Seneca Beverage Corporation

02/18/2023

One of the best

Obituary for Charles "Butch" Robinson

Butch Robinson, age 68, of Port Huron, MI, passed away on February 15, 2023, surrounded by family members. He was born in Elmira, New York, the son...

01/27/2023

Welliver managed the fast-track expansion of a new 79,000 square foot distribution warehouse and 11,000 square feet of office space, which houses the client’s corporate headquarters. The new space accommodates additional capacity in beverage distribution across Central and Southern New York. We ma...

12/05/2022

For our Seneca family. He was buried in his SBC sweatshirt. It is dusty in here.

Obituary for Joseph H. Cicconi

Age 82 of Elmira, NY, passed away on Thursday, December 1, 2022. Joe was born on July 14, 1940 in Elmira, NY, the son of the late Leo and Elizabeth...

01/18/2022

Seneca Beverage is now closed. Please see Saratoga Eagle for all information regarding this Beverage Wholesalership.

01/14/2022

From our family to all of you, thank you for over 53+ great years. To our team, thank you. You are the best in the business and we were lucky to know each and every one of you.

12/27/2021

Local family business Seneca Beverage Corporation (SBC), owned by the Potter family, has entered into an agreement to sell the company to Saratoga Eagle Sales and Service (SESS), owned by the Vukelic family. The sale is aimed to close by the end of 2021, with Greg Vukelic moving to the Southern Tier to run their new extension of SESS.

Seneca Beverage informed their team of the upcoming sale in November, at which time, the entire team met with several members of the Vukelic family. The SBC team, at the forefront of the Potter’s minds with the sale, has interviewed and received job offers this past week from SESS, with the vast majority carrying on with the new company.

“Consolidation within the beverage industry has been a growing concern. John, Betsy and I have always cared about our team and the local community. This was not an easy decision to come to, but best for the organization going forward. The Vukelic’s have been in the beer business in Upstate, NY for over 90 years. They are a family business, and they too, care about their employees and their community” said John Potter, Sr.

The Potters cannot thank our team or our community enough for their hard work and support over the past 53 plus years. “Our team members are like our family. It has been our absolute pleasure to work with the very best in the business, and that’s what our team is, at Seneca” said Betsy Potter-Knapp. “We have the greatest customers we’ve had the pleasure to get to know and the opportunity to work with throughout the years”.

“It is bittersweet knowing we will not be a part of the business our father built, starting at such a young age. It has been a source of pride for my sister and I growing up.” Said John P. Potter

“We hope that by making this move, the legacy can live on, just under a different name. Seneca Beverage has alway had its own internal set of standards that we instilled in our people. Our Father coined the phrase, calling it the ‘Potter Way’. This has been instilled in not just our long-term people, but also those high school and college students, and certain brewery employees, that have come and either stayed or gone on to better themselves. Without them, we would never have achieved as much as we have.” Said John P. Potter

The Potters will miss our team, our accounts and the local agencies, fundraisers, and charitable organizations we’ve worked with for the past 53 years.

About Seneca Beverage Corporation

Seneca Beverage Corporation was started by, a then 22 year old, John Potter. Potter moved from Baldwinsville, NY, with his wife Trudy, and opened SBC on June 3, 1968. At the time, Potter was the youngest Anheuser-Busch wholesaler in the country. Today, John has retired from the business, with his children John and Betsy, running the business as President and Vice President, respectively.

The new warehouse in Elmira Heights, located at 2085 Lake Rd, was constructed in 2010 and is located just a few miles from the former location on Oakwood Ave, built in 1972, which now houses the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. The original SBC location was located on State St. in downtown Elmira, prior to the Flood of 1972.

SBC has grown from employing 17 team members in 1972, to the current 64 full time team members, at present. SBC is proud to distribute beer, wine, liquor, and non-alcoholic products in five counties: Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, Tompkins, Cortland and the town of Waverly, NY

12/19/2021

Our incredible team 💙❤️

11/11/2021

Thank you. Thank you. thank you to all Veterans. Especially those that we are lucky to work with every day!

