posted Thursday, Mar 17, 2016 | 10:23PM
Schramm’s Mead, the winner of the 2015 RateBeer “#1 Meadery in the World,” has signed a distribution agreement with Cavalier Distributing. The agreement will allow Cavalier to sell Schramm’s meads to retailers throughout the entire state of Ohio immediately. This is Schramm’s Mead’s first distribution agreement outside their home state of Michigan.
Schramm’s Mead owner and head meadmaker Ken Schramm is excited about the partnership. “Cavalier has an outstanding reputation in the craft beverage industry. Their focus on small, high-quality producers aligns with us beautifully,” he stated. “A number of retailers and chains in Ohio have expressed interest, and we are excited to get our mead onto their shelves.”
The meadery was the logical next step following the success of “The Compleat Meadmaker,” Schramm’s best-selling book on mead making, which was published by Brewers Publications in 2003. “The book really helped the mead industry’s train get rolling, Schramm said. “I figured we probably ought to get on board. People really like this stuff.”
The small, family-run mead maker has been crafting extremely high-quality meads from top-notch honey, local fruits, and carefully selected spices since September of 2013. The result: a barrage of awards from the prestigious RateBeer Best Awards, held January 30 in Santa Rosa, California. Schramms’s Mead captured six of the top 11 places in the Mead category, winning two gold medals, three silver and one bronze medal. It was also named to Ratebeer’s “Top 100 Brewers in the World” list for the second straight year.
The operation is truly a family business. Schramm’s daughter, Alyson Schramm Naeger, is Director of Operations. Her husband, James Naeger, is meadmaker and VP of Sales. James Naeger notes, “Cavalier represents some of our favorite brands, including Jolly Pumpkin, Short’s, Dogfish Head, The Bruery, Stone, Cantillon, and the list goes on. We are excited to be represented by such a qualified and knowledgeable team of people.”
