Bella Vista History
- Bella Vista Beer and Soda founders Olimpia and Marinos Fetfatzes got their start in the beverage business running pushcarts around Philadelphia. Most pushcart vendors were ordering soda directly from the beverage wholesalers but when Mario went to a South Philly distributor one day to pick up cases of soda, he fell in love with the idea of having a store of his own. The couple traded in their sidewalk for a storefront and sold off five pushcarts in 1984.
- In the early 90’s Bella Vista Beer Distributor, hired its first sales manager to help increase its wholesale portfolio; ranging from local taverns, to chic and upscale restaurants, and offices of all kinds. During this time period Bella Vista Beer Distributor moved from servicing locally centralized market, to a broadened area of Philadelphia County.
- In the mid to late 90’s Bella Vista Beer Distributor had acquired a large number of accounts, which spanned a robust clientele. This was made possible by the dedication of Bella Vista Beer Distributor employees.
- In the early 2000’s Bella Vista Beer Distributor enjoyed more steady growth, with continual customer loyalty, and a larger inventory capacity to match it. Bella Vista Beer Distributor had acquired more real estate further south 11th street, which is currently its foot stamp today of over 80,000 square feet of floor space.
- In 2005 Bella Vista Beer Distributor become an importing distributor in Pennsylvania with the ability to sell beyond Philadelphia County.
- Bella Vista Beer Distributor has aggressively acquired higher end clientele, while continuing its service to the every day retail customer with the same commitment and service as the very first customer that walked into Bella Vista Beer Distributor. Not to be outmatched, the beer end of the business has retained the distributing rights to Boulder Brewing Company, and Atomium Belgian Grand Cru in 2005. Bella Vista Beer Distributor management has never rested on its laurels; in fact they pursued and acquired other brands of exclusivity for the Metro Philadelphia region. Acquisitions include Voodoo Brewery, Lakefront Brewery, Bruery, Caldera, Ballast Point and AleSmith that make Bella Vista a venerable craft only distributor in the region.
- Presently, Bella Vista Beer Distributor and its management are working together with our retailers to strengthen their relationships with service and continued information to and from each other. Bella Vista Beer Distributor is presently keeping ahead of the competition by physically meeting with great people in the craft beer segment to help bring the most respected brewers to the PA market.
- October 4th 2008 Bella Vista Beer Distributors, Inc celebrated the grand opening of their new facility in South Philadelphia, PA.
- 2010 Has been an extremely active year, in regards to expansion, new cold storage and sales force additions have been aided by distribution rights acquisitions of revered breweries such as Central Waters, Hill Farmstead, Stillwater, and Mission Brewery. As the industry has shrunk, Bella Vista reported healthy growth of Year over Year numbers in profits at 10%+ and Sales of 12%+ overall
- June, 2010 Awarded Best Beer Distributor in Philadelphia by Philly BeerScene Magazine
- June, 2011 Awarded Best Beer Distributor in Philadelphia by Philly BeerScene Magazine
[toggle title="About the Bella Vista Neighbourhood"]
Bella Vista, Italian for “beautiful sight”, is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bounded approximately by South Street to the north, Washington Avenue to the south, 6th Street to the east, and 11th Street to the west. Bella Vista is home to the Italian Market.[1]
Annual festivals in the neighborhood include the Italian Market Festival and Bella Vista Festa. Arts and cultural events in Bella Vista are centered around public concerts, coffeehouses, Mew Gallery, and Fleischer Art Memorial.
Bella Vista was the first neighborhood settled by Italian immigrants in Philadelphia, and it continues to be one of Philadelphia’s Italian American neighborhoods.
Other highlights: The neighborhood is considered the brunch capital of Philadelphia, has a bocce league that plays at Bardascino Park (10th & Carpenter Streets), and features a permanent community garden at 10th & Kimball.
Food food food! Bella Vista is but a stone’s throw from the Italian market, where you can find the freshest and most exquisite varieties of meats, cheeses, vegetables and confections.
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