11/01/2021

We had a great time at Beer Fest this weekend! We love being involved in this event every year! Extra shout out to our brewery reps that came to town and those that poured samples all day at our tables (lots of reps not pictured we love you too)!! Cheers 🍻🎃🏎👏

#2021 Finger Lakes Beer Festival presented by Chemung Canal Trust Company

10/28/2021

Who’s coming this weekend?!! 🍻🎃👌

Finger Lakes Beer Festival presented by Chemung Canal Trust Company

10/03/2021

Way to GO, Trip Knowles!! We are so proud to have sponsored you in your first marathon! Congratulations on all of your hard work paying off!!

10/03/2021

We are SO proud of all of our sponsored runners in today’s Wineglass Half and Full Marathons! We can’t wait to see all of your times!! We loved seeing Denise Hamilton having a Michelob ULTRA to celebrate!! Congratulations team!!

10/03/2021

Congratulations for finishing an amazing and celebrating with a We are so proud of your run!

09/23/2021

Today kicks off our Virtual Food Drive, for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier! Our partners in the community are all gathering to raise funds to help our our neighbors in need. If you'd like to donate to the food drive, please hit the link below!
https://www.fooddriveonline.org/foodbankst/index.php?c=41e1a439

09/22/2021

Rounding out our team, we'd like to introduce you to Tim Dimond! Tim is a three sport athlete, residing in Corning, NY - home to the finish line of the Wineglass Marathon! He competes, not only in running, but also in biking and swimming! No matter if he's on two feet, two weeks or in a lake - he's crushing it.
We are excited to have Tim be a part of our team for this year's Wineglass Weekend! If you'd like to follow Tim on Instagram - check him out at

09/22/2021

Hello Folks! I'd like to introduce you to our next Seneca Beverage Corporation Michelob Ultra Sponsored runner, Casey Swartz!
Casey has been a runner for the past 17+ years and competed on the Fredonia Track Team! He resides in Chemung County and is a member of the Elite Therapy NY Team in Horseheads, NY, helping fellow runners work through injuries. If you'd like to follow Casey's journey, check out his Instagram account
Welcome to the team, Casey. We're glad to have you!

09/22/2021

Our next awesome Seneca Beverage Corp, Michelob Ultra runner we'd like to introduce you to is Mr. Aaron Hedden! Aaron sent us the most amazing pitch video and we knew he'd be one of our runners, it may have also helped he had a Michelob Ultra can in his video!
Aaron is competing in his 15th 1/2 Marathon with running in the Wineglass 1/2 Marathon here in a few weeks! He's competing for his wife and his three fantastic kids and hails from Coopers Plains, NY. We are so happy to have Aaron as a part of our team. Follow Aaron's journey on Instagram @
🍷

09/22/2021

Our next Seneca Beverage Corporation, Michelob Ultra, sponsored runner is Trip Knowles! Trip is from Campbell, NY, where the Wineglass Marathon begins!
This is Trip's first marathon ever and we loved his attitude and excitement for that! We'd love to have you follow Trip's training page, on Instagram, .hate.running
We are so happy to have you as a part of our team, Trip!

09/22/2021

We are incredibly excited to announce our first Seneca Be stage Corporation, Michelob Ultra Runner, Denise Hamilton!
Born and raised in Elmira, where she continues to live with her husband and kids. Denise has a passion for nutrition and fitness. She's a registered dietitian with the Sayre Health Care Center, The Arc of Chemung-Schuyler and Able2.
Denise is running in the 1/2 marathon and we couldn’t be more proud to sponsor her!
Follow Denise’s journey at

09/22/2021

We are incredibly excited to introduce to you our first Seneca Beverage Corporation, Michelob Ultra Runner, Denise Hamilton!
Denise is born and raised in Elmira, NY, where she continues to live with her family. Denise is running in the 1/2 Marathon and we couldn't be happier to be her sponsor.
If you'd like to follow Denise on social media, check her out on Instagram at

09/21/2021

Our Team has been chosen! We can't wait to introduce our Seneca Beverage Corporation Team Ultra Runners for the Wineglass 1/2 and Full Marathons tomorrow morning!!
Stay tuned!

09/17/2021

We’re launching a groundbreaking coalition to end alcohol-impaired driving. In a partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Uber, the Decide to Ride campaign encourages always planning ahead for a safe ride home because you can’t drive drunk if you don’t drive there. To learn more, visit decidetoride.com.

