{"id":1942,"date":"2026-01-21T10:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redparalela.eu\/?p=1942"},"modified":"2026-01-21T10:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:48:22","slug":"the-intergenerational-shift-in-horeca-distribution-when-growth-is-no-longer-about-accumulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redparalela.eu\/en\/the-intergenerational-shift-in-horeca-distribution-when-growth-is-no-longer-about-accumulation\/","title":{"rendered":"The intergenerational shift in HoReCa distribution: when growth is no longer about accumulation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Where We Come From \u2014 and Why the Model Is Starting to Weigh Us Down.<\/h2>\n

Many beverage and soft drink distribution companies did not start out as distributors. They began as small local producers of soda water, siphon bottles, or soft drinks. Family businesses, closely tied to their territory, that grew by solving a simple problem: supplying drinks to the bars in their area.<\/p>\n

Carb\u00f2niques Montaner is a clear example of that journey. It went from manufacturing siphon bottles in the 1930s to distributing water, then beer, and later soft drinks. The next step was a logical one: together with other distributors in the region, it created a buying group to better manage that growth, add more product lines, and gain autonomy and independence from manufacturers who put pressure on our company, fully aware of the leverage they held over it. Over time, it continued expanding the catalogue until it was distributing around 1,000 SKUs.<\/p>\n

That model worked. And it worked well for many years. Until, gradually, we became Red Paralela, leaving behind the capillary, local delivery model that had accompanied us for so many decades.<\/p>\n

Technology followed that evolution too: from the fax machine to the first IT systems, and from there to what Red Paralela is today\u2014an extranet designed to organise and manage distributors\u2019 parallel operations.<\/p>\n

Three generations along this path.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, many distributors still build their business around one or two official brands that are the true backbone of their revenue. In many cases, more than 50% of the business depends on them. Around that core, there is a very broad range of brands and product families that \u201ctag along\u201d, but are not strategic.<\/p>\n

And that \u201ctag-along\u201d range comes at a cost:<\/p>\n