the story of Indiana Beverage is one of team work, perseverance, and a dedication to excellence that spans over 75 years.

Founded in 1939, Valpo Beverage distributed brands such as Miller, Old Crown, and Pabst in the Porter County area. The initial decades of the company were marked by population growth, distributor mergers, and brand acquisitions. By 1962 Harlin Leetz was the president and Falstaff Brewing was the #1 beer in our market. Sales continued to grow so much that by 1969 a new, larger warehouse was built. The company moved from their downtown location on Indiana street to Elm street.

The following year Bruce Leetz was named president, a title which held for over 40 years. the following decades brought more territory expansions, warehouse additions and brand acquisitions, a few of the most notable being the then little known brands Miller Lite and Corona, and by the late 80s Valpo Beverage had sold an annual 1,000,000 cases of Miller. Valpo Beverage finished the 80s as one of the most respected distributors in the business. This lead to the company being awarded the rights to a much coveted brand that was new to Indiana: Coors Light.

In 1992 Valpo Beverage closed a chapter in its history. With the business expanding to a seven county, two million case a year operation the decision was made to change the corporate name to North Coast Distributing. Along with this name change another new warehouse was built, this time in the burgeoning outskirts of Valparaiso's business district at 705 Silhavy street. The 90s brought an explosion of choices for consumers mostly led by imports and brand innovations. This lead to more record breaking sales. The biggest which came when 3,000,000 cases of Miller brands were sold in 1994. An astonishing number when compared to the 13,000 cases that were sold in 1972.

In 2005 as sales and territory increased, sub-distributor Five Star Distributing was born. Located in Columbia City, in the center of it's 12 county footprint, Five Star Distributing continues to service the north east half of the state with the same detail at retail Indiana Beverage is known for. This brought the collective territory to include the entire top third of Indiana.

The new millennium brought many changes. Among them was Jon Leetz being appointed president of North Coast in 2010. He was the third generation of Leetz's to serve in that capacity. It was also around that time that the beer industry began its seismic shift with addition of thousands of craft brewers enter the business. With the craft beer renaissance, consumers now had more choices than ever. Jeff Leetz, senior VP of marketing oversaw the rapid expansion of our portfolio which now includes many of the most respected craft and import brands in the country.

Once again, as the portfolio expanded another warehouse was built. A 225,000 sq ft state of the art facility on rt 49 in Valparaiso was completed in 2012. But, warehouse locations weren't the only thing that changed. With the acquisition of Metro Beverage in South Bend, North Coast expanded its presence in the area and changed its name to Indiana Beverage to better reflect the nature of its service area.

To this day, under the direction of the Leetz family and the current president Bob Jacobs, Indiana Beverage continues to garner awards, break records, and lead the industry with a commitment to Delivering the Difference.

Our mission

Indiana Beverage is a beverage distributor whose aim is to grow our business by promoting responsible use of products and providing quality service to our customers. Our Detail at Retail allows us to realize our goal: No one will out execute us in the market place.

Our strengths arise from the bond of Team Indiana Beverage and the partnership that includes our suppliers, our customers, the communities we serve, and every member of our company. The foundation of that partnership is centered on our core values: PASSION, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, COMMITMENT, and EXCELLING. We will abide by the highest standards of quality and respond with a sense of urgency to our customersí needs. In servicing these needs, we will act safely, legally, morally, and ethically.

We our empowered to be proactive in carrying out our mission while being held accountable for our actions, productivity, and profitability. We understand the importance of training as the way to prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the future. We must embrace change with a dedication of always seeking to improve ourselves and our company.

Through Pride In Our Service
Going The Extra Mile
Team Indiana Beverage
Delivers The Difference