Outside Investor Buys San Antonio-Based Craft Beer Distributor Hops and Vines

Hops and Vines Distributing, the San Antonio-based distributor for brands including Freetail Brewing Co. and Southside Craft Soda, has been gobbled up by an Austin-based investment company.

Fountain Square Industries, owner of Austin-based wine distributor Ambiente, closed on the purchase earlier this month, according to company officials. They didn't reveal financial terms of the deal.

Founded in 2015, Hops and Vines is a fast-growing distributor of Texas craft beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. CEO and founder Tristan Maldonado will remain with the company, and Ambiente will kick in additional capital to fund future acquisitions.

“Tristan and the entire Hops and Vines team have built a tremendous business, and we look forward to enhancing their growth through our collective infrastructure, technology and distribution footprint,” Ambiente CEO Joseph Thomas said in a written statement.

Beyond San Antonio's Freetail, Hops and Vines distributes product from Celis Brewery, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. and nearly 20 other craft brewers. It also handles wine from Fredericksburg's Lost Draw Cellars and Baron Creek Vineyards, among other vineyards.

According to its website, Fountain Square is operated by Joseph D. Thomas, a former principal with Svoboda Capital Partners, a $400 million private equity firm based in Chicago.

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