09/17/2021

Did you know that responds to a disaster every 8 min? In partnership with -Busch, we’re preparing throughout the year to ensure we always stand ready to deliver support to those in need – you can too: http://redcross.org/prepare

09/13/2021

Calling All Runners 21+ registered & running in the Wineglass Marathon ( )
We are looking to sponsor 4 local Runners for the full marathon on October 3!! All info needs to be submitted by September 17th!

What we need to know in a PM from you:
21+ is a must
One minute video on why you want to be sponsored by Michelob Ultra & Seneca Beverage Corp
Are you willing to do at least 4 social media posts with your swag leading up to the race?
How many followers do you currently have?
What are your social media handles?
Where are you located? (Must be from Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, Tompkins or Cortland County)
What races have you competed in before?
Have you been featured anywhere for your running?
Short bio on yourself - think just a few bullet points on what makes you awesome

What do you get from us?
$150 towards your entry fee reimbursed to you
$350 worth of swag
Coverage on both of our social media pages leading up to the race

09/13/2021

Update to All Runners running the 1/2 or the Full marathon for the Wineglass Race Series!!! You're eligible to be sponsored for the race!

All info needs to be submitted by September 17th!
What we need to know in a PM from you:
21+ is a must

One minute video on why you want to be sponsored by Michelob Ultra & Seneca Beverage Corp

Are you willing to do at least 4 social media posts with your swag leading up to the race?

How many followers do you currently have?

What are your social media handles?

Where are you located? (Must be from Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, Tompkins or Cortland County)

What races have you competed in before?

Have you been featured anywhere for your running?
Short bio on yourself - think just a few bullet points on what makes you awesome

What do you get from us?
$150 towards your entry fee reimbursed to you
$350 worth of swag
Coverage on both of our social media pages leading up to the race

09/09/2021

******* Correction*** **** This sponsorship covers the 1/2 marathon as well as the full!!
How do I get sponsored?
Are you 21+?
Are you running the Wineglass Marathon?
Can you send us a one min video of why you want to be sponsored?
How many followers do you have on Instagram?
What makes you stand out?
Are you willing to take four sponsored social media posts prior to the race featuring yourself and your Ultra SWAG?

If you've got these things, just submit them to us by September 17th to be featured as one of our sponsored runners!

09/02/2021

Happy Thursday all!

We’re feeling inspired! Check out this new masterpiece by ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ a Raspberry Sour Ale. 🤩👨‍🎨🖼✨

Available now for a limited time, grab some before it’s gone! 🍻

08/31/2021

Happy Labor Day Week Friends and Customers!
Let’s do some giveaways to celebrate our last full week of summer?
Our cruiser was such a hit, we are doing it again!! To enter:
1. Follow
2.Like this post
3. Tag 2 friends
4. Share this post and tag us! If you’re on private, please send it to us!

You must be 21 to enter.
You must be able to come to Seneca Beverage to pick it up, in person.

08/26/2021

For all of our customers it seems that a fiber was cut so our 607 734-6111 number isn’t working. If you need to get through please try 607 737-5015

08/13/2021

See you tonight! Beat the heat with a cold drink, great food and music 🍻☀️🔥💃🏻

Elmira Downtown Development, Inc, Inc Hill Top Inn Restaurant, Banquets, & Catering

08/13/2021

Friday the 13th but make it active!

Sign up for the rescheduled 2021 STRC St. Patrick’s Day 5K/10K Run & Walk and join our friends from Southern Tier Brewing Company after for a pint (obviously must be 21 for that part)! 13% off today only! 🍻🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♂️🧟‍♀️

Southern Tier Running Club

07/23/2021

Today is the LAST day of our Christmas in July fun!!

The first cruiser was such a hit, we’re doing another one!!
You know the rules!
1. Follow Seneca_Beverage]
2. Tag 3 friends
3. Like this post
4. Share to your story, tagging Seneca_Beverage] - if you’re on private, please send us a copy!

You must be 21+ to enter and win and you must be able to come pick them up at the Seneca Beverage Warehouse!

Keep an eye out for the MLB Post Season contest coming your way! Remember to keep stopping g by to see what’s new!

07/23/2021

Thought I’d do something fun this morning and show the live draw for the Labatt Mountain Bike! We come to your from our Key Account Manager, John Walton’s office! Congratulations ! You’re the winner of the Labatt Mountain Bike!
Please come by next week to grab your prize!