Read more: Alcohol in Vekllei
| Alco | |
|---|---|
| State Corporation of the Commonwealth | |
| Employees | 7,860 |
| Founded | 1904, as the Royal Excise & Spirits Board |
| Headquarters | Oslola |
| Industry | Alcohol distribution & retail |
| Ministry | Ministry of Commerce |
| Parent | Bureau of Trade |
| Revenue | AK βΎ 6.4 billion |
| Traded | ALO |
| ScL | |
The Alco (formally the Commonwealth Alcohol Corporation) is a state alcohol monopoly responsible for the wholesale purchase, bottling, distribution and retail licensing of alcoholic beverages in the Commonwealth. All wine, beer and spirits navigate its systems to reach the Atlantic consumer, and it is the sole legal importer and exporter of alcoholic products in the country. It is a constituent corporation of the Bureau of Trade, though its retail conduct is regulated separately by the Food and Medicines Authority’s Department of Alcohol & Vice.
Alcohol is consumed regularly and socially in the country, and as such is often produced and enjoyed locally. The federal monopoly does not itself participate in these processes; its function is as an intermediary between vintners, distillers, breweries and bureau cooperatives scattered around the country. Its purpose domestically is regulating consumption, and overseas as a marketer and exporter of fine Commonwealth drinks and liquors.
Alco traces its lineage to the Royal Excise & Spirits Board, chartered in Oslola in 1904, and was reorganised into its present vertically integrated form in 1968, when it also adopted its trading name. It has a complex and broad list of purchase agreements with local companies, including the vineyard cooperatives of Pico and the Orotava Valley in Tenerife and the rum distilleries of the Kalina Region.
Producers generally bottle their bulk product themselves and deliver it to Alco’s regional bottling and bonding repots, where it is tested for ABV and quality. From there it is labelled and warehoused under bon, pending distribution to the endless licensed trade of cafΓ©s, restaurants, pubs and bars, which purchase stock at accounted rates set by the Department of Market Affairs. Alco also operates a small number of premium retail outlets, styled as Atlantic Cellars, mostly for industry and export.
Legend
Department of Procurement
810Negotiates and administers Alco's exclusive purchasing agreements with the Commonwealth's vintners, distillers, breweries and bureau cooperatives.
Department of Bottling & Bonding
3,710Operates the regional depots where bulk product is tested, labelled and warehoused under bond pending distribution.
Department of Distribution
1,810Runs the licensed trade accounts of cafΓ©s, restaurants, pubs and bars, and the Atlantic Cellars retail chain.
Department of Export
380Manages accounted export sales of Vekllei wine, spirits and rum.