With just six employees
and one brand of beer, Carling Black Label, Edwin T. French Sr. founded
Monarch Beverage in 1947. Our first warehouse on Market Street was the size
of a modest home from which all sales and deliveries were handled. Blatz
and Red Cap Ale were also made available through Monarch in 1947. Throughout the years, Monarch Beverage has continued to outgrow its respective facilities. We have moved or combined buildings 9 times before settling for the last few years here on Waldemere Avenue. Our growth has resulted from an aggressive pursuit to acquire more brands and more distribution territory. Since 1975, Monarch has acquired 20 smaller distributors; six in 1999 alone. In 1989, Monarch gained Miller Brewing products by acquiring Hilgemeier Distributing. In 1991 Coors Brewing Company chose Monarch Beverage as their local distributor, and Coors products became available in Indiana.
1971 was also a big milestone for Monarch, as that is when we began distributing wine. Out of the 17 wholesalers in Indianapolis and all of them in Indiana, we were the first distributor to have both beer and wine under the same roof.
Today, Monarch Beverage is the largest beer and wine distributor in Indiana. Over 100 beers including Miller, Coors, Corona, Heineken, Sam Adams and Mike's Hard Lemonade products are available, as well as over 100 wine brands including Gallo, Bartles & Jaymes and Black Swan.