Bacardi broker to launch new cannabis distribution company to represent Aphria products to retailers and regulators across the country

The Canadian arm of alcohol distributor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits LLC is entering the cannabis market by launching a marijuana-focused broker and partnering with licensed producer Aphria Inc.

The new company, Great North Distributors Inc., will represent Aphria products to retailers and regulators across the country, essentially acting as Aphria’s on-the-spot salesforce, the company said on Thursday.

“We’re going to be able to take a lot of the experience we have from the beverage alcohol market and translate it to the cannabis market,” said Doug Wieland, general manager of Southern Glazer’s Canadian division.

Southern Glazer’s, the largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S., is already a major player in the Canadian alcohol market, representing brands such as Bacardi, Rémy Cointreau and Tito’s Vodka in both private and government-run liquor stores.

“We believe there’s going to be a lot of similarities (to alcohol) with both government involvement, and the way the product will be retailed through those government bodies,” Wieland said. [Read more @ Financial Post]