shift the balance of power in the country’s bev-alc business?

I’m hearing a lot of chatter from sources on all these fronts, and more. RNDC’s head of corporate communications, Kanchan Achar, confirmed the firm’s imminent departure from the Golden State, but declined to answer any of my follow-up questions, saying only she “will have additional updates tomorrow regarding business assets and employees of the state.” If you have details, screenshots, etc. to share, please get in touch. But while I wait to hear from you and/or Achar, let’s all hear from Bob Hendrickson, the chief executive officer and president of RNDC, as he announces the jig is up.

Fingers can't do this without your support.