The National Association of Beverage Importers, Inc. (NABI) is a national trade association representing the interests of beer, wine and spirit importers at state and federal levels. Become a member and enjoy the benefits. If interested in becoming a member of NABI or if you have a question about importing an alcohol beverage into the United States, please do not hesitate to call us at (240) 453-9998.

The National Association of Beverage Importers will keep you informed of fast-changing U.S. import rules and regulations, as well as the maze of international policies that affect importers.

NABI’s mission is to help the importer members operate their businesses more efficiently and profitably by providing timely information, aggressive representation, and thoughtful advice on technical and political matters.

William T. Earle - President

Mr. Earle retired from a 33 year career with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) in 2004. He left ATF after serving seven years as Assistant Director and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining NABI, Mr. Earle served as the Chairman of the Code Compliance Review Board, a third party review process established by the Beer Institute. Mr. Earle was responsible for national beverage alcohol regulatory and tax policy for a significant portion of his time as an executive at ATF. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and earned his MBA at Southern Illinois University. He was selected as President of NABI in January 2007.

Bernadeen Emamali - NABI Vice President, Assistant Treasurer & Corporate Secretary

In addition to her other duties, Ms. Emamali is NABI's labeling expert. NABI members submit labels and product formulas to her for review before they are submitted to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for approval. After her review she hand delivers the paperwork to the TTB for their approval.

Ms. Emamali has had a distinguished career in the alcohol beverage industry. She began her career as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the United States Brewers Association and then went on to work with several Washington DC area law firms. Ms Emamali is an expert in alcohol beverage labeling.

Ms. Emamali received her paralegal degree from the University of Maryland University College.

NABI members are responsible for a substantial portion of all alcohol beverages imported each year into the United States.

Although most of our members are classified as ACTIVE MEMBER importers, holding Federal Basic Importer’s Permits, we also have an ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP category. This category is for any person, firm, or corporation, interested in importing wines, spirits, and/or malt beverages, who do not qualify for ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP status. If you hold a Federal Basic Importer’s Permit, you must join the association as an ACTIVE MEMBER, whether or not actively importing. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS receive all services offered by the association.

Beer Importers
Beer importers automatically become members of the NABI Beer Committee as soon as their application for membership are approved by the NABI Executive Committee. The NABI Beer Committee focuses it’s attention on issues of particular importance to beer importers. The principal mission of the NABI Beer Committee is to change state laws and regulations that discriminate against imported beer. During the past year, NABI has been effective in changing laws in Florida and California.

Other Member Services
Statistical Reports
NABI publishes monthly and annual statistical reports. These reports show imports of alcohol beverages into the United States by type of product and by country. These reports are provided free of charge to Members. Non-members can receive them by subscription only. Monthly reports are $425.00 per year for non-members. An annual report can be purchased by non-members for $100.00. If you would like to purchase these reports, contact NABI.

Member Letters
Member Letters are published by NABI and are available to Members only. Member Letters report on matters/issues affecting importers of alcohol beverages so that they can import their products as efficiently as possible and avoid problems with regulatory authorities.

Import Reports
Import Reports, like Member Letters, are available to Members only and are published whenever an issue arises that can directly or indirectly affect importers of alcohol beverages. Import Reports focus on trade issues. Trade issues that affect the ability of Members to import their products are of prime importance to NABI Members. Import Reports keep Members informed so that they can adjust their business plans accordingly.

Label/Product Approvals
Importers are required by law to get a Federal label approval for any alcohol beverage the importer intends to import into the Unites States. Some products also require laboratory analysis before the Federal Government will issue a label approval. The label/product approval process can be a very complex and time-consuming process. NABI assists Members in getting product and label approval. NABI's staff will review the labels and product paperwork for compliance with Federal rules. When, in the opinion of the NABI staff, the labels and/or the product paperwork are ready for submission to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, NABI's staff will walk the label approval applications and product paperwork through the approval process. This service is free of charge to NABI Members.