Columbia Distributing Plans Stake in Hayden Beverage

Columbia Distributing said on Sunday that it had signed a letter of intent to acquire a stake in Hayden Beverage Company, a family-owned distributor based in Idaho, in a move that would widen its beverage platform across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

The companies said the proposed investment would bring together two long-established distributors with overlapping supplier relationships and complementary portfolios that include wine, beer, cider and nonalcoholic drinks. Columbia said the deal was designed to strengthen its regional reach while preserving local market ties and existing operating structures.

The announcement comes as beverage distributors across the Pacific Northwest continue to consolidate in response to changing supplier arrangements, tighter competition and the need to cover larger territories more efficiently. Columbia said the transaction would help build what it called a total beverage platform in the region.

Hayden Beverage has been expanding its own footprint. The company said it acquired three wine distributors over the past two years and completed the purchase of RNDC’s equity interest in its Idaho joint venture on May 8. Columbia separately announced an agreement involving certain RNDC wine and spirits supplier rights in Oregon and Washington, along with related assets in Alaska.

Under the proposed transaction, Hayden’s ownership group would also take an indirect ownership interest in Columbia. The companies said that arrangement was meant to align long-term priorities and support future growth.

Neither company said there would be immediate changes to day-to-day operations. Both said they would continue under their current leadership, banners and licenses. They also said the partnership would not lead to layoffs or changes in employers.

“We’ve always worked well with Columbia,” Dodds Hayden, owner and chairman of Hayden Beverage, said in a statement. “It feels like we are finally making an informal partnership a formal one.”

Chris Steffanci, president and chief executive of Columbia Distributing, said Hayden had built “an exceptional business in Idaho” with strong supplier relationships and a commitment to execution.

Columbia, founded in 1935, said its 2,800 employees serve more than 24,000 retail customers across Oregon and Washington. With the planned expansion into Alaska, the company said it would add about 1,125 accounts and extend its reach to more than 835,000 square miles across three states.

Hayden Beverage, founded in 1970 by John Hayden and later purchased by Dodds Hayden in 2006, described itself as Idaho’s leading beverage distributor. The company said it serves customers statewide through a multi-division model that covers wine, beer, cider, nonalcoholic beverages and other categories.

The companies did not disclose financial terms of the proposed investment.