J. Christopher Reyes built Reyes Holdings with his brother Jude from a small South Carolina beer distributorship into a large privately held food and beverage distribution group, with their father involved in the original purchase. [1][2]
The Reyes fortune began with a family-backed distributorship purchase
Forbes says Chris Reyes, his brother Jude and their father bought a small Schlitz beer distributor in South Carolina for $740,000, creating the business that became Reyes Holdings. [1]
Reyes Holdings describes Chris and Jude as the founders of the company in 1976 and says the business began with the purchase of Dixie Systems in South Carolina. [2]
The father's participation in the original acquisition represents meaningful family advantage, but the company that produced Chris Reyes's present fortune was built over the following decades by the brothers rather than inherited as an established large enterprise. [1][2]
Decades of acquisitions created a much larger distribution group
Reyes Holdings records expansion from beer distribution into food distribution through the 1998 acquisition of Martin Brower, followed by additional acquisitions across beer, foodservice and Coca-Cola bottling. [2]
Forbes now identifies Chris as co-chair of Reyes Holdings, while the scale reached by the family company supports substantial founder-era value creation on top of the family's initial financing and operating support. [1][2]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 23, 2026.
- J. Christopher Reyes · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- History · Reyes Holdings
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