AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT BROWN DISTRIBUTING COMPANY

West Palm Beach, Florida-based Brown Distributing Company, a local distributor of beer, wines, spirits, and snacks, has announced a restructuring that will see the company sell two parts of distribution territory, including its Specialty Division that sold local and regional craft beers, to two separate distributors, Fort Pierce, Florida-based Southern Eagle Distributing and Pompano Beach, Florida-based Gold Coast Beverage, a division of Reyes Beer, the largest beer distributor in the United States.

The restructuring will impact 277 employees with 89 employees losing their jobs between October 15, 2021, and another 188 employees will be laid off in December 2021. The company’s Virginia operations do not appear to face similar layoffs

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT FOLEY FAMILY WINES / SEBASTIANI WINERY

Paso Robles, California-based Foley Family Wines, owner of multiple wineries and a California wine producer, marketer, and distributor, has announced the restructuring of its Sebastiani Winery operation. The company is closing its Sebastiani winemaking and bulk storage operations at its Sonoma location.

Sebastiani's Sonoma administrative offices and winetasting room will remain open. Sebastiani's production will shift to the state-of-the-art Ferrari-Carano wine-making facility in Healdsburg, California.

Approximately 30 employees are impacted by the closure. According to some employees, the move appears to have a dual benefit of closing out the company's unionized employees in Sonoma.

According to Foley President Shawn Schiffer, referring to the present Sonoma location, “This is not a spot that anyone would choose to locate a modern winery. A variety of factors led us to the conclusion that the Sebastiani site is not the right place to bear a large share of our manufacturing needs. The size and layout of the facility, as well as environmental concerns like the encroachment of the surrounding residential neighborhood and public access trail all, played a part in our decision.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT E&J GALLO WINERY (01/26/23)

JULY 26, 2025 — COURTSIDE WINERY IN SAN MIGUEL, CALIFORNIA

Gallo plans to close Gallo's Courtside Winery in San Miguel, California, resulting in the loss of 47 jobs on December 1, 2025.

According to a company spokesperson, “Due to reduced demand for Coastal production and available capacity elsewhere in the company, fewer wineries are needed on the Coast.”

JANUARY 26, 2023 — OUTSOURCING DISTRIBUTION WITH 355 LAYOFFS

E. & J. Gallo Winery, has affirmed its decision to close its in-house distribution operations and lay off 355 California employees, including senior positions.  

Gallo Sales Company, the Modesto, California-based subsidiary of E. & J. Gallo Winery that handled distribution in California, will shift distribution operations to Republic National Distributing Company located in Grand Prairie, Texas.

May 20, 2021 — Original post…

Modesto, California-based E & J Gallo Winery, the largest wine producer and distributor of California wines, has announced a major reduction in force following the acquisition of a number of wine labels from Victor, New York-based Constellation Brands.

The company has laid off the majority of employees at Clos du Bois, a 40-year-old Sonoma County winery known for its inexpensive wines.

According to a company spokesperson, "We are transitioning the bulk of our production from the Clos du Bois winery to our other wineries in Sonoma County. We will maintain some operations at Clos du Bois moving forward, but the current staffing levels are not needed for future production. As part of the restructuring, Clos du Bois' Geyserville winemaking and wine-tasting facility will also be shut down."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?