A century after he was born, and less than a month before he would have turned 101, Ray Herrmann, chairman emeritus of Breakthru Beverage, has died at home in New York City. His wife, Marianna, was at his side.
He initially worked for two wholesalers in Louisville, Ky., before moving to National Distillers Products Co., where his 18-year career ended as general manager of wine and spirits operations. SY Schieffelin & Co., he served as EVP, general manager and director, overseeing sales and marketing for Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Ruffino and Teacher’s.
Herrmann joined McKesson Corp. to become president of its wine and spirits group. In 1988 he acquired McKesson’s wine and spirits business, which he turned into Sunbelt Beverage Corp., which merged with Charmer Industries to become Charmer Sunbelt. In 2015, Charmer Sunbelt merged with Wirtz Beverage to become Breakthru Beverage, the No. 3 wine and spirits wholesaler in the U.S.
Herrmann is survived by his wife, Mariana; his daughter, Laura Nicholson; his grandson, Christian Kai-Nielsen and his dog Pancho II. He was predeceased in death by his sons, Mark and Michael Herrmann.