01
Operators First
We have spent decades working within the systems most firms only advise on. We do not observe from the outside — we build it, run it, and hand it to you with the knowledge to sustain it.
About Tier 3 Strategy Group
The strategy firm built inside beverage alcohol.
We are not traditional consultants. We are the team brands bring in to build it right or fix what's breaking.
01 Mission
Why we exist.
Tier 3 Strategy Group exists to give craft beverage alcohol brands the operational, commercial, and financial systems to scale profitably — building and correcting from the inside, not advising from the outside.
02 Vision
Where we're going.
A craft beverage alcohol industry where exceptional brands do not fail from operational, commercial, or financial breakdowns — only from a lack of demand.
Core Values
The non-negotiables. Plainly stated.
These define how we work. If a conversation, a deliverable, or a decision contradicts one of them, it doesn't ship.
02
Full-System Thinking
Finance, operations, and commercial strategy are not separate problems. We align all three because that is where growth either becomes profitable or breaks down into inventory overhang, margin compression, and distributor misalignment.
03
Intelligence-Led Decisions
Every recommendation we make is grounded in real-time market data — NIQ scan analytics, iDIG-VIP depletion tracking, and category intelligence that most mid-market brands have never had access to. We do not guess at what the market is doing.
04
Craft Respect
We understand what makes your brand worth building. Our job is to scale it without losing what made it special — the story, the craft, the positioning that separates you from every commodity on the shelf.
05
Execution Accountability
We stay until it works. No slide decks left behind. Every engagement ends with transferred knowledge, implemented systems, and measurable results — not a report that lives in a Google Drive folder.
The Tier 3 Difference
Intelligence most boutique firms can't access.
What separates our work from traditional consulting is our market intelligence infrastructure.
Tier 3 clients access real-time NIQ off-premise scan data, iDIG-VIP on-premise depletion analytics, and weekly category intelligence synthesis — the same data used by the largest distributors and brand houses to make strategic decisions, now available to mid-market brands that have never had access to it.
This is what allows us to move from diagnosis to implementation with precision rather than hypothesis.
NIQ
Off-Premise Scan Data
Real-time velocity, distribution, and pricing trends across every major off-premise channel.
iDIG
On-Premise Depletion Analytics
39-month rolling depletion data by account type, channel, and geography.
DST
Distributor Performance Tracking
New placements, lost placements, and velocity trends by distributor and state.
CAT
Weekly Category Intelligence
Synthesized analysis of competitive moves, tariff impacts, and structural market shifts.
50+
Years Combined Experience
3
Practice Partners
6
Integrated Service Lines
100%
Beverage Alcohol Focus
Our Partners
Three operators. One mission.
Operations, commercial strategy, and finance — covered by partners who have spent careers inside the brands we serve.
Partner · Operations & Supply Chain
Melissa DiBrienza
"Operations is how strategy becomes real."
A results-driven operations executive with 20+ years of global experience in supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, and ERP/CRM implementation. Melissa has scaled multi-country operations, led cost-reduction initiatives, and delivered multimillion-dollar savings for beverage and consumer brands. She specializes in turning fragile production into predictable throughput — without losing what makes the product worth building.
Supply ChainLean Six SigmaERP / CRMManufacturingCost Reduction
Partner · Commercial Strategy & Distribution
Jason Valentine
"Distribution decides who scales — and who doesn't."
With 23 years of experience across beverage distribution and brand building, Jason has worked with Red Bull, Balvenie, Fireball, Stoli, Gallo Wines, and many more. He helps craft brands accelerate sales, align distributors, and enter new markets confidently. His specialty: turning the three-tier system from a constraint into a growth engine.
DistributionChannel StrategyPricing ArchitectureSales LeadershipiDIG-VIP
Partner · Finance & Analytics
Reinaldo Martinez
"Numbers tell the truth — once you know which ones to ask."
A finance executive with 15+ years leading FP&A and strategic finance in multi-site manufacturing, CPG, and spirits companies. Reinaldo builds finance engines from scratch — empowering CEOs and boards with the data and insights to scale profitably. He turns a chaotic ledger into a forecasting system founders can actually use.
FP&AStrategic FinanceMargin AnalysisNIQ PricingCash Flow
Why "Tier 3"
The name is the strategy.
Tier 1
Supplier
Where the brand is builtTier 2
Distributor
Where the brand is movedTier 3 ←
Retailer
Where the brand survives the shelfOur name comes from the structure that governs this industry: the three-tier distribution system. Tier 1 is the supplier. Tier 2 is the distributor. Tier 3 is the retailer — the account tier where brands ultimately win or lose.
We named ourselves after it because that is where we focus: not the theory of distribution, but the account-level execution that determines whether a brand survives the shelf.
Ready To Build?
The systems that scale your brand are built, not advised.
If your brand is growing but starting to break — or you're building from the ground up and need it built right — let's talk.
Schedule Consultation →