About Us

Vision

Bud Distributing has prospered for 60 years in Southwest Michigan by turning challenges into opportunities and change into growth. We have actively pursued ways to promote the area and communities that we not only do business in, but is also where we live and play.

Bud Distributing places a premium on relationships with our suppliers, our customers, and our employees, and we focus on ways to grow together for the future. As a family owned local business, we have dedicated our efforts and support to the continued growth of Michigan’s Great Southwest.

Bud Distributing is proud to represent a strong portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands, including several that are produced in our local communities. Our company strives to provide quality products, with a customer-first service model.

 

Our History

The company was founded by John Nate Sr. in 1947 as Silver Creek Distributing with Carling Black Label as the flagship brand. Wine, soft drinks, and juices were also sold. In 1949 the company was renamed John Nate Beverages and in 1954 John “Buddy” Nate Jr. joined the business. In 1970 Buddy bought the Anheuser-Busch distributor, Diamond Lake Distributing in Cassopolis, and ran that as separate business for a couple years before merging it with John Nate Beverages in Dowagiac.

In 1993 John Nate Beverages was split into two separate companies, with Buddy Nate forming Bud Distributing and assuming sole ownership of the beer portion of the old company. In succeeding years several more brands were added to the Anheuser-Busch core business, with the largest being Corona in 2004. In 2009 Bud Distributing purchased another Anheuser-Busch wholesaler, doubling the size of the company. In 2011 the company re-entered the wine business by purchasing a small local wine distributor. In 2012 Bud Distributing bought a portion of Nate Wines wine business, adding three major wine suppliers to the portfolio.